Montessori Perspective: Age Appropriate Toys (Birth to 3 yrs)

It’s the holiday season and if you’re like me, you’re making your list and checking it twice, making sure that everyone is taken care of with just the right gift. As my son gets older, it seems he’s harder to shop for. He’s outgrown the need for so many toys, but he’s not yet at the stage where getting clothes is cool. Thinking back to the countless hours I’ve spent at large retail toy outlets trying to decide on the perfect holiday toys, I decided to take a look at what toys are developmentally appropriate as well as educationally sound at the various developmental stages. I’ll begin with ages 0-36 months.

Newborn

• Handheld toys. It may be awhile until an infant can hold them, but held directly in their line of vision, infants can at least bat at them.
• Music boxes and CD players that play a pleasant variety of music will help soothe an infant.
• Mobiles that attach to the side of the crib with high contrast color and pattern are a favorite. Infants also like ones that play music.
• Wrist or ankle rattles allow infants to experiment with cause and effect.

3-6 months

• Activity centers are for infants who are still horizontal. Infants can bat at toys, spin spinners and turn dials.
• Lightweight rattles are great for making noise.
• Activity bars keep infants occupied while in the car or stroller.
• Soft stuffed animals with no potential choking hazards are good at this age since they start forming attachments to plush animals at this time.

6-12 months

• Mirrors are good toys for infants because they enjoy looking at themselves. Mirrors help strengthen the muscles in their eyes as they learn to focus. Mirrors also help young children develop a sense of self.
• Wooden puzzles help young children develop their fine motor skills and encourage spatial awareness.
• Rhythm instruments help children learn about cause and effect. They also aid in developing eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills.
• Teething rings help children find their mouths and help teach the beginnings of self-help care.
• Push toys at this age should be large, simple animals or cars with wheels that turn easily and encourage children to move and crawl.
• Stacking and Nesting toys teach order and control of error.
• Pail and Shovels are great for filling up and dumping out.

12-18 months

• Push toys for early walkers should have a rigid rod to push the toy ahead of them.
• Blocks for stacking and sorting. They can be interlocking plastic blocks, as small as 2” x 4”, wooden geometric blocks, or large plain cardboard blocks for building.
• Water toys provide hours of fun. Look for toys that float, water mills that the child can pour water into to create movement, watering cans, and child safe paint brushes to “paint” with water. (Adult supervision should always occur with water play).
• Balls that are easy to grasp help children at this age learn to catch. Watch for balls that are too small that might present a choking risk.

18-24 months

• Picture books encourage intimate time spent with the caregiver and child. They also teach pre-reading skills, such as book orientation and talking about books.
• Push toys for this level depict adult activities such as vacuuming, mowing the lawn, shopping carts or doll carriages.
• Climbing gyms provide a safe place to climb, hide, slide, and practice emerging motor skills.
• Ride-on toys are great. Some come with handles so adults can push when little legs get tired. Avoid motorized ones that do the moving for the child. Also, they are still quite young to use pedals.
• Train sets help build manual dexterity. They also start to see how objects move differently on different surfaces.
• Crayons, especially washable ones, are a great creative outlet. Offer only a few jumbo sized crayons at a time so as not to overwhelm your young artist. Also, taping the paper in place makes sure the paper doesn’t slide or tear.

24-30 months

• Child-size household equipment. Nothing says Montessori better than real child-size objects. Show the child how to use them then step back and watch them go!

• Construction toys such as giant Lego or a set that can be linked or snapped together improves manual dexterity and imagination.

30-36 months

• Beginning board games like Chutes and Ladders or I Spy or card games like Memory aid brain development and teach beginning sportsmanship.

• Outdoor equipment is a great way to put those gross motor skills to use. Choose swings, bats and balls, soft soccer balls, miniature basketball hoops, and play golf sets.
• Books. Your toddler is able to start following narratives and can understand longer, more complicated stories.

Whatever you choose, the best toys are those that are well-built and encourage self-exploration. It’s also important to remember these important safety rules:

• Avoid toys with small parts, which can pose choking hazards Avoid building sets with small magnets. If swallowed, magnets can cause series injuries, even death.
• Projectile toys are for older children and not to be used around infants and toddlers as they could result in serious eye injury.
• Chargers and adapters should only be used with adult supervision as they can pose thermal burn hazards for children.

