Your Child’s Environment Outside of Montessori
During 0-6 Months:
The main environment for your baby at this age will be the bedroom. It is important to take note that the baby’s environment prior to the outside world was the womb. In the mother’s womb it was quiet, dark and sounds were sedated. This can be attempted to be replicated in the baby’s bedroom for the first 8 weeks to help the child adjust to the new world positively. Soft classical music can be played in the room; this can be soothing to the young baby. Have some natural lighting and if possible have a window where a child may watch the wind blowing through leaves or trees.
Baby this young will be mostly attracted to mobiles with great color contrast, such as black and white. One can even simply attract a child’s attention, by making shadows, by having the light source behind a parent’s hands. Hanging mobiles can also be effective, these have to be placed about 30 cm from your baby as in the beginning they can only see this far.
During 6-12 Months:
At this stage children are moving about more and have developed strength in the neck, arms, hands and legs. Hopefully in the early months your child has had opportunities to move freely. This can be further implemented at this stage of your child’s development. Montessori believed that movement is associated with the development of the brain. So working with the hands can be beneficial for the development of the child.
At 6 – 12 months we need a movement mat that may be placed in the family room. If the child has had the freedom to move as he pleases, have had enough tummy time to develop strength, he/she and may have movement that will amaze parents, if we really watch and observe. We still need the wooden toys we previously had, plus a few more soft balls that the child may grasp, if it rolls, may motivate a child on their tummies to try to reach for it. This can be the beginnings of crawling. A child generally slithers and pulls up on average about 8 months. If it is later do not be worried, each child has their own blueprint of development. If children though are given the opportunity to freely move then they will never cease to amaze us with their abilities.
During 1-2 Years:
Children at the end of this stage are more mobile and are able to walk with stability. If the children are given the freedom to move when they were younger their gross motor development will flourish. Children now will be able to do more things with their hands as they are now free from crawling.
The room has to be child proofed, and also make sure that sharp objects cannot be reached by the child as they now can stand more firmly and have higher reach. Children at this age would love to climb as they try to challenge their gross motor skills.
An outdoor environment is therefore beneficial. In this outdoor environment have items that allow them to climb or just allow them to have a run. Do not let trips and falls discourage your child from trying new things, it is part of growing up and learning.
During 2-3 Years:
At this stage children need to be given more independence as they grow up. This can be shown in the environment. How one arranges it such that the child can independently accomplish things for himself. This then gives him/her the sense of accomplishment and in turn develops a high self esteem.
The key is to set up the environment in which he can succeed to be able to do things by himself safely. For young child things may have to be set up step by step, which may be slow and tedious for adults but is indispensable for a child who is learning.
When showing children a particular activity always exaggerate your actions so they will not miss details of performing that simple task that we as adults may take for granted. Ask your child to help with the smallest tasks as putting the clothes in the wash, wiping up their own table after themselves, putting dishes in the dishwasher, mopping, sweeping, and dressing themselves.
