Un-“childproof” Your Home
“To assist a child, we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.” – Dr. Maria Montessori Childproofing homes has become an ever-growing trend with an insatiable sales market directed towards parents. You can buy locks for your cabinets, gates for your hallways, door handle covers to prevent small hands from […]
Personal Care as a Bonding Time
“The child has a different relation to his environment from ours… the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. ” – Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind So often, the times that can best serve for emotional bonding and interaction between parent and child are those […]
Pre-writing skills aren’t always explicit.
‘My child only scribbles’ ‘My child is so active’ ‘My child won’t sit and complete focused activities’. Sound familiar to anyone? First off- you’re not alone. Second- there is nothing ‘wrong’ with your child Thirdly YOU HAVE GOT THIS. Most parents I chat with get more and more anxious about their child’s ‘inability’ to sit […]
Ramadan
Ramadan is the month of fasting practised by millions of Muslims around the world. It is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and occurs at the sighting of the new moon. During the entirety of the month, Muslims around the world fast from dawn to dusk. This fasting period forbids Muslims from not […]
The Floor Bed
Sometimes referred to as a ‘Montessori Bed’, the concept of a floor bed or low bed is not new. It has been a common way of sleeping for many cultures for hundreds of years. But for many parents moving their baby out of a cot onto the floor seems like a wild and crazy idea. […]
How To Raise Emotionally Intelligent Children.
Many parents find themselves wondering how to help their children manage their ‘big feelings’. When children are unable to handle their emotions well, this shows up as challenging behaviours for parents. We see tantrums, meltdowns and behaviour that we find stressful. The foundation of emotional regulation in children is emotional intelligence. But what exactly is […]
Early Risers
How to stop children from waking up too early is a question that I am commonly asked, and something that I am very familiar with as my own son has always woken very early. 6am is considered a late start in our household! Although there are some benefits to an early riser, such as being […]
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Christmas can be a stressful time of year, but, it can also be the most amazing time with family and loved ones! The lead up to Christmas can be busy and stressful with gifts, cooking cleaning – you name it! We have decided to give you some wonderful ideas for Christmas gifts (and links as […]
Sleep ‘Regressions’ and Sensitive Periods
You may be familiar with the term ‘sleep regression’. It is often defined as a period of worsening sleep. For parents it can mean frustration, confusion and lack of sleep. Everything seemed to be going fairly ok with your child’s sleep and then seemingly out of the blue everything has changed. You might find your […]
Basic Montessori Principles
Montessori philosophy is a reality-based educational approach that aids children in preparation for life and encompasses growth of the whole child—mind, body, and spirit. The philosophy respects that children have an intrinsic motivation to learn, an absorbent mind from birth, and sensitive periods for physical and cognitive development. In a prepared environment, guided by practicing […]
The Home Environment – Bedroom / Sleeping Area
The beauty and simplicity of a Montessori prepared environment is an element of the philosophy that attracts many people. There are hundreds of blogs, Instagram accounts and hashtags to inspire and sometimes overwhelm you. But the truth is a Montessori space doesn’t need to be ‘insta’ worthy. It needs to be practical and based on […]
Montessori & Practical life Part 2
“The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one’s self.” – Dr Maria Montessori Independence is, in fact, the aim of childhood. As adults, our role should be one of guidance and support for our children working towards becoming independently functioning individuals. How as parents should we go about achieving this? […]