I always considered natural learning an important part of our homeschool, of our family life in general. Natural learning can be an important part of your home whether you homeschool or not. Here are my favorite recommendations on how to help your child through natural learning.
1. Take the lead from Maria Montessori, and follow your child.
Maria Montessori added much to the world of education, but her biggest contribution is probably the concept of observing and following the child. It’s important to observe your child for teachable moments and for the stages of development when your child can learn a concept most easily. Maria Montessori’s concepts of the “absorbent mind” and “sensitive periods” can help you discover how and when your child learns various concepts and skills most easily.
2. Know and nurture your child’s natural learning style.
It’s very helpful to identify your child as a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner. There are a number of helpful systems for classifying learning styles, but visual, auditory, and kinesthetic are the most commonly mentioned learning styles.
The traditional school system relies heavily on visual learning. I think it’s good for children to have exposure to each style of learning with the greatest emphasis on their natural learning style. Both my children liked learning visually but were also very strong in the kinesthetic learning category. Montessori education and unit studies were very fun and stimulating for my children’s kinesthetic tendencies.
Here’s a post from A to Z Home’s Cool Homeschooling with lots of links to helpful articles on learning styles. Here’s a quick learning style assessment from School Family that works whether your child is homeschooled or in a traditional school setting. Here’s information on supporting young children’s learning styles from Baby Center.
I also think it’s very helpful to focus on your child’s primary love language. The 5 Love Languages are Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. There’s an online assessment of the 5 Love Languages and suggestions for identifying your child’s primary love language. Knowing the favorite way for your child to receive love is helpful for learning at home. Both my children’s favorite way to receive love is through physical touch. We spent a lot of time cuddled up on the sofa, reading together.
3. Emphasize hands-on learning, especially during your child’s early years.
We used Montessori methods almost exclusively during my children’s preschool years. Montessori education presents concepts by using concrete materials before attempting abstract learning. Later on, we homeschooled with some Montessori materials and with unit studies, which emphasized hands-on discovery learning for many subjects. If your child is a kinesthetic learner, hands-on learning may be essential. For any type of learner, hands-on learning can make a much more dramatic, memorable impact as an educational experience.
What examples of natural learning do you see in your family?
***
This post was written for the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting with the theme of natural parenting. This month our Carnival coincides with the launch of Natural Parents Network, a community of parents and parents-to-be who practice or are interested in attachment parenting and natural family living. Join us at Natural Parents Network to be informed, empowered, and inspired!
Stop by Natural Parents Network today to see excerpts from everyone’s posts, and please visit a few to read more! Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants.
We’ve arranged it this month according to the categories of our NPN resource pages on “What Is Natural Parenting?”
Attachment/Responsive Parenting
Attachment/responsive parenting is generally considered to include the following (descriptions/lists are not exhaustive; please follow each link to learn more):
- PREPARE FOR PREGNANCY, BIRTH, AND PARENTING:
- “Preparing for Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting” — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes knows better now how to prepare for her second baby, focusing on attachment rather than nursery curtains. Watch for her post, which will be featured on Natural Parents Network on Tuesday, November 23. (@sheryljesin)
- “Begin at the Beginning” — Alison at BluebirdMama examines the first type of natural parenting she experienced: birthing at home. (@BluebirdMama)
- FEED WITH LOVE AND RESPECT:
- “Going With the {Tandem Milk} Flow” — Despite being told she would never be able to nurse her toddler through pregnancy, Jessika at Job Description: Mommy successfully nursed through her entire pregnancy, and she continues tandem nursing her two little ones fifteen months later! (@JobDescMommy)
- “Breastfeeding with Love and Respect” — Resisting the pressure to give up, breastfeeding was the way Dionna at NursingFreedom.org persisted in nourishing her son. (@NursingFreedom)
- “Why Should I Call It Extended?” — Amy at Toddler In Tow provides scientifically based research to support child-led weaning.
- RESPOND WITH SENSITIVITY:
- “Attachment Parenting Chose Us” — For a child who is born “sensitive,” attachment parenting is more a way of life than a parenting “choice.” Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares her experiences. (@CodeNameMama)
- “Parenting in the Present” — Acacia at Be Present Mama parents naturally by being fully present.
- “Parenting With Heart” — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment parents naturally because healthy attachments early in life help our little ones grow into healthy, functioning adults.
- USE NURTURING TOUCH:
- “Nurturing through touch” — Lauren at Hobo Mama finds that loving touch is a thread that runs through all her natural parenting practices. (@Hobo_Mama)
- ENSURE SAFE SLEEP:
- “Sometimes I Wish We Coslept” — Sheila at A Gift Universe has started to add cosleeping into her sleep routines and has found frequently unspoken benefits. Watch for her post, which will be featured on Natural Parents Network on Tuesday, November 30. (@agiftuniverse)
- PROVIDE CONSISTENT AND LOVING CARE:
- “Attachment Parenting . . . and Nanny Makes Three?” — When Jen at Grow with Graces first started interviewing nannies, she was looking for practicalities. After a few months with her first nanny, she’s going to hire someone new, and this time, she’ll make sure the nanny believes in AP principles. (@growwithgraces)
- “Do You Have This?” — For Rachael at The Variegated Life, natural parenting is about love and giving, rather than the alienation and longing present in so many in our Western culture. (@RachaelNevins)
- “What Natural Parenting Looks Like in Our Family” — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker shares what natural parenting is like as your little ones grow up.
