I Caught the Montessori Bug... the Lite Version

I Caught the Montessori Bug... the Lite Version

I have been spending quality time with my nephew, mentioned in this post. He is 2 years old now, all long limbs and big hair, and I absolutely adore him. That age is super precious as you mums to toddlers know full well. I am preparing some toddler related posts to go up over the next few weeks. Today, we are sharing about Montessori which applies to newborns, toddlers and pre-schoolers too.

When I waspregnant, I read a few mummy blogs which talked a lot about the Montessori principles. One mum, in particular, talked about  incorporating the Montessori style of teaching into her choice of toys, nursery layout, furniture choices, books, etc. I liked what I saw enough to make me really consider the Montessori option too, but in small, simple ways. I am keen to read a little more about Dr Marie Montessori's principles, and once Ive done that I could do a introductory post on that. Before I do manage to carve out time to do that, I have been leaning towards adopting some of the common sense elements, that I fully agree with and understand. See some of these below:

Montessori for infants & toddlers:

Tummy time & mirror time
We try to introduce tummy time for a short period everyday and have done since baby C was very little (about two weeks old). Short time, because she gets bored quite quickly, this is the same for holding her, we do need to change her position from time to time to keep her interest. If I do it in front of a mirror though, she is entertained for a little longer and we get to incorporate two elements of the Montessori teaching.

Sounds of human speech
I talk to baby C, usually when we are playing or she is getting changed or dressed, I might explain what we're doing, what are choices are etc. If I have her in the baby carrier, while I am in kitchen, I might talk about the cooking process. It's that simple. I sometimes also make songs up from our activities and sing them as we go along, haha. The things you get away with when babies are so young. I also try to read to her and have done from really early on. I got some books from TKmaxx - they do a very wide selection in most of their stores that have a children's section and for great prices too. Montessori books are supposed to be less about made up fairy, witches, magicians because the teaching is that life, as it is, is enchanting enough. Sounds plausible, but we are guilty of owning a 'Sophia the first' story book collection.

A few chosen toys
Since baby C has shown a great interest in the bouncer, she gets to have play time in it everyday. The activity bar on the bouncer comes with two beige and cream little soft toys that rattle quietly. I sometimes will add on a third toy to vary the diet of toys and change that every week or so. I try not to overwhelm her with the toy offerings, so sometimes I might take the third one down and let her bat/pull/hold the two neutral coloured ones.

Over time, I hope to carefully select the toys for her play and then rotate their use. This is not just about Montessori, but actually so that toys do get played with and appreciated, as opposed to having a huge toy box of toys with very many simply ignored. Or, Toddler Mums, am I being naive on this one?

Baby is not restrained by their clothing
I am a firm believer in this, and for me it is intuitive. I like baby C to be in cotton comfortable separates or a babygro. I have no qualms about dressing her in  comfortable trousers - leggings, peg leg variety, though she is a little girl and 'risks' looking like a boy. I have put ribbons in her hair, on occasion, but I check that it's done loosely and it is not a daily thing either.

Simple wooden toys and household products for play
This one we have not 100% adhered to, but we have one or two additions. We have a plain wooden rattle with little wooden balls, and a more colourful but simple one too. We also have the wooden Ikea leka play gym - which I cannot recommend enough. I would like to add a few more Montessori inspired toys, the blogs I have linked below have great posts on what those would look like. When my nephew was around I gave him a small box with our copper coins in it to play and he really enjoined stacking them etc. For a younger toddler, putting those, or rice in a bottle and then using it as a rattle is another great idea.

Routines and rythms
Little ones thrive on order and a rhythm, so the idea is try to be sensitive to this (within reason). I subscribe to this one because it is already interesting to see how different baby C when she is in a new environment,  outside of home. She is quieter, and has her eyes wide open and head turning frequently, as though she is trying to take in the new environment. Even if we are in the new environment for a full day, I still find myself telling people around us, 'oh you usually does this' etc because it feels like she is that little bit different. From my day in the life post, you can tell I am big on routines as part of day to day life, mostly because they make things easier for me too.

Nursery layout and furniture
I particularly love the Montessori idea of children being able to reach for and help themselves to their toys, cuddly animals, books etc in their nursery. This is another one I am keen to incorporate. Since our nursery is still work-in-progress, as Baby C is in our room for now, it is do-able. I am in the process of picking out pieces and I am looking specifically for miniature size storage, etc to go in there. The idea is also that kids sleep on the mattress on the floor, rather than in a cot which restricts their movement, but I will be erring on the side of caution and opting for a cot bed. As soon as she is comfortable walking, I plan to put the cot side bar down so she can get out herself when she wants. As an aside, I like the idea of these 'OK to Wake' alarm clocks. What do you think, will this work for every kid?

Below are some recommended readings on the Montessori principles and two blogs which have a fantastic Montessori section on them.

Have a great Thursday.
x

books and blogs

Maria Montessori Her Life and Work , by E.M. Standing

The Secret of Childhood by Maria Montessori

The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori

http://www.littleonelove.com  |  http://www.swisslark.com

update 20 Dec 2014: I have just come across this awesome website, which has real life applications of the Montessori principles and pictures too - http://nduoma.com

I Caught the Montessori Bug... the Lite Version