Maria Montessori was one of the first female physicians in Italy in the 1890s. Studying psychology further, she often visited Rome’s asylums for mentally disabled children. Seeing the unfurnished and dark rooms of these asylums, led her to research how children require sensorial stimulation for educational and behavioral development. Her research began to take more prominence, and she later became well known for her radicle philosophies on child education. Maria’s methods included the use of everyday materials due to the poverty of these asylums, and she quickly learned how the children had a much higher sensorial experience with natural materials such as wood, metal, fabrics, rocks, leaves, etc. than children with actual toys in richer homes. She also developed prepared environments to lessen overstimulation of the child, putting out only the activities that the child was engaged in. The children Maria was working with made significant progress, and she started to lecture on her various methods and study results. Before one of her lectures, Maria was quoted to say,
I had a strange feeling which made me announce emphatically that here was the opening of an undertaking of which the whole world would one day speak.”
And thus the Montessori Method began. 🙂
There are 5 Core Components to Montessori Education, shown below:
Because the Montessori Method was originally created for the most destitute of society, it does not require extensive training nor does it limit to socioeconomic status. Montessori is not just for the expensive classrooms in a high-end institution. The principles can easily be incorporated into the home and everyday life.
Below is my DIY Montessori-inspired Homeschool room for my 2yo daughter, Aurora.
- The Trained Teacher: your main job is observation without interference. Other important aspects of this include modeling real life skills at home, nuture the inner motivation of the child by attributing intrinsic value to their work (encourage with positive feedback and appreciate their efforts), engaging the child on their level, and adapting the environment to best ensure your child’s interest, independence, and success. Note: Aurora picks what she wants to learn off the cubbie shelves and brings it to me. I give simple, susict instructions, and I let her do the rest. Because this facilitates independence, Aurora enjoys learning so much.
- The Multiage Classroom: this helps faciliate mentorship relationships and teaches both communication and leadership skills. Note: I will often have my son, Dante (who is only 5mo old) in the classroom with Aurora, so that he is hearing and observing what Aurora is learning.
- The Absorbant Mind: in the first few years of a child’s life, so much is being absorbed and involuntarily learned, and the Montessori Method seizes that oppurtunity to further develope the child. Note: in my homeschool room, the posters are at my daughter’s height facilitating her independence in her own learning, the cubbies are also at her height to facilitate exploration and again child-led learning.
- Prepared Environment: this encourages order, self-motivation, and independence which is absolutly crucial to Montessori learning. In the home, you can create this very easily by having fewer distractions, limited toys/activities out, and less overstimulating rooms/toys so that the child can focus on the task at hand. Note: in my homeschool room, there is one item/shelf, it is orderly and neat, and it facilitates sensorial interaction by having multiple different natural materials (fuzzy pompoms, wooden popsicle sticks, fabric swatches, etc.).
- The Sensitive Periods: Maria discovered 11 sensitive periods in the first 6 years of a child. Order (ages 2-4): characterized by a desire for consistency, repetition and routine. The environment must be carefully organized with clearly established rules. Movement (birth-1): the once random or rigid movments of a baby become more coodinated and controlled through grasping, coasting, crawling, walking, balancing. Small Objects (ages 1-4): characterized by a child’s fixation on details and small objects. Grace and Courtesy (ages 2-6): the imitation of polite gestures leads to a child’s internalization of those qualities and personalities. Refinement of the Senses (ages 2-6): characterized by a fascination of the sensorial experiences (taste, sound, weight, touch, smell). Writing (ages 3-4): characterized by the growing fascination of letters and numbers and attempts at duplicating these images with pencil and paper. Reading (ages 3-5): characterized by the child’s interest in the sounds of these letters and the formation of words. Expressive Language (birth-6): characterized by the child’s use of words to communicate growing from babbling to words to phrases to full sentences. Spatial Relationships (ages 4-6): the ability of the child to comprehend spatial reality and conduct puzzles. Music (ages 2-6): characterized by a child’s growing interest in the development of pitch, rhythm, and carrying a melody. Mathematics (birth-6): characterized by the child’s ability to form concepts around quantity and mathematical operations such as addition, subtration, multiplication, and divitions. Note: Aurora thrives off of routine and is much less distracted in an orderly environment. She has shown intrest in small objects and sensorial crafts (see other posts on DIY Montessori Crafts). She enjoys learning her letters/numbers/days of the week/etc. through music, and she is growing in her expression of language.
I hope this was helpful information for you and maybe the boost you needed to create your Montessori-inspired spaces in your own home! I think the biggest takeaway from Montessori is rearing a child who is independent. And that is very often and easily done inside the home. I would love to see your Montessori spaces- feel free to comment below! 🙂