- PRACTICE GENTLE/POSITIVE DISCIPLINE:
- “Unconditional Parenting” — The philosophy of Alfie Kohn resonates with Erin at Multiple Musings, who does not want to parent (or teach) using rewards and punishment. (@ErinLittle)
- STRIVE FOR BALANCE IN PERSONAL AND FAMILY LIFE:
- “Reducing Screen Time” — How does Mrs. H. at Fleeting Moments meaningfully connect with her kids every day? She turns off the TV.
- Also see our October Carnival all about finding balance!
Ecological Responsibility and Love of Nature
- “Healing Through Elimination Communication Part 1” — Amy at Innate Parenting explains how practicing elimination communication has helped her whole family gain awareness and healing in many areas of their lives. (@InnateWholeness)
- “Outgrowing the Little Potties” — Stacy at Mama-Om is proud to be the “weird lady” who practices elimination communication with her babies. (@mama_om)
- “Let’s Talk Diapers” — Lindsey at Mama Cum Laude started using cloth diapers because she felt they were a safer choice for her child; she stuck with them because they are convenient.
Holistic Health Practices
- “Supporting Natural Immunity” — If you have decided against the traditional vaccination schedule, Starr at Earth Mama has some helpful tips for strengthening your children’s immune systems naturally.
Natural Learning
- “Acceptance as a Key to Natural Parenting” — Because Mrs. Green at Little Green Blog values accepting and responding to her daughter’s needs, she was able to unravel the mystery of her daughter’s learning “challenges.” (@myzerowaste)
- “Let Them Look” — Betsy at Honest 2 Betsy makes time to look at, to touch, and to drool on the pinecones.
- “Why I Love Unschooling” — Unschooling isn’t just about learning for Darcel at The Mahogany Way — it is a way of life. (@MahoganyWayMama)
- “Is He Already Behind?“Ever worry that your baby or toddler is behind the curve? Danielle at born.in.japan will reassure you about the many ways your little one is learning — naturally — every day. Watch for her post, which will be featured on Natural Parents Network on Tuesday, November 16. (@borninjp)
- “How to Help Your Child through Natural Learning” — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now offers tips on how to understand and nurture your child’s natural learning style. (@DebChitwood)
Healthy Living
- “What ‘Healthy Eating’ Means to Me” — Wonder how a family of five makes healthy eating a priority? Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings shares some common sense tips. (@sunfrog)
- “What is Natural Parenting? Embracing Real Food” — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! has always wanted to give her children the most nutritious foods possible: first through breastfeeding, and later through healthy, whole foods. (@bfmom)
Parenting Philosophies
- “Natural Parenting — Lazy Parenting” — To Olivia at Write About Birth, natural parenting isn’t about a fixed set of ideals, but about what is instinctual. (@writeaboutbirth)
- “I’m not the most crunchy, but I’m still au naturel” — Jessica at This is Worthwhile follows her gut and parents with respect, and that’s what feels natural to her. (@tisworthwhile)
- “Because Natural comes Naturally” — Breastfeeding, babywearing, cosleeping — Bess at mommakesmilk does these things because they feel right. (@MumtoEve)
- “What Do You Mean ‘Natural Parenting’?” — Luschka at Diary of a First Child fell into natural parenting by listening to her baby and her own instincts. (@lvano)
- “One Little Change at a Time” — Ashley at Domestic Chaos made one small change at a time until “natural parenting” wasn’t a punchline, but a way of life. (@ashleympoland)
- “WHY Attachment Parenting?” — While they might take some work to put into practice, Momma Jorje at A Slightly Crunchy Momma finds that all of the tenets of attachment parenting fit her family.
- “Yours, Respectfully” — For Kellie at Our Mindful Life, natural parenting is about being respectful: to yourself, your children, and your surroundings.
- “The Natural Parenting Label” — Michelle at The Parent Vortex explains that natural parenting is a mindset, not a set of specific choices or a few fancy acronyms. (@TheParentVortex)
- “When Our Children Are Grown” — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children parents naturally, because she is building a firm foundation for her children.
- “What is Natural Parenting to a Witch Mom?” — Lily at Witch Mom has planned out what she wants for her son, from health to socialization to interactions with the natural world. (@lilyshahar)
- “Attachment Parenting and Our Family” — Semi-crunchy Mama at Adventures in Mommyhood takes us through the way the Baby Bs have transformed their family of four. (@crunchymamato2)
- “I’m a Mama…Naturally” — Andrea!!! at Ella-Bean & Co. didn’t intend to parent naturally, but it happened by instinct.