To purchase age appropriate education toys, may we suggest Lakeshore Learning.

Next in this series: Age Appropriate Toys (3 to 6 yrs)

Montessori Perspective: Purpose of Play

When I think back to my son’s early years, I find myself smiling at thoughts of him learning to catch a ball and the sheer joy on his face when he did so. Or tummy-time spent playing with rays of sunshine filtering through the windows. These moments are etched deeply in my mind as moments I spent watching him grow and develop.

Play time is a universal need of infants. For infants, learning always occurs through experience, and play is a natural instinct which combines learning with pleasure. Throughout most of childhood, play is the way children learn about themselves and their environment. For infants, in order for learning to have a significant impact, they must touch the object they are examining: they feel it, taste it, and examine it with their hands.

Have you ever tried playing with a tired, hungry, or fussy infant? It’s not much fun for you or the infant. That said, infants will only play when they’re having fun. Therefore, learning must be fun and enjoyable for infants to develop.

During the first few months of life, an infant’s senses are not fully developed and he cannot control his body. In fact, young infants have very little coordination between their senses and their bodies. How, then, can they play? Play for a young infant is so important because it helps in the development of the infant’s skills. Developmentally appropriate toys like mobiles and activity centers help develop an infant’s senses and coordination of muscles, both gross motor (arms and legs) to fine motor (eye movement and tracking).

After infants learn to control their own bodies, they become less ego-centric and more aware of the world around them. As an infant changes, so does play. The significance now is on the rules of the universe. She is learning to recognize shapes of objects and is learning to sort and classify by shape and size. She is learning how things work in her world – that there are clear and consistent rules that she freely and frequently tests by repetitive play with toys that reinforce these concepts. In turn, without being told directly, she is learning to analyze and problem solve. In addition, she is developing focus and concentration skills.

Infants, as well as older children and adults, experience joy when they are successful. Because play occurs in a safe and nurturing environment, infants learn coping skills and how to deal with emotional frustration when play becomes too intense or overwhelming, or when there has been a sense of failure.

As infants mature, they begin to play with other infants. This helps them to practice the necessary cultural and social skills of society: sharing; give and take; compromising; standing up for oneself; listening to others; and taking the needs of others into account.

It has been said by Montessorian’s worldwide that play is the work of the child. Play time plays an important role in the development of infants and young children. Through play infants are able to explore and learn about the world around them.

NAMC has developed Infant-specific curriculum that includes a variety of cognitive, motor and sensory activities as well as language, social, and practical life activities. See NAMC's Infant/Toddler curriculum for more details.

Prepared Montessori Environment: The Teacher

Close your eyes and visualize a Montessori classroom before the children enter on the first day of school. What did you see? Beautiful materials on well-organized shelves? Real plants and fresh flowers? Beautiful, delicate objects within the reach of children? Rolled rugs? Child-size furniture? Lots of natural light? Before the children enter, however, there is one more preparation to make. You must prepare yourself as the Montessori teacher.

Although the teacher is in the background of the Montessori environment, the preparation of the teacher is of vital importance. After all, the Montessori classroom is constant in the lives of children, yet the atmosphere of the classroom can change on any given day. Why? Because of the teacher. When children enter the classroom, they immediately know what kind of day it’s going to be based on the reception they get from the teacher. Did she smile and shake their hand? Or did she rush past them on her way to the copy machine?

Maria Montessori said, "The first step to be taken in the preparation of the adult is a change in attitude."

Montessori teachers are human and sometimes just getting to work on time can be a challenge. Maybe we didn’t sleep well or something happened that morning before we got to work, or maybe there was an early meeting that we forgot about. Any number of little things can throw us off. It is important that we, as Montessori teachers, take the time to prepare ourselves before our children arrive. Adult concerns should be kept outside the classroom. Whether it’s by meditating for a few minutes before they arrive or saying a prayer as we unlock our Montessori classroom, we need to quiet ourselves and clear our minds for the children we are there to guide.

It is up to the adult to remember that the children are in the forefront. The Montessori teacher needs to relinquish her own agenda and allow the child the lead. The teacher should remove all obstacles which could impede the learning.

The teacher in a Montessori classroom models grace, courtesy and a natural wonder about the world. She acts as a guide to children while they make sense of even the most seemingly mundane of experiences. She moves slowly and purposefully about the classroom. She is aware of herself and her role in the lives of her students. She takes the time to visualize how she wants her classroom to be and models that herself, preparing herself to teach and observe the children around her.

