“I don’t have time for practicing Montessori at home.” is one phrase I hear way too often.
Somewhere along the line, Montessori got a bad wrap for being time-consuming. But this just isn’t true!
Taking things day by day and using these time management tips will have you happily practicing Montessori every day!
In order to create freedom within limits, you need to create a space that is safe for your child. This also helps you from having to redirect your child or tell them no all the time.
Having a solid routine will help satisfy your child’s need for order as well as make them comfortable knowing what is happening next. Try to have an hour set out each day to work on Montessori materials or activities. As your child gets older and their concentration level increases you can start increasing the amount of work time.
Similar to creating a yes environment, you want to also prepare your environment. This will change as your child grows older so you’ll want to learn exactly what you can do to keep your environment prepared at each developmental stage. Click here to learn more about preparing your home environment.
Keeping your child’s options limited will help you discover exactly what your child is interested in. Start with a lower number of materials and as your child gets more comfortable you can start to add a few more.
Only rotate a few materials at a time. This will make rotating easier for you and less overwhelming for your child. Keep your rotated materials organized in a storage space so they are easily accessible when needed.
Using a planner can help you keep track of materials and activities that your child is showing interest in. A checklist might help you come up with new activities and more ways to introduce them. Grab access to over a dozen planners and checklists in The Montessori Learning Center by clicking here.
Your growing toddler is craving independence and it just so happens that the more independent they become the easier things are for you. It takes time and consistency to get to this point but having self-help stations such as a washing hands station or self serve snack station will help your child become more independent.
For example, if you are planning on doing a food preparation activity make sure to have all the ingredients and materials out and ready to use before you present it to your child. If your child is ready to start and you have to keep interrupting the activity then this will break your child’s concentration. This can result in your child being less and less interested, making the activity more stressful for both of you.
No matter if you’re practicing Montessori or not, this one is always a good tip to follow! Another alternative, for all you cold weather folks, is doing them in the bathtub.
There are only a few Montessori subscriptions services that I would recommend but they are amazing! If you “don’t have time” you can just subscribe and get a new box of Montessori materials sent straight to your house every month! There is nothing better than something that makes your life easier!
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