eed help with positive discipline, feel free to ask your child’s teacher for suggestions. We recommend that every parent read the following books: How to Talk so Kids will Listen by Faber and Mazlish, Positive Discipline by Nelsen and Montessori Parenting by McFarland.
Montessori is more than an educational philosophy, it is a social movement. Dr. Montessori developed her philosophy during the world wars. She saw that if we can teach our children to be aware of the smallest living things, solve problems with words, share limited resources, respect and appreciate human diversity and to be caring adults and nurturing parents, perhaps we’ll never have to watch our grandchildren march off to war.
El Nido News – Parent/Infant Class
In February the topic for discussion is the Four Planes of Development including awareness of science and cultures. Babies are little scientists and experiment with everything they can grasp. Find out how you can broaden their cultural awareness and prepare your discipline strategies. It’s not too late to join the class. If you know someone who is expecting or has a baby between 0 and 18 months old invite them to contact email@example.com about trying the class Fridays 8:30 – 11:30am.
Toddler Time – News from the Sunflowers and Tadpoles Classes
We are half way through the school year and it’s a good time to review discipline practices. As children grow they periodically test boundaries. If the boundaries are enforced consistently the testing period should be over more quickly each time. We want to respect the spirit of the child, and offer choices whenever possible, but our lives cannot always move at a toddler’s pace. Limit the choices to two and make them both choices that are productive. For instance, when it is time to pick up big sister from soccer practice, “Do you want to come now or do you want to play longer?” will not elicit as productive a response as “Do you want to hop to the car or do you want a piggy back ride?” A toddler can choose which clothes he wants to wear, but unsuitable choices should be put away so that whatever he chooses will be an appropriate (if not a well-matched) outfit. Toddlers love their independence and would much prefer to do most things on their own. At school when a small child does not want to put an activity away the teacher will say, “Do you want to do that by yourself or do you want me to help you?” “Helping” means encircling the child from behind with your arms, taking her hands in yours and carrying the items slowly and carefully across the room together. Children seldom need help more than once and when they see that this will be the choice each time, things are put away and they quickly fall into the habit of picking up after themselves.
At home, if your child has just a few toys available at a time on a low shelf, picking up should be an easy task. A toddler does not need all of the blocks out at once. Choose an assortment, place them in an easy to carry basket and put the rest away. Notice in our classrooms that toddlers make great use of just three or four crayons and a few sheets of blank paper cut into 1/4ths, just 4 or 5 books on the library shelf, a fist-sized lump of play dough kept in a small airtight container, and two or three puzzles at a time. Keep the choices simple and few, be consistent with your follow up and give your child plenty of time to prepare for a transition, such as leaving the house or picking up before bed. You can count on your child testing your limits from time to time but the more consistent you are, the more quickly these testing periods will end. And your happy, independent toddler will be back at your side again.
Remember that you are always welcome to schedule an observation of a class or a home visit during which our faculty is happy to consult with you on creating a Montessori home environment for your child.
We will host a simple class celebration of Valentine’s Day including a special snack, craft, song, story and finishing with a Valentine Dance. We’ll do a simple and optional valentine exchange in class. If you