If your child has been in a Montessori environment since two-and-a-half or three you will already appreciate the special way in which Montessori education supports the growth of the young child with its unique, individualised and non-competitive approach. What you may not be so aware of is that the Montessori approach is designed to respond to all of the developmental needs of the child from two-and-a-half years old right up to six years.

Your young child is absorbing colour, shape, language, culture and is developing a sense of who she is and her place in this community. She will be involved in many activities from the moment she walks into her Montessori centre. She may have been involved in Practical Life activities like cleaning, gardening, sweeping, preparing food or may simply find satisfaction in observing her peers at work.

Young children are interested in the process rather than the end result and they live in the present. It is NOW that is important to them. So when you ask your daughter what she did you're most likely to hear ‘Oh, nothing.’ or ’I played outside.’ This is not because she didn’t do anything: on the contrary so much has taken place that it may be only the things that are part of her daily routine that she can remember - like playing with friends outside! As adults we don’t remember the details of all we did throughout the day so how can we expect this of a young child? Think about it. You may not share every single detail of your day with your partner but only those which really sparked your interest. It is more so for your child because everything is a new experience. Everything is a wonder!!

Talk to your child’s teacher and make time to go in and observe your child at work. It will be an amazing experience. Every centre has different ways of communicating a child’s progress. Profile books, parent teacher meetings and newsletters are some methods Montessori centres use to inform parents. If you're concerned with something do not hesitate to make time with your child’s teacher and discuss the issue. Montessori centres might differ in some ways but the child’s wellbeing is the focus for every Montessori community.

Next time try asking your child ‘How was your day?’ instead of ‘What did you do at Montessori?’ Comment on something specific like how good the garden looks or how big the fish has become! Then wait and listen. You'd be surprised at some of the things you'll hear. These may only be snippets of her day but treasure them and respect your daughter’s interest because that’s what is most important to her.

Tamiko de Silva, Richmond Montessori Preschool, Richmond, Nelson, New Zealand

Children of all ages like to be involved in real tasks and to be able to contribute in meaningful ways to not only their classroom but also their home environment.

A Montessori classroom has as part of its prepared environment an area designated for food preparation. Trays are positioned on shelves with all the necessary utensils and serving dishes so the child is able to carefully carry the tray to the table, select their piece of fruit from the fruit bowl or snack items from the shelf, and begin the task. It is important when children are working with sharp utensils, such as knives or graters, to give them an initial lesson on how to carefully hold and effectively use these items. In this way children can understand the need for care, but can also now be trusted to use the utensils safely.

The activity, be it preparing a sandwich, cutting fruit or making a batch of scones can all be demonstrated through an initial presentation, with each important part of the sequence emphasised. Children love to copy and imitate their older peers and the adults in their life and as a result quickly learn to perform quite complex tasks safely. The joy seen on the faces of the children as they offer around the food they have prepared with care is priceless. This is also the perfect opportunity for the presentation of many grace and courtesy lessons, such as how to offer a snack ‘Excuse me…. would you like a piece of apple?’ The other child is encouraged then to respond with ‘Yes please’ or ‘No thank you’ followed by ‘You are welcome’. Real lessons in real situations.

This type of environment can very easily be transferred into the home. Talk to your child about what food they would like to prepare for the family, write or draw a list and plan a trip to the supermarket to purchase the ingredients together. Having the tools easily accessible to them makes their task so much easier and enables the child to be more independent. Position the fruit or spreads in the fridge or on a bench at a height where they can reach them. Have a low cupboard in the kitchen that contains all they need to be independent in their work: bread board, plates, spreading knives, a cheese slicer etc. Providing children with a bench or table that is the correct height for them to work at, in, or alongside the kitchen not only makes the task easier for them to complete but also safer than standing on a stool at the kitchen bench. As part of the work cycle your child can enjoy the clean-up process once preparation has finished, so making available to them a non-toxic cleaner such as Tough and Tender (Melaleuca) and a sponge is a good idea. Make the most of your child’s interest in food and its preparation by encouraging discussion about healthy lifestyles and choices. You may be surprised how knowledgeable they are and what a great help they can be.

Ruth Libby, Koru Montessori, Sunnynook, Auckland, New Zealand

Your child is free to choose and regulate his own activity throughout his day in his Montessori environment. There is no part in Montessori philosophy that separates a child’s work from play. Any activity a child self selects and engages in is referred to as the child’s ‘work’ as it is the process that helps the child in the construction of who he is to become. In Montessori the term ‘child’s play’ is interchangeable with the term ‘work’.

A very important part of Montessori learning environments is the provision for children to have freedom within limits and a three-hour uninterrupted work cycle during their morning with  further options for continued uninterrupted time during the afternoon. Uninterrupted means ‘free from whole group activities’ so that your individual child can choose the activities that meet his inner needs.

Children who experience this uninterrupted time often exhibit a calmness and peacefulness as they can eat when they are hungry, read a book, rest or sleep when they need to and participate in challenging and interesting new activities when they feel ready.  For a Montessori child there is no difference between ‘work’ and ‘play’ when he has the freedom to make his own choices throughout the day.

