What is Montessori – Method Toys Environment Explained

hey guys andrew here with dad verb so the word montessori has really grown in the parenting sphere and sometimes it feels like the perception of it is lot louder than the actual core philosophy and that's what wanted to focus on here on this video what is the montessori method and is it just another trend to shame you into overthinking screen time or is it something that your family can actually benefit from so let's start with the why if were to elevate or pitch this i'd say that this philosophy was made to empower children and develop independent learners from the very beginning this method was developed by maria montessori who was an italian physician and educator who she emphasized independence and really saw children as naturally eager learners so with that in mind let's get into her philosophy how to practice and to make it as simple as possible there are kind of three major groups that we'll bucket it into the first is going to be observation the idea here being to watch the child first and then adjust their environment accordingly to the right level to challenge their mental development now beyond giving the child what he or she needs with this method there is no unnecessary help given and that might be odd to some people but large reason for that is because in this method children aren't seen as inferior little beings that are incapable of anything without our adult help in fact it's quite the opposite they're seen as people who should be respected and not talked down to yes they are small sure but they are fully capable of learning and doing on their own it is on us to set them up for success but ultimately it'll empower their innate want and ability to learn now in montessori schools you'll notice that it's not really top-down approach where you've got one teacher directing whole group of people instead you'll see very specific learning centers where the kids are kind of directing their own learning implementing this at home it's kind of similar where the parents aren't exactly calling the shots but that that isn't to be confused with you know giving kids complete freedom to do whatever they want because there is structure here and we'll get into that so that leads me to the next major bucket and that's regarding environment and practical life you'll notice that in montessori-inspired play rooms and the toys themselves they have very certain aesthetic and those are more than just pretty instagram and spo shots right these these spaces are thoughtfully designed to foster an environment where children can be like us the thought being that everything should be at child's level the chairs the tables bookshelves hooks if needed stools and stands to reach bathroom sinks and kitchen counters they have access to what they need and perform tasks as we do again enforcing the ideology that they're more than just kids to entertain and protect and do things for they are people who can explore and accomplish tasks on their own now the sponsor of this channel if you're not already familiar is love every right they make montessori inspired play kits but this is good opportunity to talk through the methodology of toys in montessori environment and i'm going to put love every on the spot here in part because yeah they're our sponsor but also because think they're great representation of the types of toys that are meant to be used now looking at these images there is stark contrast to what toys are encouraged with this method with love every and montessori as whole the toys and activities are very much about hands-on engagement the goal is to foster active learning and play instead of just static entertainment which is why this method doesn't particularly favor screens or toys with like flashing lights and sounds powered by batteries so if this is road that you are planning on going down establishing the right environment and filling it with thoughtfully designed toys actually is pretty important which is why love every is so heavily embraced by this community since their play kits have already been carefully curated and designed to meet the developmental needs of your child by age and you don't really need to supplement their kits with anything else so if you're interested be sure to check out the link in the description to become love every play kit subscriber montessori or not these are great purpose-driven kits that have your child really focus on developing hand-eye coordination arts and crafts language practical life like pouring skills like what you might see in the investigator play kit it's pretty cool i'll have that link below go check it out parking back to the environment the toys are laid out to be easily accessible and it's highly organized you'll notice and that's for reason the activities they're trying to promote focus and understanding very specific tasks and digging through toy chest full of clutter and distraction is the antithesis of that the toys are intentionally made of raw and natural materials like wood or felt because you know they are safer than plastics they're of higher quality and last longer for repetitive learning and they deliver better sensory experience with regards to texture scents and even taste there's also sustainability aspect to it as it is believed that children playing with naturally made materials at an early age may result in them gravitating to natural materials in the future so with all that said the last big takeaway that you should know about the montessori method is something that you may hear lot when doing research about this and that's the phrase freedom within limits so as you may have you know put together this this approach allows the child to be the guide rather than the parent but it doesn't mean that they can do anything and everything in montessori environment they are free to move around choose based off of their own interests communicate to develop those social skills and most importantly they're free to make mistakes and learn from them without us explaining or expounding the consequences of the mistake but you know they do so within the limits that you've set in the environment that you've built in schools the core rules are that they respect themselves their peers and their environment so over time they're getting real world practice choosing the best path for themselves which in turn kind of brings us full circle to the very top ultimately leading to you know the building of an independent learner who respects the rules of their freedom so there you go hope this helped give you good introduction as to what montessori is if you found this video helpful hit that like button down there looks like thumbs up for more videos and reviews for young families please consider subscribing to our youtube channel thanks for watching this video and come back for the next one god bless later