My introduction into Montessori was a baptism by fire. If I could do it all over again, I’d be sure to start with a plan and be better prepared. Your experience will go smoothly for both you and your child, if you have a proper plan ahead of time. The “prepared environment” is very important in Montessori. Make sure you have a clean, uncluttered, designated learning space for when you do Montessori activities. You also need to feel confident in how you are supposed to present the material to your child. Below you will find various sources of information to help you get started on your Montessori journey.
Materials
This video is very helpful in providing a general overview of what is so special about the Montessori materials and how they are presented.
Presenting Materials
If you learn best with videos, you may enjoy My Works Montessori on YouTube. They show you how to present the various Montessori materials to your child.
Example of 3 sets of questions:
- This is big. This is bigger. This is biggest.
- Can you show me biggest? Can you show me big? Can you show me bigger?
- What is this? (point) What is this? (point) What is this? (point)
Reggio Emilia
One area that I feel is a bit weak in the Montessori approach is the artistic/creative aspects of learning. I used the Reggio Emilia approach for creative activities instead. I displayed crafts as a “provocation”, where she could explore the materials presented and make her own creation. This video provides a great overview of the Reggio approach vs Montessori.
Waldorf
Here is another video by Hapa Family that is very helpful in understanding Montessori and Waldorf approaches. My daughter and I used pretend mainly because she seemed to learn better in that way. She would pretend to be my teacher and show me how to do the activity. We also included a stuffy or doll who participated with us. Since we didn’t have other children to include, it helped adding some pretend. Pretend can be useful, but you have to make sure that the materials are being used in the way they are meant to be used.
Learn More About Montessori
There are numerous resources online to learn about Montessori, but sometimes it can be too much all at once. These websites are great sites to learn more about Montessori.
Carrots are Orange
Carrots are Orange has extensive, well organized information including an overview of the basic Montessori principles as well as curriculum. There is also a FREE 5 day course that you can sign up for.
Trillium Montessori
Trillium Montessori also has lots to offer. There is a great overview of Montessori education and detailed curriculum overviews. There are courses that you can enroll in including some FREE offerings. You will also find printables and can explore special topics on the podcast.
The Kavanaugh Report
The Kavanaugh Report is a great source of information. There are lots of practical information and examples on how to implement Montessori in a home setting. You can enroll in the affordable Baby Course and listen to the “Shelf Help” podcast.
