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Navigating Power Struggles at Home
With its emphasis on respect, independence, and connection, Montessori parenting offers helpful strategies for navigating power struggles with young children, even from an early age. In the first six years, children are forming their sense of self, learning boundaries, and testing limits. The Montessori approach provides ways to respond to these developmentally typical behaviors that…
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Food and The Young Child – Nurturing a Healthy Relationship with Food
As caregivers of young children, we share a common objective – fostering a healthy relationship between the child and food. Our aim is for children to enjoy meals while ensuring they are eating enough to sustain the great work happening in their physical, mental and spiritual development. The eating patterns of young children can be…
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Three Tips for a Successful School Year
As the new school year begins, there are some specific ways you can support your child’s transition “back-to-school” and help them thrive in their unique learning environment. Here are three essential tips to ensure a smooth and successful start to the school year. 1. Foster Independence at Home Montessori education emphasizes independence and self-directed learning,…
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Maria Montessori
As Italy’s first female doctor, Maria Montessori’s work in medicine led to her deep interest in child development. Over the course of her life, Montessori studied all races and cultures, and through her keen observation skills came to understand that the child under the age of six holds a very special power. Within this young child is…
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Helping Your Child Learn Self-Regulation Skills
When children learn new skills, we help them achieve mastery by offering support along the way – like a stool to lift themselves up when they’re learning to walk or training wheels on a bicycle. We encourage and celebrate them for their efforts; we would never punish or shame them because they haven’t yet learned…
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Being the Person You Want Your Child To Become
Mothers, fathers, grandparents, parent figures, and close family and friends play vital roles in a child’s life and development. When we are involved, interested, affectionate, and communicative, children develop self-confidence and self-esteem which, studies show, contribute significantly to a child’s success. In the Montessori classroom, we emphasize the importance of modeling, in words and in…
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Montessori Travel Tips
Whether your travels take you to a neighbor island or across the ocean, traveling with children can be hard…but it doesn’t have to be! The keys to successfully navigating your journey – figuratively and literally – are to prepare ahead of time and help your child understand what to expect before you leave. Involve…
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Guiding Conflict Resolution with Your Young Child
As natural and unavoidable parts of life, conflicts provide opportunities to learn and grow. For young children who are just learning how to communicate, parents can teach their children how to peacefully navigate conflict by modeling behaviors that emphasize respect for themselves and others. This builds in them a foundation of social-emotional skills that will serve…
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Taking Turns is the New Sharing
Imagine being at work and having a co-worker walk up behind you and take the pen you were using right out of your hand. Then your boss says, “Share your pen, they just want to use it.” What would you think? Probably something along the lines of, “They just took it from me!” or “I…
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Creating Family Traditions
The holiday season is the perfect time for creating traditions and rituals that bring the focus on family togetherness and thinking of others. Regardless of background or culture, this season offers many opportunities to create memories that will last a lifetime and positively benefit your child’s development. The Importance of Traditions and Rituals A ritual…