So, the next time you find yourself hurrying down the corridor in a rush to get to your classroom, slow down and think about how you’d like your day to start. Turn on some peaceful music, sit down, and give thanks for the children who will be entering your doors. They will never know, but it will make all the difference in everyone’s day.

More on this series:

• Prepared Montessori Environment: Classroom Set-Up
• Prepared Montessori Environment: Control of Error

Prepared Montessori Environment: Control of Error

Maria Montessori observed that given the opportunity, children would rather correct themselves than depend on an adult to do it for them. She believed that making mistakes was a natural part of learning and that developing self-correction skills helped develop confidence and decision-making skills.

A Montessori classroom only works if the materials it holds are complete and used appropriately. A prepared physical environment includes incorporating a control of error in the children’s works. The materials and presentations contain a control of error which makes the child use his/her reasoning abilities and promotes independence. This allows quick feedback for the child by allowing him to self-correct. The responsibility for learning rests with the learner.

Examples of Control of Error:

• In the Children’s House, furniture is light enough to be moved without adult help. It is easily knocked over if the child does not control his movements.

• Objects in the classroom are breakable. Children learn to pour from glass pitchers and handle fragile items. This teaches them to handle things carefully to avoid damage or breakage.

• Nomenclature card sets include a working set and a control set of picture and label cards. As the Montessori teacher presents the lesson, the child watches the teacher use the working set, then refer to the control set to be sure the work was done correctly. The child is then able to use the working and control set when choosing the activity on his own.

• Another way of creating a control of error is to place small colored dots or numbers on the bottom of the materials. For example, when working with the sound cylinders, the child can check the bottom of the cylinders to see if the dots/numbers match. If they do, she knows she has matched them correctly.

The blackline masters provided by NAMC have controls of error built in, as do most purchased Montessori materials. However, it is important when developing your own materials and lessons to remember to ask yourself, do the children need to come to me for the answers or are they able to self-correct? If they can do it on their own, you’ve created a set of Montessori materials that will soon become a favorite in your classroom.

Sample NAMC Preschool/Kindergarten blackline masters - Culture & Science

More on this series:

• Prepared Montessori Environment: Classroom Set-Up

Celebrating Thanksgiving in the Montessori Classroom

In 1621, the English colonists, better known as Pilgrims, at Plymouth and the Wampanoag (People of the First Light) Indians of North America shared a feast celebrating both the survival of the Pilgrims during their first winter in the New World and the relationships between the colonists and the Indians. Historians call it the 1621 Harvest Celebration, but we know it as “Thanksgiving”.

On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth Harbor in England, bound for Virginia. Violent storms blew the ship off course and the ship landed in what is currently known as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on November 9, 1620. Having spent two months at sea, the colonists found themselves in the midst of a harsh New England winter. This made it very difficult to find food and shelter. While the Pilgrims struggled to build homes, they continued to live aboard the Mayflower. Many colonists, already weakened by their strenuous journey, perished during the first few months. By spring, less than half of those that set out for the New World remained.

On March 6, 1621, a Wampanoag named Samoset walked into the Pilgrim’s camp to introduce himself. He and Tisquantum (Squanto) had been kidnapped a few years before by explorers and were able to communicate with the Pilgrims. This led to the Pilgrims signing a peace treaty with Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag tribe. Tisquantum, meanwhile, taught the Pilgrims how to grow crops in the New World, as well they shared knowledge of where to fish and hunt.

That autumn, after the harvest, the Pilgrims decided to hold a feast to celebrate their good fortune. The meal was not a large, sit-down meal as it is today. The feast lasted for several days. Massasoit and at least 90 of his men joined the Pilgrims. The children played games and the men entertained themselves with military expositions. There was also singing and dancing done by both the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims. Although the modern Thanksgiving tradition is celebrated with roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, the Pilgrim’s feast was much different. It included: turkey, geese, duck, venison, lobster, clams, oysters, fish, seal, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, turnips, radishes, onions, beets, corn, and wild fruit.

The most detailed description of the celebration comes from colonist Edward Winslow’s journal:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”

In November 1846, a woman named Sarah Hale began a 17-year letter-writing campaign designed to make the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving. After the Union’s victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving Day. On November 26, 1941, President Roosevelt signed legislation declaring the fourth Thursday in November to be a federal holiday.

