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The Silence Game {Montessori Activity to Develop Self-Discipline}

February 19, 2018 By Deb Chitwood 12 Comments

The Silence Game was always one of my favorite activities as a Montessori teacher. It’s a Montessori game that’s wonderful to use as a regular activity in a classroom or homeschool. The Silence Game helps children develop both self-discipline and an awareness of the sounds around them.

The Silence Game {Montessori Activity to Develop Self-Discipline}

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).

While the Silence Game is traditionally an important activity in a Montessori classroom, it can be used in many environments. In my dissertation for my M.A. in Early Childhood Studies, I used the Silence Game as part of a study to see if Montessori education would be effective in a traditional nursery setting. I was excited to watch the children increase their ability for self-discipline through the game in a short time. You can read more about those experiences in my book Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy.

Following are links to some lovely posts telling about the Silence Game.

Montessori Silence Game

Here are some of Maria Montessori’s words about the initial development of the Silence Game from The Secret of Childhood:

“One day I had the idea of using silence to test the children’s keenness of hearing, so I thought of calling them by name, in a low whisper, from a certain distance, as is the custom in certain medical tests. The child called was to come up to me, walking so as not to make a sound. With forty children this exercise in patient waiting demanded a patience that I thought impossible, so I brought with me some sweets as a reward for each child who came to me. But the children refused the sweets. They seemed to say, “Don’t spoil our lovely experience, we are still filled with delight of the spirit, don’t distract us.” And so I realised that children were sensible not only to silence but to a voice calling imperceptibly in silence. They came up slowly, walking on tip-toe, taking care not to knock into things, and their footsteps could scarcely be heard.”

Montessori Primary Guide has directions for presenting the Silence Game, announcing the game with a silence board (a sign with the word “silence” on one side and a picture of a peaceful place on the other side): “The Silence Game.”

Montessori Services has a post on “The Importance of the Silence Game” with presentations and variations. Montessori Services also has silence materials.

Michelle Irinyi at North American Montessori Center tells of whispering the word, “Silence,” ringing a chime, or dimming the lights to start the game and uses the Silence Game “as a way of alerting children to listen to the world around them”: Montessori – The Silence Game.

Bree at North American Montessori Center has a three-part series with many variations of the Silence Game: Montessori Insights and Reflections of a Preschool Student’s First Year: The Silence Game.

Silence Game (Photo from Dirigo Montessori School)

Silence Game (Photo from To the Lesson!)

Sasha from To the Lesson! tells about the group Silence Game in her classroom: “Nurturing Quiet.”

Individual Silence Work (Photo from Dirigo Montessori School)

Individual Silence Work (Photo from To the Lesson!)

In addition to the group silence game, Sasha added a beautiful material to the classroom upon the suggestion of a child to create an individual silence game.

Individual Silence Work (Photo from This Practical Life)

Individual Silence Work (Photo from This Practical Life)

Aimee from This Practical Life tells about the “Montessori Silence Game and Variations” including a number of  individual silence works. (Update: Blog is no longer available.)

Rachel at Montessori Commons gives a sequence of presentations for the silence activity.

Montessori Mom calls it the “Silence Game or the Happy Game.”

Maren Schmidt talks about the “Love of Silence and Working Alone” and gives variations of the silence game.

The Silence Game in Nature (Photo from Montessori Nature)

The Silence Game in Nature (Photo from Montessori Nature)

Anastasia from Montessori Nature has a silence game in nature in addition to ideas for group silence activities.

Carolyn from Magical Movement Company has a number of variations in her post on “Focused Listening And The Classic ‘Silence Game.'”

Making Silence Activity (Photo from My Montessori Journey)

Making Silence Activity (Photo from My Montessori Journey)

Laura from My Montessori Journey tells about “Making Silence” in her classroom.

Marnie from Carrots Are Orange has a post on the silence game at preschool or home: “Learn Montessori’s Silence Game for Your Home or Classroom.”.

Jennifer from Sugar Spice and Glitter has a group outdoor silence game.

Tanya from The Natural Homeschool has an outdoor silence game with printables.

Cristina from Montessori en Casa has a post on the silence game published in both Spanish and English.

Mandi at From This to That Early Learning has a fascinating story:  “Learning Patience and Quiet Hands…An Accidental Variation to Montessori’s Silence Game.”

Here’s a video of “The Silence Lesson” by Margaret Homfray

Peace trays and other peace education activities can often be used as variations of the silence game, too. Here are some of my peace education posts with activities that could be used as silence game variations or individual silence works:

  • Montessori-Inspired Peace Education Activities
  • How to Prepare a Peace Corner
  • How to Prepare a Montessori Peace Tray
  • Montessori Services Peace Activities and Resources Review

Silence in Montessori-Based Religious Education

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Prayer Table for Ordinary Time

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Prayer Table for Ordinary Time

The Silence Game could be an especially meaningful activity for Lent. The Montessori-based religious education program Catechesis of the Good Shepherd includes a prayer table in the children’s atrium (room prepared for the children) that could serve as an individual silence area for a church, religious school, or homeschool.

