Jennifer Johnson - Montessori Practical Life: A Guide to Developing Independence, Confidence and a Sense of Responsibility in Children Using Montessori Practical Life

Montessori Practical Life

A guide to developing Independence, Confidence and a Sense of Responsibility in children using Montessori Practical Life

J E N N I F E R J O H N S O N

Copyright 2020 by Jennifer Johnson - All rights reserved.

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The ideas in this book are based upon the authors experience as a Montessori teacher and parent. Whilst the Montessori approach has been used successfully in schools and homes for generations, readers should use their own judgement as to which to adopt with the child/children in their care. Readers following instructions and suggestions made by the author are responsible for their own safety and the safety of minors in their care. All activities require adult supervision. Neither the author or the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.

Table of Contents

Thank you for downloading the book, Montessori Practical Life: A guide to developing independence, confidence and a sense of responsibility in children using Montessori Practical Life.

This book is a practical introduction to the Montessori Practical Life activities you might see on the shelf in a Montessori classroom. I have written his book to be a practical resource that you can use to plan a Practical Life curriculum in a school, nursery, pre-school, kindergarten or homeschool. Each activity is explained in detail including the materials required, how to prepare it and step by step instructions on how to present it to a child. The Practical Life Checklist which accompanies this book, can be downloaded as a pdf here.

Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!

When I started my Montessori journey with my first child, I started reading books about Dr. Montessoris work and ideas and this gave me a great insight into what Montessori is and is not. The philosophy really resonated with me and I absolutely knew this was the approach I wanted to follow with my child. Yet, when reading these books (and I read a lot of them!) I was often left thinking, yes, but how do I actually do it? I needed practical examples The books that I read all had some examples and I did my best to piece them together to make the whole, but I couldnt help but feel that there were big gaps in my knowledge of how to do Montessori.

So, my next stop was to hit the internet where I found a treasure trove of Montessori blogs and websites written by experienced Montessori teachers and homeschooling parents. The Montessori community is truly a wonderful group willing to share their knowledge and experience for the benefit of children. The only problem is that I got lost really lost. There was so much information available that I would regularly end up going down a rabbit hole as I read one blog post and then clicked a link to another post and then another and before I knew it, I would be left feeling overwhelmed and confused.

When I decided to make Montessori part of my career and completed Montessori teacher training, it all became clear and my questions were finally answered! I discovered a general framework in each of the Montessori curriculum areas, which outlines which activities to present and in which order. Now, dont get me wrong this framework is not set in stone but it is a very useful starting point to give some structure when planning a curriculum.

Talking to many other Montessori parents and teachers since, I realise that the confusion and overwhelm I experienced in the beginning is unfortunately fairly common. So, my motivation for writing this book is to give you a general framework for the Practical Life curriculum which can be used as your starting point - I do hope that you find it useful and it helps to remove some of the struggle and confusion when planning your own curriculum.

Chapter 1

Montessori is a child-centred approach to education that appreciates each child as a unique individual and provides a tailored learning journey for each one.

Montessori education is unique, based on the insights of Dr. Maria Montessori who observed natural child development and designed an educational method devoted to the individual needs of the child. The Montessori method is both a philosophy of child development and a framework for guiding this development. This framework includes a specially prepared environment, beautifully designed materials and teachers trained in how to facilitate a childs natural development.

The Montessori method focuses on the childs innate desire to learn and their enormous capacity to do so when provided with the right environment and appropriate materials. The Montessori approach fosters independence, self-esteem and a life-long love of learning - all characteristics that will support a child through their educational journey and beyond.

Practical life skills are the simple, routine tasks that we perform each day such as getting dressed, washed, preparing food, setting and clearing a table, washing dishes, tidying up, cleaning and laundry. As adults we consider these tasks to be chores to be done quickly yet efficiently but children have a different view. They are interested in the activity itself, not just the end result. Children have seen these tasks performed in the home since birth and want to be able to do these things for themselves. Mastering these tasks is the key to their independence.

In a Montessori classroom children are provided with practical life activities that are as close to real life as possible and include care of self, care of the environment and grace and courtesy. There are pouring, spooning, cutting and grating activities, special frames to learn to fasten buttons and tie shoelaces and child-sized brooms, sponges and dusters. Children are taught how to request someones attention, greet someone, wash their hands, even how to blow their noses correctly.