As with many holidays, there are many activities to help children of all ages celebrate and learn more about America’s Thanksgiving.

• Scholastic.com offers a great interactive and educational slide show meant for children of elementary age. It includes information on the Voyage of the Mayflower, Daily Life of both Pilgrims and Wampanoag, and The Thanksgiving Feast. There’s even a webquest that the children may participate in after they have seen the slide show. Simply go to the Scholastic website to get started. One way to really get the children engaged is to sign up to receive letters from children in the 1620’s! You receive three letters from a girl traveling on the Mayflower and three letters from a Wampanoag boy delivered to your email address. Sign up for these letters at the Scholastic website.
• Have a school-wide Thanksgiving Feast. The first Montessori school I taught at had done this from its inception and it has long become a yearly tradition. In fact, many alumni state that this is one of their fondest memories!

It is most memorable when the children prepare the meal themselves. Even those in the Montessori Children’s House are able to wash and cut fruit. Divide the food according to age group:

Children’s House – Fruit Salad
Lower Elementary – Vegetable Plates with Dip
Upper Elementary – Mashed Potatoes
Middle School – Stuffing

Parents will gladly donate the ingredients if given proper notice. You can also ask parents to donate pre-cooked, carved turkeys. Be sure that the tables are set with tablecloths and real cutlery and plates. It is an important day! Also, the decorations are made the week beforehand by the children. It’s a lot of work that is well worth the effort. Make sure you have enough parents to help with the clean-up, though!

A great centerpiece for any table is a Pine Cone Turkey. (I think my mother still has the one I made many, many years ago). Your Montessori students will enjoy this activity.

What You Need:

• A Pine Cone
• An acorn or a nut in a shell
• Construction paper (red, brown, yellow, orange) (Trace feather shapes for younger children)
• Pencil or marker
• Scissors
• Glue
• Hot glue
• Googly eyes
• Clay

What You Do:

• Cut “feathers” out of construction paper
• Place a small piece of clay to the underside of the pine cone to keep it from wobbling around on the table.
• Glue the construction paper feathers to top of the wide end of the pine cone. Using hot glue, glue the nut to the front end of the pine cone. (Adult supervision required with younger children).
• Glue googly eyes and a red construction paper “wattle” to the nut. (To avoid staining a table or tablecloth, place the turkey on a plate before using as a centerpiece).

Other countries around the world also celebrate Thanksgiving, traditionally to celebrate a bountiful harvest.

NAMC’s Lower Elementary Cultural Geography manual includes many other cultural celebrations from around the world.

Prepared Montessori Environment: Classroom Set-Up

One of the factors that contributed to the success of Montessori education was in Montessori’s scrutiny of the traditional educational environment. At that time, schoolrooms held adult-size furniture that was usually arranged in rows and bolted in place. Closets and shelves were placed at adult height so even the simplest of tasks had to be carried out by adults.

Montessori’s analysis led her to create schools that were truly suited for children. By adapting the environment and surroundings to the child’s size and nature, the Montessori classroom became a place where children could relax and learn. She had carpenters build child-sized tables and chairs which could easily be moved about without adult help. She also brought in rugs and mats because she’d observed that young children like to lie and work on the floor.

Montessori stated that young children process (absorb) everything through their senses. A well-prepared, child-centric environment is a sensorial one which reflects beauty, simplicity, and order. It provides well-chosen materials and activities which are required for learning. Everything is carefully chosen by the Montessori teacher in order to best facilitate the child’s learning. Unlike many overly-stimulating childcare centers which rely on the use of color, sound and movement, the Montessori classroom is designed to minimize things that may over-stimulate and distract. The Montessori classroom uses physical space and time that allows for concentration, design which allows children to find, use, and replace materials easily. Walls are painted in neutral colors. Shelves display a few objects at a time. This prepared environment provides a calm, neutral, quiet background that encourages and supports learning.

