How to nurture your child's sense of wonder
May 31, 2019 - Montessori , Parenting - By Carine Robin
My children are now fully in the second plane.
I have been thinking recently about how to maintain our Montessori lifestyle as a family.
In the Early years, I was very focused on Practical life and preparing their space.
My children were with me. We were using the Montessori materials at home or in the Montessori classroom, as they were coming to my preschool.
As your children grow – especially if you are not homeschooling – how do we keep the Montessori principles?
If you home school, you’ll spend more time with your children, and you’ll probably have less mandatory commitments. So, it might feel easier to have a Montessori lifestyle. But I believe that no matter your school’s choice, you can be a Montessori Family.
For me, the main principle I follow is “respect”:
- Respect for my children’s natural development: are they able to understand that rule? I also accept that they still have difficulty handling or expressing their emotions (yes 7-year-old children can still have tantrums).
- Respect for their interests: I would love my youngest to move on from climbing and jumping. I am not a fan of Harry Potter. Yet, these are my children’s interests so I nurture them.
- Respect for my children’s opinion: in the second plane, it’s all about “why, negotiations, fairness and questioning”. It is exhausting. I am raising excellent negotiators :-)
- Respect for their time and their choices: this can be tricky when children attend schools. After-school activities and weekends are their time too. Whatever we decide must be decided as a family. And yes, I had to forget about my dream of having a cute ballerina.
I have shared the text below on Social Media and for me, these guidelines are the ones we try to follow.
Even if your children go to school, Montessori or not, you will nurture their sense of wonder, their creativity, the inquisitiveness by doing these things:
Let me know in a comment: how do you nurture your child sense of wonder?
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About the Author: Carine Robin is a qualified and experienced Montessori teacher and founder of The Montessori Family. With over 15 years of experience, Carine offers a blend of professional insight and personal understanding as a mother of two and qualified child psychologist. Inspired by the success of her Montessori subscription box, she created The Montessori Family to provide a comprehensive resource for parents and teachers globally. This platform aims to support child growth and well-being through curated educational activities. Additionally, Carine maintains the UK's most popular Montessori blog and administers the largest Montessori UK Facebook group, making her a central figure in the Montessori community.
