Finding Ways to Occupy Your Child's Time

Many of you are interested in finding ways to occupy your child's time in a Montessori way to give your child an environment that fosters calmness and focus.  

We practice deep breathing for about 3 minutes before lunch to calm our bodies and again after outside play.  Not all children will be able to connect with the idea, but after some practice and time, children start following the others.  Try adding this to your child's bedtime routine and maybe even with you involved.  Many children practice yoga here, and it is a solitary activity that includes visual instruction cards and a yoga mat.  Ask your child if they practice in the classroom, and they may want their mat for home use.  

Another idea is rotating your child's toys and books.  Having too many choices can be overwhelming for a child and a larger mess to clean up.  Leave out a limited number of toys and books and rotate every two or three weeks.  I also recommend individual rugs for activities to be played on at home.  It gives a specified area and sense of boundary to use.  

Reading the book, The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori, I understand we need to follow the child's natural development.  Maria Montessori states that development comes from a child's environmental experience.   A child's nature is directly responsible for independence, and a prepared environment will help foster this. 

I invite you to create a prepared environment for your children at home, such as having drinking glasses and a small pitcher of water for them to use instead of plastic cups or water bottles.  Invite your child to help set the table with said number of utensils, napkins, and placemats.  They do use all these real-life items at school during lunchtime.  

At birth, the child depends on the mother and father for everything.  With nature's force, by 6 months, this child begins to accept new experiences.  By the 9th and 10th month, this child crawls voraciously, moving his body, and wanting to explore.  Allowing the natural progression of self-exploring of the child is crucial.  Once a child can speak, he/she no longer depends on his or her mother or father to guess his or her needs.  Learning a language is one of the first steps in gaining independence in a child's life.  Another step in giving your child joy and independence is learning to walk.  He can move about and use language to try and get what he wants.  It is nature that guides children to their freedom.  It is this freedom that is, in turn, allowing for his independence to thrive.  However, the behavior of every individual is a product of their environmental experience.  

Many factors shape a child's behavior, one of those coming from home life which is why I keep communication open with families.  I encourage you and thank you for letting us know about the trials and tribulations you all experience and other events that impact your child's behavior. Whether it be mom or dad is out of town, your child did not get enough sleep the night before, or they did not want breakfast.  These little facts matter and have a bearing on your child's well-being.  We take serious notes of all the details.

Your child's ability to think about themselves from your perspective also marks the start of their acquisition of self-concept – stable thoughts and feelings about the self.  Emotional independence is where the child perceives himself through his parents.  Overprotection may hinder a child's first instinct to do something all by himself, without any help.  This gives the child a message they cannot do the task.  Giving a child a chance to experience risk can be beneficial, giving them the freedom and confidence needed at this age.  I encourage you to challenge yourself and allow your child to do for themselves something you automatically do for them.  I think you may be delighted with the effort they give you.  Thank you for supporting your child through his Montessori practices.  They will continue to surprise you in their independent ways.  I am including a podcast I enjoy listening to about insightful parenting.  I know I mentioned to a few parents during conferences I would share.  Peace and Parenting with Michelle Kenney offer many topics to support a healthy connection with your child. 

https://www.peaceandparentingla.com/home 

-Dragonfly Classroom