How Children Learn

The vast majority of urgent questions we receive – often from desperate, at-wits’-end parents – are all to do with communication with the child. How do we make ourselves understood? And how do we understand what the child is, with equal urgency, trying to tell us? Speaking the Child’s Language From setting boundaries, …

The Balance Between Consistency and Change How to Prepare In Montessori practice, we talk frequently about consistency so much so that sometimes we can fear change.  Consistency is a cornerstone of preparing environments for toddlers.  Everything in the world is so big and new for toddlers that consistency helps them …

Explore the “universal language” of music with your children Children have a wonderful capacity to appreciate and make music. Early exposure to a music of all types has intrinsic value — it can tell a story, set a mood, and reflect the character of a culture. Music stimulates the part …

I must admit that I can vividly recall a time when I graciously traded my younger sister five whole pennies for one quarter. In the process I absolutely convinced her what an amazing deal she was getting, because “everyone knows five is more than one.” Glowing with pride over her …

Tips & Activity Ideas from Birth to Age 6 “Good morning. It is a lovely day today. Should we take a walk in the park? Let’s get our mittens and jackets. It’s crisp and cold this morning.” You might chatter with a four-year-old this way. What about a four-month-old? It …

We often take for granted the natural growth of children that happens without our direct involvement. Just think of the physical changes that take place in the first year of life. We do so many things to encourage and support our children’s growth, but often without knowledge of what we …

There is a lively debate going on in the country about whether, in this age of electronics, cursive handwriting is a necessary skill. Cursive is not required by the national educational Common Core Standards. Many states across the country are removing or reducing cursive instruction from the curriculum while only …

As a parent interested in the Montessori method, you may have heard about the three-period lesson, a hallmark of Montessori education that helps young children learn vocabulary and concepts. In simple terms, the three steps, or periods, are: 1. Naming (Introduction) “This is a dog.” 2. Recognizing (Identification) “Show me the dog.” 3. Remembering (Cognition) “What …

Of course, we all need to move to get through life, but how children learn is intimately connected to their movements. When movement is involved, the brain is stimulated differently than it is when one is passively watching and listening. Especially in the face of our sedentary lifestyles and our …

In amazement we watch as the newborn responds to the world. We notice how infants startle at loud sounds, cry when hungry or wet, listen to mother’s soothing voice, and follow movements with their eyes. From infancy until about age three, the child is unconsciously absorbing the world through his …