M is for Montessori

M is one of my favorite letters … it includes both mom and Montessori. Two of my most meaningful and important roles in life have come from becoming a mom and making Montessori education a huge part of my life!

I’ve created a word art freebie for “M is for Montessori.” To download the “M is for Montessori” word art (without watermark), click here, then right click on the image and choose “Save Picture As . . .” Feel free to use that for printing. If you share the image online, please use the watermarked image and link to this blog post and/or the Living Montessori Now Facebook page.

M is for Maria Montessori

M is for Maria Montessori (1870-1952), the first female physician in Italy, who founded a system of education based on observation of and respect for the child.

Dr. Montessori started the first Montessori school in a housing project in Rome in 1907, calling it “Casa dei Bambini” or Children’s House. Today, Montessori schools can be found throughout the world. There are both public and private Montessori schools. While Montessori preschools are most common, Montessori schools can go through high school.

“Nurturing the Love of Learning: Montessori Education for the Early Childhood Years”

M is for Montessori Principles

Preschoolers enjoy using child-size utensils to help with baking and other food preparation.

The most important principle you’ll hear from Montessori philosophy is one that you can use throughout your child’s life: follow the child. “Help me to do it by myself” is another of the most commonly heard– and important – principles from Montessori education.

Many Montessori principles can be applied to any preschool situation, whether it’s at home or in a school. Parents can create a Montessori-friendly home if their child attends a Montessori school, any other type of school, or is homeschooled.

Some Montessori principles that can be applied anywhere:

• Follow the child.
• Respect and encourage the child.
• Give freedom of movement (as long as children aren’t in danger or misusing that freedom).
• Encourage independence and decision-making.
• Provide as many opportunities for hands-on learning as possible.
• Emphasize practical life (daily living) and sensorial activities during the preschool years.
• Prepare and maintain an orderly and attractive environment.
• Provide child-size materials and real child-size tools. Low shelves with materials on trays and child-size tables and chairs are important features of Montessori early-childhood education.
• Don’t interrupt a child’s work cycle. Allow children to choose their activities and work uninterrupted to develop an ever-increasing ability to concentrate.
• Demonstrate how to do activities.
• Isolate the difficulty in an activity whenever possible. For example, when introducing colors, have materials that vary in color but not shape or size.

How Can Montessori Fit into Your Family?

Top 10 Montessori Principles for Natural Learning

UPDATES: How to Start Using Montessori at Home

ABCs of Montessori

Living Montessori Now YouTube Channel

Montessori Crash Course Free Webinar and Course Introduction

M is for Montessori Method of Education

Montessori education works well in homeschools, too.

Montessori as a method of education can be used in homeschools as well as Montessori schools, and elements can be used in other school environments.

How to Set Up a Montessori Preschool Classroom at Home

Montessori Curriculum

Montessori Practical Life Activities

Montessori Sensorial Activities

Montessori Language Activities

Montessori Math Activities

Montessori Cultural Activities

Montessori Techniques

Inexpensive version of Montessori sandpaper letters that can be used to teach phonetic sounds in any preschool environment.

How to Help Your Preschooler Help Himself

Why is Analysis of Movement Important in Montessori Education?

How to Teach Your Preschooler Manners Using Montessori Principles

How to Teach Concepts and Vocabulary to Your Preschooler Using the Three-Period Lesson

In What Order Should You Introduce Letters to Your Preschooler?

Anyone who has young children or works with young children can relate to Maria Montessori’s words:

“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age six; for that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed. . . . Adults work to finish a task, but the child works in order to grow, and is working to create the adult, the person that is to be.”

Preparing Montessori Spaces in Your Home

See “How to Create a Montessori-Friendly Home” for ideas for a number of levels. Here are some of my main home environment posts here:

• How to Prepare a Montessori Baby Room at Home (roundup post)
• How to Prepare a Montessori Toddler Environment at Home (roundup post)
• Preparing a Montessori Newborn Baby Space at Home
• How to Use Montessori Mobiles to Encourage a Newborn Baby’s Development and Delight
• Preparing a Montessori Baby Space with Shelves at Home
• Preparing a Montessori Baby Space in Your Living Room
• Preparing a Montessori Baby-Toddler Space at Home
• Preparing Montessori Toddler Spaces at Home
• How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 2 Year Old
• How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 2½ Year Old
• How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 3 Year Old
• How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 3½ Year Old
• How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 4 Year Old
• How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 4½ Year Old
• How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 5 Year Old
• How to Prepare Themed Montessori Shelves
• How to Prepare a Montessori Home Environment for Afterschooling
• Create an Attractive Home Environment from Montessori at Home!
• How to Set Up a Montessori Homeschool Classroom
• How to Prepare Montessori Homeschool Spaces for Babies through First Graders

Jo Ebisujima and I have a free Montessori at home webinar and introduction to our Montessori Crash Course.

See my Montessori Resources Page for many more Montessori posts and links.

Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy! I’m also one of the coauthors of the book Learn with Play – 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun & Learning!

If this is your first time visiting Living Montessori Now, welcome! If you haven’t already, please join us on our Living Montessori Now Facebook pagewhere you’ll find a Free Printable of the Day and lots of inspiration and ideas for parenting and teaching! And please follow me on Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards), Twitter (blog posts by me and others along with the Parent/Teacher Daily and other interesting information), and Google+ (post updates and Montessori Community). You can find me on bloglovin’,Instagram, and YouTube now, too.

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May be linked to Practical Mondays Link Up, LouLou Girls, Hip Homeschool Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, A Little Bird Told Me Linky Party, Link-ups at Squishable Baby, Preschool Corner, Sharing Saturday, Tot School Gathering Place
Photo Credits:

Cylinder Block image for word art by Hificonic imagery.

Maria Montessori photo from Wikimedia Commons.