In a Montessori Infant/Toddler room, the prepared environment is very important. It is designed to meet these goals:

• Be attractive, welcoming, and conducive to learning
• Have a space large enough to accommodate all the children, providing them with free and comfortable movement
• Provide areas for all the activities each day
• Provide and store equipment for the personal care of young children
• Provide materials designed with a self-correcting control of error
• To allow the adults to view all the children and get to them quickly as necessary

Beautiful objects come in a variety of means: curtains on the windows, fresh flowers and non-toxic plants in pretty containers and vases, a few carefully chosen pictures on the walls. It should be noted that the goal of artwork in a Montessori classroom is to add interest to the room, not cover the walls. These pictures should be at the children’s eye level and not the adults’. The pictures should show real-life people, objects or scenes. Since children need to learn to think about that which is real, the Montessori environment provides materials that are real and not ‘pretend’.

Since Montessori infants and toddlers are not confined to playpens or carriers, it is important to have ample room (45-55 square feet) of open space per child. These spaces provide areas for children to develop their gross motor skills. It’s also important to have smaller, more confined areas for non-mobile infants, well-lit areas for reading, and quiet areas feeding and rocking infants.

The Montessori outdoor environment is prepared just as carefully as indoors. Since infants and toddlers are apt to put almost anything in their mouth, caregivers must survey the area regularly for any dangers. Outdoor areas require space for running, jumping, throwing, climbing, lying, sitting, balancing, watching, building, digging, playing with water, and exploring. It is not necessary to purchase expensive playground equipment for this age, though many Montessori outdoor spaces to have a sandbox. Ideally, there are a variety of hard and soft surfaces to meet the differing needs of children.

Hard materials

• Rocks for washing with water
• Fences for ‘painting’ with water
• Stone flagstones provide a path to follow
• Trees to sit under

Soft materials

• Sand
• Wood chips
• Mulch
• Grass

The goal of the prepared environment in the Montessori 3-6 classroom is to make the children feel comfortable and safe. It also teaches them that a prepared and organized environment saves time and helps them learn. The prepared environment also frees children to focus during periods of learning by keeping the environment free of clutter and distractions. The well-prepared 3-6 Montessori environment:

• Displays materials that are interesting, complete, and in working order
• Stimulates the interest of children, giving them a place to do things for themselves
• Accommodates the physical, social, and cognitive needs of children between the ages of 3-6
• Appeals to all five senses (taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing)
• Allows children to correct themselves through their own experience
• Provides natural and real-life materials and activities as often as possible
• Encourages children to learn to the best of their abilities
• Gives children room to move and explore without disturbing others (approximately 35 square feet per child)
• Helps children gain confidence and independence by encouraging them to choose their own activities

Although each building and classroom is different, Montessori classrooms all have these features in common:

Above all, order, cleanliness, and beauty

• Place for children to store personal items, such as coats and indoor shoes
• Place for children to store projects, both in-progress and completed works
• Plenty of open space to move around easily and comfortably
• Adequate open space to sit together during circle time
• Low shelves which form a variety of activity areas without closing off space or visibility
• Neutral-colored walls
• A few interesting, real-life pictures placed at the children’s eye level
• A hard floor surface that is easily cleaned
• Child sized tables and chairs which can be moved easily
• A few beautiful objects that break easily
• Variety in texture and color of furnishings
• Living plants

Because preparing the environment is such an important task, the Montessori teacher needs to become familiar with every detail of the classroom, and provide a well-prepared environment.

Stay tuned for more on this topic.

You will also find this information and more covered in our Montessori Classroom Guides.

Reading Aloud to Children: Part III

So, when do I start reading aloud to my Montessori child? The answer is simple: as soon as possible! After all, Maria Montessori believed that the sensitive period for language development is between birth and age six. What better time to start reading aloud to your child than when he is in the sensitive period for language acquisition!

Reading Aloud to Infants and Toddlers

• Begin by having the baby sit on your lap, your arms around him. This full body contact promotes the positive emotional aspect and bonding of reading aloud.

• Around 6 months of age, babies become less passive and more interested in mouthing or teething on the book. Offer him a small teething toy to keep him occupied during your reading sessions.

• Around 8 months of age, babies become more active and enjoy turning the pages. Encourage him to do so when it is time. This helps develop active listening skills as he begins to anticipate the end of the page.

• Around 12 months of age, babies are able to listen and point to objects on the page. They also begin to make animal noises (moo, oink, baaaa) on cue.

• By the time they start walking, babies are constantly on the go. Choose your reading times wisely, perhaps before a nap, and enjoy snuggling up to this now quiet wonder.

• Begin with picture books, with relatively few sentences per page. Then, gradually add books with more text as your child matures.

