Five Ways to Promote Self Growth at Home from Montessori of Wellington

Five Ways to Promote Self Growth at Home

By Glynis Hamilton

Posted August 13, 2013

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Self-growth at home can start at birth. The Montessori recommended sleeping arrangement for a baby is a mattress on the floor of a child-proofed room with a low hung mirror where he can see himself. Mobiles should be installed – one large high contrast ball to begin with and then moving on to Gobbi mobiles. You can make these yourself – there are lots of tutorials online. Babies are particularly fascinated by the Gobbi mobiles

Make your home user-friendly for your child. Put step stools in front of sinks, toilets, etc. Install chain light switches. Put together little baskets of supplies for your child in reachable spots, e.g. a basket of toiletries, a basket of art supplies, a basket of cleaning supplies, a basket of snacks, a basket of construction toys, a basket of plush toys

At about 2 years of age you should let your child know that you expect her to pick up after herself and take care of her belongings. Having individual baskets for different activities makes this very easy for her. Don’t let tidying up become a punishment, just state clearly and firmly that things have to be put away to keep spaces livable. The earlier you start this, the better

Help your child to interact with and relate to other children as early as possible. Siblings, if any, are a good starting point. Make it clear that they must treat each respectfully, no matter how they are feeling in the moment. We should never assume that children know how to behave in company, this is a learned skill and the adults in the child’s life should spend a lot of time working on it. We should remember that children have the same range and depth of emotions as adults but lack the maturity to deal with them.

Give your child responsibility at an early age and increase that responsibility as he matures and demonstrates that he wants to make an active contribution to the well-being of the whole family

Glynis Hamilton

I am Glynis Hamilton, the owner of the Montessori School of Wellington. When I had my children I knew exactly what I wanted for them in terms of early childhood education. It was only when I visited a beautiful Montessori school in Toronto that I knew I had found what I was looking for. I became intrigued by Montessori and so, at the ripe old age of 44, I went back to school and then switched career from legal secretary to Montessori teacher. Since that time, Montessori has become a way of life for me. The past 20 years have been a joy rather than a job. I have moved from being front line in the classroom to the office doing more administrative work. But, my office door is almost always open to the classroom where I can hear the children’s laughter and welcome them in for a visit. I truly love what I do.