To get into the new year, let’s take stock of where we are at and how we can support our child’s development going forward. So I’ve put together some questions for you to ponder what you learned last year and to consider what you would like to take into the new year. Note: None of […]
We’ve seen many parents moved to tears as they discover how capable and independent their children can be, and how our approach has empowered their child’s healthy development. We’ve had the privilege of learning from former Montessori students, now adults, as they reflect on the positive impact Montessori had on their lives. We’ve also witnessed […]
It’s normal for kids to love some academic subjects more than others. But if there’s one subject that the vast majority of students have learned to dread, it’s math. So, the question is: why do so many kids hate math? Maybe it’s because they consider it irrelevant (cue the chorus of “When will I ever […]
Learning to use the toilet independently is a meaningful milestone for toddlers, giving them a deeply personal way to experience their autonomy and the ability to meet their own needs. We often refer to this season as “potty training,” but in Montessori, we call it “toilet learning.” This might seem like a matter of semantics, […]
Montessori Australia are hosting an introductory series on Positive Discipline Tools for Building Respectful Relationships Useful for parents, carers and educators of children of all ages. Visit Montessori Australia to see the dates available: Positive Discipline Course | Montessori Australia
Say milk. Say milk. Come on, use your words.” We all know what comes next. The parent holds the milk away, expecting a verbal response. First, there’s the stare-off, then the classic reach and grunt, ending with the baby howling at the injustice of being asked to speak. On the opposite end of the spectrum, […]
Montessori educator Katie Lannaman gives tips to parents and teachers to introduce diverse foods and healthy eating habits to young people.
A common critique of the Montessori approach is that it pushes kids to grow up too fast. People see infants drinking from open glass cups, toddlers dressing themselves and sweeping the floor, preschoolers reading independently or multiplying and dividing large numbers, and they fear that we’re rushing child development—that we’re pushing children to do things […]
We are witnessing so much violence, without a seeming end in sight. How do we raise our children in such a world? It’s hard not to lose hope. It is hard to see how to educate for peace while also educating kids about history and conflict In this this webinar held by Lead Montessori […]
Our children are in community from the day they are born. Their first community is their family, then they may attend child-care and playgroups, and soon after they will join preschool and school. Here are some ideas to help the young child to develop social skills: 1. The child needs to understand themselves – They […]
Some years ago, Code.org, an organization dedicated to educating children on computer programming, produced a remarkable video. It’s a heartfelt exhortation to children, extolling the virtues and pleasures of software engineering. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a watch. It expresses a joyous and idealised view of learning. The explanations of programming, though targeted at children, […]
Children in a Montessori environment make stunning achievements. Children learn to drink from an open cup made from real glass, they learn to put on their own coats and shoes, they build the foundation of phonics and often read their first book by 4. And it doesn’t stop there. Out of proportion with Montessori’s small […]
Here’s a common concern amongst parents and educators: How do I get a child to do things that they dislike? Children need to develop inner discipline, the thought goes, and life does indeed involve at least occasionally doing unpleasant things. We train a child’s capacity for inner discipline by training her capacity to do things […]
What if there were an easier way to raise children? Right now we are juggling work, home, wanting to enjoy ourselves and our family, as well as being a part of our community, alongside serious concerns about humanity, the impact of technologies, and our planet. We believe that Montessori is the antidote we need. Instead […]
From infancy on, play is an important part of a child’s life. For babies and toddlers, simple, playful interactions with adults help develop sturdy brain architecture, the foundations of lifelong health, and the building blocks of resilience. Through games and playful activities, children can practice and strengthen important executive function skills that will help them throughout their lives, including learning […]
Whilst there are many highlights during a child’s Montessori journey with us, the highlight is often the graduation ceremony, a celebration to honour the children leaving us & moving on to primary school. In the lead up, final parent teacher meetings are held, the child’s progress is reviewed & transition reports prepared. It’s wonderful receiving […]
Educators face a seeming paradox. On the one hand, there are things we know to be good for the student to learn. From literacy to the chronology of history, from math facts to human anatomy, we have important knowledge to impart. On the other hand, learning is voluntary. It’s something the student has to choose to do. The student […]
In The Absorbent Mind, Maria Montessori describes an interaction between one of her students and a visitor to the school: A lady of high rank once paid the school a visit and, being old-fashioned in her views, she said to a little boy, “So this is the school where you do as you like?” “No, ma’am,” […]