In The Read-Aloud Handbook, storyteller Jim Trelease offers these suggestions when reading aloud to children.

General Read Aloud Tips at Any Age

• Remember, reading aloud does not come naturally to all people. It is a skill that needs practice and development. Babies and toddlers are a very forgiving audience, but you may need to practice if you will be reading to older children.

• Read with lots of expression. Change your voice when reading dialog. Adjust your pace – slow down when it’s suspenseful or speed up when it’s exciting. It might sound silly to you, but children really enjoy a story with a lot of emotion and inflection. I’ve even had children tell me “that’s not the voice you used yesterday” for certain characters.

• Don’t rush! Read slowly enough to let your audience form pictures in their minds.

• Expecting children to sit still and be passive is not always the best choice. I used to get frustrated with my son because he’d be playing with his trains while I was reading to him, or he would get up and walk around. It wasn’t until he started asking questions pertaining to what I was reading to make me realize this kinesthetic activity was actually helping him listen actively and more attentively than if I had insisted on him sitting still. I frequently allow children in my Montessori classroom to color, draw, knit, or sew quietly while I’m reading. This keeps their hands busy and their minds alert.

• Encourage older children to read to younger ones in the home or your Montessori classroom. This is not a substitution for an adult read aloud, however, since the adult is the primary role model.

Reading aloud to children facilitates their readiness for formal reading instruction in four areas: oral language, cognitive skills, concepts of printed words, and phonemic awareness. Development of these skills provides a strong foundation to support literacy development during the early school years (Allingtion & Cunningham, 1996; Hall & Moats, 1999; Holdaway, 1979).

Read more on our series:

• Reading Aloud to Children: Part I
• Reading Aloud to Children: Part II

Reading Aloud to Children: Part II

Last week I wrote about the joys of reading aloud to my son, Nathaniel. Even when you have a child who seems to devour books, reading is now always easy for them. Here are some possible roadblocks and solutions to reading aloud to all ages.

• Did I say devour? What do you do when you find your infant literally eating his way through is favorite board book? Gently remind him books are for reading and substitute something appropriate to soothe his teething gums.

• Short attention span? Encourage your child to sit and listen, but don’t force them to do so. Involve them by asking them to hold the book or turn the pages. Another way to help keep them involved is to ask them questions about what was just read, or make predictions about what’s going to happen next. Or try replacing the main character’s name with that of your child.

• If a story is not working, it’s okay not to finish it. Many of us were raised with once you started a book, you had to finish it. I always tell my Montessori students, if you really don’t like the book, put it away and find one you do like. Reading should be enjoyable, not a chore. If you just can’t justify not finishing the book, skip a few pages or passages in order to finish it more quickly. Most importantly, don’t read stories that you don’t enjoy yourself; your children will see right through it!

• It’s okay for the child to ask questions. Be prepared to be interrupted. Children are thinking all the time they are listening to the book being read. What does that word mean? Why did she do that? You know what I think…? All these are signs that your child is really listening and thinking about what’s being read. Take the time to patiently answer their questions and then resume your reading.

• With our busy schedule, it’s hard to find the time to read at night. The saying is we find time for that which we value. If we truly value reading aloud to our students or children, then we will find the 10-15 minutes it takes to drop everything and read to them. That’s all it takes. It’s the quality of time spent together, not the quantity.

Jim Trelease (The Read-Aloud Handbook) states that “when the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) compared the reading skills of 210,000 students from 32 different countries, it found the highest scores (regardless of income level) among: children who were read to by their teachers, and children who read the most pages for pleasure daily."

So, amidst all the work that needs to be done in the Montessori classroom and at home, no matter how tired you are, take the time to sit down and read with your children. It’s one of the best things you can do.

Read more on our series: Reading Aloud to Children: Part I

Celebrating Veteran's Day in the Montessori Classroom

In many parts of the world, military veterans are honored on November eleventh. This day, known in the United States as Veteran’s day and as Armistice or Remembrance Day in other areas, is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I in 1918.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first day commemorating the Armistice. The original idea was for a day marked with parades and public meetings, with a brief suspension of business beginning at 11 am. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day is largely meant to celebrate and thank living veterans for their service, sacrifice, and dedication.

Although most federal holidays are celebrated on Mondays so as to gain a 3-day weekend, Veterans Day is always celebrated on November 11 to preserve the historical significance and importance of the date.