Political and Social Activism
- “A Private Matter” — Amy at Anktangle, who is a Registered Nurse, describes her encounters with circumcision in a medical environment and why they guided her decision to leave her own baby boy intact. (@anktangle)
- “Natural Parenting, Following Our Instincts, and Keeping Our Son Intact” — Kelly at KellyNaturally went against the tide and refused to circumcise her son. (@kellynaturally)
- “Relying on Kindness” — Sure, Navelgazing Bajan at Navelgazing wants her son to be kind — but kindness is not enough. (@BlkWmnDoBF)
Oh my goodness! What a wonderful post filled with so many great links – I can’t wait to start clicking! 🙂
Thanks for putting this together, Deb.
Thanks for your kind comment, Mari-Ann! I really loved studying about learning styles and personality types. And it was always fun to see how my children developed through following their own style as they grew up.
The kind of natural learning that I instinctively have practiced with my younger siblings and students (still waiting for Baby to be old enough) is learning through dialogue. I just chat about what I’m doing, throwing in a few facts that come to mind. So we’ll be in the store, and I say, “Hm, I want to buy 5 yards of fabric. But I only have fifteen dollars. So I guess I should only be looking at fabric that’s three dollars a yard or less.” (If Baby were old enough, I’d ask him to help me with this.) A lot of the time, this develops into conversations … my younger brother would always be asking, “What’s a yard? Is it like the size of our backyard? Why do they sell fabric by the yard?” And I’d answer the best I could, ask what he thinks, or suggest ways to find out.
I both learn and teach very well this way. Just watch my kid end up being a kinesthetic learner, though!
Thanks, Sheila! That’s a great way to teach – making learning relevant for life!
Stopping by from the Carnival of Natural Parenting. So glad to have found your site & love the information in your post. We are trying to get a little more structured with devoting time to learning while still following Beanie’s lead. I can’t wait to check out all the links.
Thanks so much for your kind words! It sounds like you’re doing a great job – it’s hard to go wrong when you’re following your child’s lead!
I’ve never thought about connecting your love language with natural learning, but at least with Kieran’s, they are completely complimentary! Kieran’s love language is quality time – he revels in time with me or Tom, and he’s so much more open and receptive when we’re doing things together. What a great concept, thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Dionna! I think you’re doing an awesome job of responding to Kieran’s love language – and his other needs as well!
I’m really enjoying your site! My oldest is two and so far we just take advantage of those “teachable moments” and follow her lead. I’m still gauging her learning style– it seems to change based on the activity 🙂
Thanks so much, Lindsey! Following your daughter’s lead and taking advantage of teachable moments is an approach that’s hard to beat! It can be difficult to determine children’s learning styles when they’re very young, and some children are just a fairly balanced blend of styles.
Holy cow what a great, informative post! I’ve bookmarked this post in my Homeschool folder for future reference as we homeschool our 1yo daughter! Thanks so much for all the great info and links!
Thanks for your kind comment! How great to start focusing on homeschooling while your daughter is still so young.
Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier and leaving a comment! (By the way, you do not look old enough to have a 25 year old by any means!)
You just made my day, Janet! Actually, I’m old enough to have a 35 year old.
Awesome!
The love languages books are wonderful — they especially helped me in my adult relationship with my mother.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Thanks for your comment, Betsy! I love that the books helped you in your relationship with your mother. I’ve heard of that with studies of personality types as well. It’s great that it helps to understand how someone else approaches life.
I can only echo what others have said — what a wonderful, informative post! I love all the links.
We have many examples of natural learning around here — we’re homeschooling our two boys, ages 7 and 4. We spend time outside, doing crafts (finger-knitting, play-dough, god’s-eyes, felting), reading, talking, playing, climbing, running, bike-riding, and working things out with siblings and friends. 🙂
Thanks so much, Stacy! It sounds like you have some wonderful natural learning going on your family!
Yea! I have so many more links to read. 🙂 I have a slew of tabs open now to explore. Thank you!
I agree with you about the love language. That was so eye-opening to me, to discover both my husband’s and my son’s, and realize they were different from mine. It made me more aware of how I needed to fill their cups.
I like the idea of checking out Mikko’s learning style, too. I hear a lot about learning styles, but I haven’t done enough study into it to be able to discern the differences yet. It sounds like it will be very helpful, though. I’m guessing I was visual, since that’s the most school-oriented style, but even if that’s true for Mikko as well, I’d love to bring in other styles to round things out.
And I love learning about Montessori methods. Keep it coming! 🙂
Thanks, Lauren! You always give such great input! I hope you find the links helpful.
Great post. I am going to check out the links you posted about learning styles.
Looking forward to checking out all of the other links too. Looks like some very useful information.
Thanks, Darcel! I love studying learning styles and was excited to find so many great resources in the blogosphere.