“I’m bored!” and what we can do about it Sometimes we feel like we have to constantly be available to entertain our child/ren. We have children because we want to enjoy their company, share experiences, watch them grow, and support them when needed. And we can also create inspiring environments that our children can use […]
One of the things we teach our toddlers is how to independently put on a coat or jacket. Putting on a coat is a surprisingly difficult task. One has to sort of wriggle one’s shoulders into it without having a clear line of sight. This is why it’s nice when someone helps you with a […]
A couple of weeks ago, the venerable Emily Oster published a newsletter piece titled “Is Montessori School Better?” Unfortunately for Montessorians, her answer followed Betteridge’s law of headlines: any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered with no. More precisely, her answer was something more like: the question “is X educational or parenting philosophy better” is […]
Connecting the Dots Between Early Learning and Lifelong HealthFor families with young children, some of whom will be entering a classroom for the very first time this year, this can also mean a renewed focus on early learning and literacy. We have long known that when young children are exposed to rich learning environments, work with […]
What is the relationship between parenting and education? Humans drive their own growth. But major inputs to that growth are care, instruction, enculturation, curation, mentoring. My starting point: all of this is parenting The scope of the parent is total support for a developing human. Educating and schools are evolutions of parenting: Parents raise a […]
Harvard’s Centre on the Developing Child have made available handouts with suggestions for games and activities to do with children of different ages. These activities can promote child-caregiver bonding, executive function skills, and build children’s brains through play. 6 months 9 months 12 months 15 months 18 months 2-3 years 4-7 years 8-12 years adolescents […]
Montessori is a radically different approach to education, and thinking it through means that it’s natural, even necessary, to ask tough questions and grapple with critiques. Here are four common objections: Does Montessori ignore the need for adults to be authorities?This could be true of the teacher as a knowledge expert, or of the teacher as […]
In April we recommended an episode from the Increments podcast where Matt Bateman from Higher Ground gives a great overview of Montessori education If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, the below are some highlights: Question: So, is the case that it [Montessori] is simultaneously sort of more structured and less structured than, […]
Internet Archive Books contains over 200 Montessori texts which can be access free ! Users can search by author, subject and language. Click here to search the catalogue Don’t forget you can also find Montessori books at your local library in both hardcopy and digital formats. Click here to search the Moonee Valley Library catalogue Click here […]
For those that havent seen the latest deep space photos from Nasa’s James Webb Telescope please see the embedded video below. “…we have formulated the concept of ‘nebulae’, likening the creative energies, which will guide the child to absorb from his environment, to the starry ‘nebulae’ from which the heavenly bodies take their origin.” – […]
Can you spot the obstacles to your child’s development? Dr Montessori talked about removing obstacles so that the child can reach their full potential. “The first Right of Man, the Fundamental Right, should recognise the right of the child to be helped to overcome those obstacles which may hinder, repress or deflect his constructive energies […]
We wait for a child to ask, pointing at the compartment for zero: “And what should I put there?” We then answer: “Nothing, a 0 is nothing.” But this is not enough. We must make a child feel that 0 is nothing. For this we use exercises that are highly amusing to the children. I […]
In this podcast episode from Montessori Education Jesse takes a deep dive into reading and writing in the Montessori classroom, as well as some tips for home including; Are academics even considered important in Montessori? How are reading and writing taught in a Montessori classroom? How does Montessori compare to traditional school in reading and […]
Montessori Australia (MA) is actively working towards filling the gap in financial literacy education. Montessori Australia’s Director of Education Services Mark Powell said there was currently no comprehensive and engaging financial education in Australian schools, and young adults often struggled with banking, mortgage and other practical life decisions. “Building confidence in finance and money management […]
The Montessori curriculum is unreasonably effective. The materials not only allow children to learn more earlier, and not only allow children to learn more effectively, but they also allow children to learn more deeply—to acquire knowledge in a way that allows for the formation of deep character traits. Take place value. Our everyday representation of […]
About the Episode In this podcast, Matt Bateman, one of the founders of Higher Ground Education, discusses the Montessori method of education and how it compares to other teaching methodologies. Get ready for tiny furniture, putting on your jacket upside down, and teaching your toddler to make eggs benedict. Topics discussed: Maria Montessori What is […]
What is false fatigue in Montessori? I love this graph from from Spontaneous Activity in Education by Maria Montessori. What you’ll see is a 3-hour work cycle in a classroom in a 3-6 classroom. In this graph the children arrive at 9am. For the first 30 minutes you have the children arriving, settling in, greeting and […]
My objection to Montessori’s view of education as the panacea is that, even if it’s true, it just can’t be achieved in isolation. We have to fix the child’s world and the adult’s world in parallel.
