How to Use Montessori Ideas at Home

The Montessori method is one of the most popular methods of alternative education, and this surely says something about its success. Montessori schools, however, may be hard to find, or at best, prohibitively expensive. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to use Montessori ideas at home, whether you are interested in homeschooling, starting out with a very young child, or just supplementing the education received at school. These steps will guide you through the process.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Follow the child's interests. Rather than deciding what he should be learning at a certain age, use Montessori ideas at home to provide support and materials related to the activities that he actually enjoys.

2. Involve the child in household and real-life activities as much as she likes. Provide opportunities for her to help with cooking, cleaning, gardening, building, running errands, and performing many other types of daily tasks.

3. Use Montessori Ideas at home by providing materials and setting up the environment to help children do things for themselves. For example, provide real child-sized tools, and conveniently located step-stools so that children can reach the sink and other areas. Prioritize helping them to learn tasks, such as tying their shoe laces, instead of continuing to do it for them.

4. Expect and allow children to have long periods of concentration on activities of their choosing. As much as possible, avoid interrupting children who are concentrating on their work or play, or at least try to set aside one or more daily periods for uninterrupted, self-directed activities.

5. Provide educational toys. Place toys and educational activity kits on shelves that the children can access, so they can choose among a variety of options.

6. Interact respectfully with children, treating their ideas and emotions as valuable. This suggestion may seem obvious, but it is at the heart of the Montessori method.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're interested in a full course of Montessori home-schooling, detailed curricula are readily available.
• The Montessori name may often be attached to products or schools that don't follow the original Montessori methods very closely. If in doubt, look for recommendations from a reputable Montessori organization.