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What is Montessori Parenting and How Will It Help My Child?
Montessori Parenting is a form of child-rearing that many parents have adopted in the last few decades. The Montessori approach to parenting emphasizes freedom, independence, and responsibility for children while still young. This parenting style also encourages an emphasis on creative thinking and problem-solving skills. It’s not surprising then that Montessori parented children do better academically than their peers raised in other ways.
But there are other benefits too: Research shows that Montessori-raised kids have more self-esteem, behave better at school, and get along with their siblings better than non-Montessori’s. But how does this happen? What exactly is it about the Montessori approach to parenting that makes these considerable differences in the development of our children?
What is Montessori parenting? Montessori parenting is a type of gentle (or sometimes not so gentle) discipline which allows Montessori children to mature at their own rate, or Montessori parent’s gentle discipline which allow Montessori children to mature at their own pace. Montessori parenting often involve playing with Montessori materials designed for young children. Montessori activities are geared towards the development of problem solving skills through discovery and exploration, fostering independence in Montessori children through Montessori materials.
Another Interesting Read: Grow and learn best activities for 9 month old babies
Montessori Parenting vs. Traditional Parenting
There are critical ways in which Montessori parenting is different from traditional parenting, and all these can contribute to making your child brighter, happier, more confident, etc. These are:
1) Less Dependence on Rewards For Good Behavior
Under Montessori philosophy, kids are not given ‘rewards’ for doing what they’re told to do by their parents or teachers. Kids should be trusted to behave appropriately because it is the right thing to do, not because they might get a sticker if they’re well-behaved in class today. This lessens dependency on the external because kids learn that good behavior is its reward.
2) More Freedom
Montessori kids are encouraged to move around and explore their environment using all five senses. They are free to make choices about what they do in their daily routines, which helps them develop self-reliance, independence, and creativity. Parents aren’t allowed in the classroom when Montessori kids learn (the exception here is if a child needs help urgently). Hence, they know how to stand on their own two feet much earlier than other children who depend on adults for direction throughout their childhoods.
3) Freedom Within Limits
This vital concept lies at the heart of Montessori philosophy because it teaches kids how to be accessible without infringing upon another’s freedoms. The idea here is that kids are encouraged to get on with their work alone without distracting other children. But the children are free to get up and explore the classroom if they get bored or want some help – within reasonable limits, of course.
4) Freedom From Fear of Making Mistakes
As Rafe Esquith says in his book There Are No Shortcuts, ‘the future belongs to those who take it into their own hands. Montessori philosophy emphasizes the importance of respecting the child’s individuality because everyone learns differently. This means that there is no need for tests or exams because each child is allowed to learn at their own pace. It also means that there is no need for competition in school because every kid has different strengths and weaknesses, and the Montessori philosophy celebrates this difference.
The Montessori parenting style is different from traditional parenting because it allows children to complete tasks independently, corrects misbehavior through silent reprimands rather than corporal punishment, and emphasizes self-control and imagination. Parents can expect their children to be more confident, creative, and friendly than other kids their age when they practice the Montessori approach to parenting.
Montessori Parents Guide
Confidence is the magic word here. To help our children gain confidence, we must be confident ourselves -it’s as simple as that. This means not getting angry when your child doesn’t follow orders perfectly (after all, they are only human beings too!), but simply reminding them what to do next time instead of giving them a reward or punishment for doing well or poorly.
Montessori parents don’t give rewards for good behavior because this would teach kids to expect nice stuff in return for everything they do, which makes them dependent on external motivation rather than self-motivation. Instead, they focus on how their kids complete tasks and not just the result.
For example, if your kid comes home from school and tells you about their experience in the school play, don’t praise them for “being so talented” or give them a better score on their homework because they did well in the play. Instead, ask them what helped them to remember their lines during the performance (if your kid forgets lines quickly), or encourage them to write down all the places where they got stuck when learning their script for next time.
Learning From Mistakes
Montessori parents help their kids make mistakes without making feelings of guilt worse. They know that mistakes aren’t things to be ashamed of – everyone makes mistakes sometimes! – but learning opportunities instead. By allowing children to learn from their own mistakes rather than constantly interfering throughout completing an activity, parents practice the Montessori philosophy at home.
Instead of saying, “that’s a bad drawing,” a Montessori parent might be more likely to say something like, “I wonder how that could have turned out differently” The idea behind this sentence is that it makes children think critically about their actions and encourages them to consider the feedback they received from others. This means that parents encourage kids to embrace challenges rather than avoid them because mistakes mean progress when they are allowed to use judgment instead of being told what to do every step of the way.
Being Encouraged
In many traditional households, parents tend to talk down to their kids when giving instructions because they view them as incapable compared with adults. But when you tell a child that she can’t reach a book on a high shelf, you are not only being rude – you are also discouraging her from thinking she can do anything she sets her mind to.
Montessori homes encourage children to be self-disciplined to stay motivated to try new things by themselves. This means that parents set aside time for kids to play without any demands on them, allowing them to find their own “flow” while having fun. By allowing their children the freedom to get messy with paints or glue, Montessori parents teach their kids that creativity is about trial and error rather than following the rules of society all the time.
These were just a few ways in which Montessori philosophy shapes your parenting style!
Conclusion:
To conclude, Montessori philosophy is different from traditional parenting styles in that children are trusted to make their own decisions throughout the day rather than being told what to do. Children aren’t seen as incompetent tiny humans who couldn’t possibly understand anything (because they are only human beings after all!), but simply individuals with different degrees of development who need to be encouraged instead of criticized.
Montessori parents also focus on building confidence by encouraging kids to embrace self-discipline and creativity without judgment, which builds up trust in themselves throughout their childhoods until they reach adulthood, feeling empowered by their families’ support.