a Montessori way to learn to say please, thank you and sorry without forcing your child In Montessori you may have come across the kind of old-fashioned term “grace and courtesy.” Grace and courtesy might otherwise be known as manners but most broadly is how we teach our children what is acceptable in our […]
Are you a parent who wants to know how to bridge home and preschool? Are you a thinker who wants to understand how humans develop and what it takes to help a child grow into an independent, clear-thinking adult? This 2-hour course offered 100% online by The Prepared Montessorian Institute, delivered via Zoom, is an […]
We welcome long-awaited academic research which shows a clear link between the Montessori educational approach and greater long-term well-being. The new study has found that children who attend Montessori schools often have greater well-being and happiness in adulthood. The findings, published in academic journal Frontiers in Psychology, suggest a Montessori education is superior to conventional education in […]
Did you know that the Montessori educational method has been around for over 100 years now? The method designed by Dr. Maria Montessori has seen a boom of popularity recently, and more schools are opening up under the Montessori name. Yet, research on the effectiveness of Montessori pedagogy has lacked up until recent years. Now […]
Parents and their children weren’t the only ones who faced a challenging year. The abrupt school shutdowns that happened at the start of the global pandemic were a major setback in teachers’ ability to help children learn. With many children now back in physical classrooms, we thought it might be helpful to highlight ways in […]
Does your child always want to be first? Do they always want to win? I see this behaviour a little bit in some younger children but more around children from 5 years and up. Let’s have a look what we can do in our homes when we see competitive behaviour. Montessori and the lack of […]
Montessori Schools and Centres Australia are hosting The Rite Journey Parenting Plan by Andrew Lines on Wednesday August 11th at 7.00pm AEST. This practical workshop is for ALL parents and uses birthdays as a ‘transition template’ for raising responsible adults. It will begin by exploring the world that our children live in, the effects of parenting […]
Northwest Montessori Screening of the movie Let the Child be the Guide, a movie about Montessori
Our friends at Childhood Potential, a group of Montessori educators and enthusiasts, have organised another online conference following the success of last years event. This time there are even more speakers and additional days filled with inspiration and information to help you better understand your child have been added. The organiser and all the participants […]
I’m often asked, “What is scaffolding in Montessori?” Scaffolding put simply is building one skill on the next. When I first entered a Montessori classroom, I saw the beautiful materials laid out on open shelves in a clear order. Once the children master a skill, they move onto the next, each building on the next. […]
While the history of Dr. Montessori is not only impressive but fascinating, what I’m most intersted in, however, are the lessons she can teach us about children and ourselves. For she believed, “A child is mysterious and powerful and contains within himself the secret of human nature.” And I believe that if we can understand children […]
Want to stay calm as a parent? Wondering how to keep calm when your child is losing it? Or if the kids are fighting (again)? These are all the things I’ve learned from my Montessori training, from working in a Montessori classroom for over 10 years, as well as from being in the trenches raising […]
There is a common misconception that Montessori children are allowed to do whatever they like, and another that Montessori is very strict. In reality, Montessori falls in the middle of these two extremes. The word discipline doesn’t mean to punish. It is actually based on the root word “disciple” which means “to teach” or […]
Reducing the effects of significant adversity on young children’s healthy development is critical to the progress and prosperity of any society. Yet not all children experience lasting harm as a result of adverse early experiences. Some may demonstrate “resilience,” or an adaptive response to serious hardship. A better understanding of why some children do well […]
