Mothers' Tips: Principles for Creating a Montessori Friendly Home

How can Parents adopt a Montessori lifestyle for their child once they arrive at home? Are you a parent struggling to set the Montessori way? Mothers in the school community share their best practices to help one other promote a Montessori lifestyle adaptable to our every day routines outside school.

Every year in March, Mothers gather at school to celebrate the International Women's Day. They share the best practices in education through discussion, exchange and fellowship. It is a great way to support one another in setting a Montessori and Christian lifestyle and choosing languages that fit to the child. There is no doubt that parents are challenged and need support for their every day life with the child outside school.

Shared by mothers in our school community, here are four principles to maximize a Montessori home friendly lifestyle with your children.

Tip 1: Quality time spent is always better than quantity of time spent.

Prepare physically, spiritually and emotionally. Make sure that you are available and patient with your children. Quality time spent is always better than quantity of time spent. There are also negative ways of speech and behaviours that has been transmitted from generations to generations such as belittling and discouraging words. We must change the way we view our child and get rid of all that. Accept your children as they are, respect their pace and rhythms. To create an environment proper to your child’s age, you have to put yourself into your child’s shoes and use items and materials that are available at home and adaptable to your child's needs.

"Applying Montessori at home as a multi-task mother", by Holitiana Rajaonarivony, Mother and Clinical Psychologist. Women's day celebration 2023, Ayhay.

Tip 2: Home is where the good manners are born.

Practice grace and courtesy at home. The child mimics the parents and siblings' way of talking and behaving. Home is where the good manners are born. Practical life activities fit to the daily routines outside school and help the child to be independent. Ask your child to help you clean, cook, tidy, construct and repair something. Make the preliminary exercises a priority. You can start from simple to complex, from basic to elementary, that’s the rule. Teach and allow your child to care for herself/himself. This way, the child will learn to care for others. Privilege the activities that wake up the five senses of the child. By designing practical life activities and practicing grace and courtesy, you will help you child to grow up being independent and responsible.

"Applying Practical life and Sensorial at home", by Najoro Alice Raherinomentsoa, Mother and Upper Elementary Teacher, Women's day celebration 2023, Ayhay.

Tip 3: Introduce languages before the age of six.

Speak to the child with the mother tongue often. The mother tongue is the best way to communicate with your child . Before the age of six, make sure that you introduce other languages. Indeed, parents' experiences and studies have shown that it is efficient to introduce languages before the age of six. It will be easier for the child to communicate with the languages learned when they grow up. Promote language development through available, different and engaging activities such as games, songs, stories, and movies at home.

"Applying language Arts at home", by Ratsiorimiafara Andosoa Rahaingo, Mother and Specialized Educator, Women's day celebration 2023, Ayhay.

Tip 4: Create Maths and Science activities.

By being creative and observant, we can create Maths and Science activities through what we can see, listen, touch and hear in our environment. Accompany your child with patience. Maths and Science are amazing subjects. Use real life and available items to teach or introduce an activity. They are the best way to grasp new concepts. Move from concrete to abstract instead of abstract to concrete. Make sure that you communicate with your child's guide and collaborate. Teachers are sources of help and advices as well.

"Applying Mathematics and Science at home" by Malalasoa Razafitsoa, Mother and Agronomist Engineer, Women's day celebration 2023, Ayhay.

In a nutshell

Without a doubt, it is not easy but possible to set a Montessori way of life for your child at home. Remember that the quality of time spent is always better than the quantity of time spent, and that good manners are born at home. We can use our creativity to design Maths and Science activities from environment. It is also better to introduce languages before the age of six. To everyone, "be strong, loving and patient".

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