Liz Webster, Montessori @ Kidicorp, New Zealand

The short answer is …the Montessori community; children, professionals and to some degree, the parents. The professionals ensure suitable materials are bought or made. Many Montessori primary classes hold regular working bees, where parents laminate materials, label boxes, cover books etc. Sometimes a parent is responsible for helping to source materials.

The primary children take an active role in the classroom. Montessori children love order and quickly remind each other to pack things away carefully. They clean the environment regularly, an extension of the practical life activities undertaken in preschool. They might bring in flowers to arrange, or plants for the class garden, and take turns to weed and water. The children take pride in their environment.

Children are responsible for daily chores. In our class the daily tasks may be discussed at our class meeting, when the children bring a variety of issues to be discussed, learn to use an agenda and take minutes. Matters discussed have ranged from children finding solutions to the problem of lunch wrappers being left on the floor, to deciding what to plant in the vegetable garden, making plans for celebrating Maria Montessori’s birthday and a request for additions to the choices of fitness activities.

Classroom activities are chosen by the teacher and child in collaboration; some lessons are given in sequence but the children also request desired lessons. The children may ask another for help when mastering new work. Peer teaching is beneficial for both tutor and tutee. There are regular conferences, so child and adult can discuss progress, difficulties and plan the next lessons. The Montessori primary class depends on the collaboration of adults and children.

Dee Gordon, Howick Pakuranga Montessori Academy, Auckland, New Zealand

It can be very beneficial for young children to choose the same activities every day.  By repeating and repeating the activity, your child is mastering the skill or refining her understanding of the concepts involved.   While the child is still learning and gaining from the activity, a Montessori teacher would not deter her from choosing and doing it as often as she wants.  Like Rafael Nadal perfecting his tennis stroke, lots of practice is vital!

Your child’s Montessori teachers will observe your child carefully and when they notice that she has become less focused on the activity they will take the opportunity to present a more challenging extension of that activity or another activity.  For instance if she loves to pour, the teacher might introduce her to practical applications of pouring such as pouring a drink for morning tea or filling a bowl to experiment with sinking and floating. 

Montessori teachers are also be alert to what it is that most appeals to your child about an activity.  Is it the sounds of the little grains being poured from one jug to another?  Perhaps your child would find the Sound Cylinders appealing?

Montessori teachers will closely observe your child to see what interests her; perhaps she is curious about activities other children are doing? The teacher may also talk with you to see what your child is interested in doing at home.

If your daughter seems resistant to the idea of trying something new and unfamiliar, there are a variety of strategies teachers employ to entice the child to try the activity, especially when your child seems ready or likely to enjoy and benefit from the activity.  For instance, the teacher might invite your daughter to watch one of her peers doing the new activity or let her see doing a teacher engaged with the activity and obviously finding it enjoyable!

Montessori teachers want the children to develop their ability to be autonomous, independent and to make choices for themselves.  Therefore they do not insist that the child do something they are not inclined to do right now.  If your child does not seem keen on trying a new activity, the teacher would leave it for another time or day.  Children like to return to activities that might seem too easy to adults.  Your daughter may sometimes be in need of some downtime and want to spend a while doing something which is simple and soothing.

Montessori teachers do not give up; they will continue to present, and present, and present new activities to your child, to entice her to try new experiences and encounter new knowledge.  Montessori teachers have faith that when the time is right that your child will be ready and eager to engage with new learning.

The Team at Mana Montessori, Whitby, Wellington, New Zealand

Working with toddlers to clean up their activities is like any other expectation in a Montessori environment at home or school; it starts simply, continuing on with ever-greater complexity and challenge. 

Modelling the Behaviour
The most important component to establishing any expectation with your child is the strength of adult modelling.  If we expect children to participate in tidying up their activities we must be good models of this human behaviour. You must model that humans in your child’s world are respectful of all activities, by handling materials gently and always tidying up when you’re finished. When daughter sees that you always put your activities away she will absorb this as another aspect of humanness, just like walking, talking, eating with utensils, etc. So make sure that you are being the model in all aspects of home life (dishes, coats, shoes, books, etc) from when she is a baby.
Encourage the Behaviour
As your child gets older, around the time she begins walking, her hands are now free to participate in the activity of ‘tidying up’.  The expectation that we ‘tidy up’ must now move from an observed human behaviour to an encouraged human behaviour.  The key to encouraging your child’s participation in clean-up is adult observation.  You must be a keen observer and catch your child while she is still in the moment.  If she has walked away from the activity and is now purposefully engaged in another activity, continue to be a good model and tidy up the activity for her. If, however, your child is still in the final moments of the activity you may intervene and invite her to clean up.  If your invitation is met with defiance you can offer the child the help by saying ‘Let’s tidy up together, I’ll do this part, now you can tidy up this.’

Expect the Behaviour
As your child grows into a two-year- old you can begin to firmly and consistently expect your daughter to tidy up her activity.  If your child becomes frustrated and refuses to tidy up one activity before moving onto the next, it is now appropriate to be firm with the expectation by not allowing your child to move onto another activity until the previous activity is put away.

At every stage of development respect for the material/activities must be enforced. If an activity is being misused or abused remove it from her choices for a while.

Hilary Smith, Portland,Oregon, USA and formerly of Blenheim, New Zealand