For as long as I can remember ever since we got E, I have always been looking for play ideas for E, which are both fun and also helps with his development. I remember reading about the Montessori approach and it resonated a lot with me. I like how calm every thing seems to be and also can be. The prepared environment. I like that we mostly follow the child, respecting the child but also with boundaries. I'm not sure if I would ever consider letting E be in the kitchen if I was not aware of the Montessori way. Maybe I would but I would probably be less open to letting him help out. I like that the most about Montessori. Trusting the child, trusting their capabilities. They are capable of doing a lot of things if we let them and if we prepare the environment for them.
We try very much to prepare our house in a way that is Montessori. We are definitely not a fully Montessori home but again we try. And mostly we try to be respectful towards E. We let him have hands on learning as much as possible. I also try to provide opportunities for him to explore more of his current interests.
Half of E’s room which is also the play area.
So from reading and researching about Montessori’s way of living/raising a child, we decide to have shelf materials for E that are Montessori aligned. I rotate them weekly(I try to, especially when I see E losing interest or no interest at all in the current rotation). We don't have much space and we're also trying to use whatever we have without adding more furnitures. But yes, we make do and so far, it's been ok.
our materials on the shelf last week
At 24 months, E does shelf work mostly with either one of us nearby as he likes to chat I think. Very rarely he does shelf work on his own and sometimes we do get the occasional bringing the tray outside to where we are to do it closer to us(if we are busy with our own stuff).
We've also prepared areas with open ended toys (both in his room and the living room) and he will usually be busy with those for independent play. I noticed that E will gladly play on his own right after his meals. I think he knows that we are usually not available to play right after a meal because we have to clean up. Sometimes he does ask us to play but we will remind him that we need to clean up, do dishes and we'll come play when we're done. He's welcome to stay in the kitchen or play. Sometimes he does stay in the kitchen and he will find things to tinker with. If he doesn't, and he keeps insisting that I play with him, I will usually ask him to do something, mostly to put his laundry in the washing machine and that will keep him occupied for a bit. If everything doesn't work, I'll remind him of what I need to do and he'll just wait(patiently as a toddler can be :))
So far, parenting/learning the Montessori way has been beneficial for E. We can see the benefits through his development and through his confidence. And we’ll keep following his interests and we’ll see how it goes.
till next time,m