Montessori education system is widely applied all over the world; It is a system that has been gaining popularity in our country recently. At Minik Abaküs Montessori Kindergarten, we provide a full-fledged Montessori education with our educational philosophy, classroom equipment, materials and experienced teachers. It is possible to apply this system not only at school but also in our daily lives. We have tried to give some tips in this context below. In September, our Home Montessori lessons will begin at our Parenting School. We welcome all of you to these trainings for examples and questions.
At the heart of the Montessori system is that we trust our children, respect them as individuals, and allow certain freedoms to do their own work and gain experience.
Materials that support the development of our children in different areas are presented to them in an open format that they can reach. Our children work much more lovingly and focused when they concentrate on the activities they choose and when they are partnered with the housework. When they learn with concrete materials and with focus, these teachings become truly internalized and permanent. In addition, it is of great importance that we give our children the opportunity to repeat and experience as many times as they want to complete their development. Rather than explaining what we want to teach our children with abstract words; Allowing our children to do activities and experiments that support their development makes a big difference in their development. Our children find the right way by making mistakes when necessary, and their problem-solving skills are also developing. The main duty of parents or educators is to guide our children in a way that will guide them and to be the right role models for them. (Not doing things for or for them, but by showing them how to do it, creating space and opportunity for them to do it themselves!)
Since each child’s developmental pace and need for experience may be different, Montessori education respects these differences in our children. When the same subject is explained to each child at the same speed and a new subject is introduced, some of our children fall behind and are expected to move on to the next stage without laying their foundations completely. This is actually like leaving gaps while laying the bricks of the wall, and unfortunately it does not produce healthy results. The Montessori system is based on educating each child within the framework of their own needs and characteristics, and giving them the opportunity to experience different experiences in order to realize the teachings. In addition, Montessori argues that every child goes through different critical periods in terms of learning at certain ages, and evaluating these periods with good observation can turn them into great opportunities for children’s development. Thus, it is possible to prepare them for the future as children who are more social, able to stand on their own feet, self-confident and at peace.
The motto of the Montessori approach: “Teach me to do it myself!” As can be understood from this slogan, some of the important benefits of Montessori studies are:
– To provide materials and activities that will enable our children to be self-sufficient, increase their self-confidence and gain independence;
– To ensure that our children gain a sense of responsibility within free choices; and
– By increasing our children’s problem-solving abilities; to encourage their learning through experimentation and repetition.
We all spend time together with our children; we are playing games. The important thing is to ensure that the games and toys we choose and the environment we prepare contribute to their development.
Here are some tips on what you can do at home. We recommend that you follow our facebook page regularly for concrete examples.
Designing Your Home for Development:
– Prepare your child’s room in accordance with his size and in a way that he can use it comfortably.
– Keep the hangers of the wardrobe at his level so that he can get into the habit of dressing himself.
– Don’t let all of your toys be out at once. (This will cause distraction) If possible, place toys in open cabinets in an orderly manner and within easy reach. Whatever game your child wants to play, choose it and have a mechanism that he plays on his table or carpet. When a game is over, remove them and switch to the new game.
– Create an environment suitable for exploration and wide spaces for him to move around in your home and, if possible, in open areas.
– If possible, have a table and chair in the kitchen its size. While you are doing business; Do the kitchen chores together by giving him small chores as well.
– Reserve the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for him and put his food. When he desires, he can easily reach the food he wants. Do the same with plates etc. You can also consider it for a kitchen cabinet that you can use for utensils.
– Take precautions about sharp corners, ends or breakable items in your home. Instead of constantly saying “don’t stop”; try to create environments where they can move freely and gain experience.
– Involve your child in housework, grocery shopping, gardening. Make lots of discoveries and experiments together.
The Way We Play With Our Children and Our Toy Selection:
– Study the developmental steps in childhood well and make the necessary preparations in advance. (It is possible to follow the development steps for different age groups on the Facebook page.)
– Offer toys and materials for developmental areas and periods.
– It will enable him to focus more (or at least as much) than battery or plush toys, fine motor muscles, sensory development, hand-eye coordination, etc. Choose games and toys that will provide support.
– Try to identify your child’s interests and needs through individual observation.
– Dress your children appropriately for the activity. Give importance to physical training. Give them plenty of opportunities to do activities that will allow them to get to know their bodies, such as climbing and swinging.
– Be in constant communication with your child. Talk, explain, observe, try to respond to their expectations from you. Create environments where he can express himself comfortably, play games.
– At this age, it is very important to experience teaching activities through concrete materials. Don’t try to solve a problem for you. Be a guide to show you how to do it, but give him the freedom to do it on his own by experience.
– Choose games and materials that will support them mentally and emotionally. Work with real-life objects.
Remember, there are very simple but important things we can do for our children. Showing them that they are loved and making them understand that we respect and listen to them as individuals are the best things we can do for them. Most of us think that we are doing them a favor by doing things instead of our children. However, these behaviors make them dependent on us. Our aim should be to raise children who are dependent on us, who love and respect us, but who are not dependent on us, who can stand on their own feet and who are at peace with themselves. Then we will have taken one of the most important steps for them to be truly happy.