There are several activities that you can do in your Montessori classroom to help children recognize and learn about Veterans Day.

3-Dimensional Star Table Decorations

What You Need:

• Star Template
• Stiff paper (card stock, oak tag, styrofoam meat trays)
• Scissors
• Crayons, markers

What You Do:

• Trace stars onto stiff paper. (Two stars are needed to make one star).
• Decorate both stars on both sides.
• Cut out both stars.
• With scissors, make a slit from an inner corner to the center point of one star.
• On the other star, make a slit from an outer corner to the center point.
• Slip the two stars together through the slits.
• The star should be stable enough to stand alone as a table decoration.

A nice way to practice Grace and Courtesy is to write thank you letters to veterans.

What You Need:

• Plain printer paper
• Crayons/markers

What You Do:

Design a patriotic letterhead with American symbols: flags, stars, eagles. Students can then write a personal thank you letter to a veteran, either those who have served in prior wars or conflicts or those who are currently serving. Students can also do research on the history of the American Flag, American Military Flags, or American Symbols. A short written report accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations would help illuminate an oral presentation to the class. Students could also make 3-part matching cards to accompany their research.

NAMC’s Practical Life and Advanced Practical Life curriculum albums include many more grace and courtesy lessons.

Reading Aloud to Children: Part I

This is a story I share with all my Montessori parents and colleagues when I hear them say “But my son/daughter/student is old enough to read alone. I don’t need to read to them aloud anymore”.

My son’s love for reading began the day he was born. As a young mother, I read novels as I nursed my infant son. As he grew older, I found myself unable to read while I nursed because he started playing with the pages. I read to him before nap time and bed time. I remember reading Anne of Green Gables aloud to him after dinner as he bounced in his “bouncy seat”. About the time he was 9 months old, I remember calling to complain to my mother in New Jersey, “All he does is bring me books to read. He doesn’t want to play with his blocks or trucks. He just wants to read!” My mother wondered aloud what I was complaining about! I even remember hiding his favorite book, Steve and the Mighty Loader, high up on my bookshelf in hopes that I would get a break from reading it a dozen times a day!

We loved reading together. As he grew older, I remember snuggling up on his car bed with him to read. I can still picture him in his blanket sleepers, his hair wet from his bath, sucking his index finger, and waiting for me tell him a story. After I’d finish, I’d turn on his tape player and he’d fall asleep to tales from Beatrix Potter, A. A. Milne, and Thomas the Tank Engine. These were precious memories that bonded us together, mother and son.

When my son was in second grade, he was quite capable of reading on his own. I thought I was doing him a favor by letting him read to himself at bedtime. After all, for as long as I could remember, I have loved falling asleep with a good book. He too, seemed quite content to crawl into bed and read for twenty minutes before I came to tuck him in bed and kiss him goodnight.

But something happened to make me rethink that decision. We were doing some research together for a school project a few months after I stopped reading aloud to him. I was astonished to hear him stumbling over words that had come so easily to him before. He was omitting punctuation and reading without inflection. What had happened to my fluent reader?

I had to admit to myself that I had done a disservice to my son. Although he was perfectly capable of reading and comprehending on his own, by listening to me read he was learning the nuances of oral language – cadence, intonation, inflection, and pitch. He was learning the difference between the length of time between a comma and a period. He was learning to pronounce the difference between a declarative, exclamative, and interrogative statement. He was learning to make different characters sound different and distinguishable. He was learning to read!

I quickly resumed my position next to him on his bed and reintroduced myself as chief storyteller. And my son’s reading ability seemed to improve overnight!

Now, even though he’s in the 6th grade at his Montessori school, we still read aloud, though not at bedtime since that’s his time to read to himself. I usually read after my husband and I have finished dinner and we’re waiting for Nathaniel to finish eating. We read classic literature together; we’re currently reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. We also read books on growing up: Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul by Jack Canfield and Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard. Additionally, since we have a 40 minute commute to and from school, we listen to books on CD. In the last six months we’ve listened to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, and Inkspell and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and are currently listening to Eragon, by Christopher Paolini.

I am pleased to have a son who carries a book with him wherever he goes: to Montessori school, to Grandma and Papa’s, to doctors’ appointments, even out to dinner. It is a comfort to know that he’ll never be alone as long as he has his books.

NAMC’s Preschool/Kindergarten program provides a good foundation for developing children’s literacy.