The prayer table in the photo was in an Episcopal church where I started a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program when my children were little. I changed the matting on the photo and the cloth on the table according to the liturgical season, so it would have been purple during Lent. I always included prayer cards along with the Bible, candle, and Good Shepherd figurine for the children.

Montessori-Based Religious Education Shelves in our Homeschool, 1994

Montessori-Based Religious Education Shelves in our Homeschool, 1994

I have a post with home prayer materials on a shelf with a placemat the color of the liturgical season: “Fitting Montessori-Based Religious Education into Your Home.” A Montessori-based silence activity at home could simply consist of materials on a placemat or tray on a shelf.

I’d love to hear of any experiences you have with the silence game.

Deb - Signature

Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!

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Filed Under: Activities - Practical Life, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Montessori-Based Religious Education Tagged With: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Lent, Montessori, Montessori-based religious education, prayer table, self-discipline, silence game

Previous Post: « How to Use Montessori Mobiles to Encourage a Newborn Baby’s Development and Delight
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sasha says

    February 21, 2012 at 3:03 pm

    Hello Deb!
    Wonderful post, as usual! And thanks so much for the photo features and links. How encouraging to have valuable data which shows the Silence Game’s ability to increase children’s self-discipline. I also appreciate your idea of having the Silence Game part of Lenten activities – it would be ideal especially in a homeschool setting. The shelves for Religious Education from your homeschool days are beautiful and evoke such a sense of reverence. What a gift for your children which I’m sure they appreciate even now after all these years!
    Thanks again,
    Sasha

    Reply
    • Deb says

      February 21, 2012 at 5:10 pm

      Thanks so much for your kind comment, Sasha! It was truly a pleasure to feature your post. Your interpretation of the Silence Game is so beautiful, and I love how perfect it is for Lent – as well as anytime during the year.

      It was wonderful having Montessori-based religious education at home as well as in our church. I loved seeing the creative ways my children explored Bible stories and the depth of their religious understanding. I definitely think it’s something they’ve carried with them into adulthood. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jessica says

    February 21, 2012 at 7:00 pm

    Silence really is Golden.

    Reply
    • Deb says

      February 21, 2012 at 7:10 pm

      Thanks, Jessica! So true! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Keri says

    February 22, 2012 at 12:44 am

    Hmm, no wonder I like nighttime so much- it is so peaceful. Deb you are my Montessori hero… I could spend at least 3 hours perusing your site!

    Reply
    • Deb says

      February 23, 2012 at 2:48 pm

      Thanks so much for your very kind comment, Keri! I like the peacefulness of nighttime, too – and I don’t even have kids at home! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Aunt Annie's Childcare says

    February 23, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    I’ve used a game very similar to this with adolescents too, as part of a music education program. It seems to work with all ages, though with older children you can encourage them to listen for different things. I used to get the adolescents to listen to the world, mentally list the sounds they heard and decide which ones were musical or could be turned into music- then compare lists. It was a wonderful way of creating a definition of music as opposed to sound.

    Reply
    • Deb says

      February 27, 2012 at 9:46 pm

      Thanks so much for your comment! What a great idea for older kids! 🙂

      Reply
  5. JDaniel4's Mom says

    February 25, 2012 at 1:25 pm

    What a wonderful way to learn about silence!

    Reply
    • Deb says

      February 25, 2012 at 4:53 pm

      Thanks … I really love the silence game. It’s so calming and a great way for kids to learn to center themselves. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Mariann Dunsmore says

    February 5, 2016 at 5:39 am

    Hello Deb, so great to come upon your webpage. I have a question for you. is there a book that illustrates the Sensitive Periods as understood, taught by Maria Montessori? Our Church has a Children’s program that gathers the 3, 4 year old with the 6,7,8 etc. year old. We are just now opening a 3-6 Level One Atrium at our Catholic Parish in Toronto. Educating the Catechists and the parents as to why we separate the age groups and who is the 3-5 year old, the sensitive periods etc. As most of the parents have a attention span of about 20 minutes, I was thinking of writing a simple story book to illustrate the differences. I have two main characters, Chester who is 7 years old, and his sister Elizabeth who is 4 years old. Chester has the responsibility to ‘babysit’ his sister when they go downstairs to the Children s Bible lessons, which of course are all about listening to stories and coloring. But now I read your posts, and learn you know the CGS program. Is there all ready a simple book that illustrates why Elizabeth has different needs than Chester? 🙂
    Thank you for any advice with this, it is the parents we are trying to educate to the value of the Atrium.

    Reply
  7. Anastasia says

    July 20, 2021 at 12:56 am

    Such a helpful resource! Thank you so much for including us!

    Reply

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