Just because it's summer doesn't mean the learning needs to stop. While many children will be attending Montessori summer camp sessions, parents can make sure the learning opportunities continue at home as well. Here are three Montessori-like parenting approaches to incorporate.
Work As A Team
Parents often underestimate their children's' capabilities. This can lead to excluding them from the daily activities of living, which are important to strengthening family roles and bonds. In a Montessori setting, all children participate, regardless of age. If it's time to go weed the garden, the whole gang should be going outdoors to participate. Obviously, your toddler may only be capable of digging in the dirt with a spoon while you and the older ones do the weeding, but they are still learning about the properties of soil. The important thing is that each child is learning to the best of their ability to be a productive member of the family, team, or group while also absorbing gardening skills.
Watch How You Speak
You don't build a child's vocabulary by using simple words or by conversing with them in "baby talk." A child who is capable of learning the word "green" is equally capable of learning the word "verdant" or "emerald." The Montessori method teaches children to write before they learn to read, and they learn to speak before either. Infants should be talked to in the same manner that older children are spoken to. This may occasionally require additional explanation, but for the most part, when children are spoken to with a rich vocabulary from the moment they are born, they will repeat the behavior. A good vocabulary will help accelerate their reading progression.
Ask The Kids What They Want To Learn This Summer
In Montessori schools, students decide on their own which learning station they want to explore. Summer learning at home should be no different. Learning should be presented as an opportunity to be appreciated, not something to be dreaded. Do you live near the ocean or a lake? A learning opportunity to explore the fish and ecosystem while at the beach is the perfect way to combine learning and still have summer fun. Maybe they would like to learn about insects or trees. You can certainly present your own curriculum ideas as the parent, but when kids are excited about the subject matter and feel as though they have some input, you will usually get more enthusiastic learners.
Share