A Montessori classroom is an amazing place if you know what to look for. Lay down on the floor and face the workshelves. Look from left to right and follow the shelves around the room. Look for patterns in what you see from a child’s eye view. What you may notice is that the work is arranged in an order. Not by color or task, but by developmental level (we are after all mixed age). In the Montessori classroom – the room itself encourages children to progress and grow through successfully more difficult levels of work. At each level as they figure out these new and progressively more difficult tasks they receive an earned boost of self-esteem that encourages them to move on to the next task. No external pressure applied. This is how intrinsic motivation is formed and reinforced. At least this is how it is done at school.
The age-appropriate work and challenges in the Montessori classroom aren’t haphazardly selected. They are deliberately designed and placed to help the children grow more than they would if they were just left to their own devices. Rather than just triggering one “ah-ha” moment, much of the work in the classroom sets off a chain reaction. What makes this so incredibly important is that these chain reactions are frequently tied to time periods where the child is developmentally ready to absorb multiple concepts at once. This is one reason why children leaving Montessori Kindergarten tend to not only be able to work multiplication problems, but also have a much stronger core understanding of how multiplicative mathematics actually work. They grow more by tackling the right challenges at the right time and are more capable long-term as a result.
The above is why one comment we increasingly hear from parents concerns us a great deal. It tends to pop up when the child is presented with a challenge beyond their skill as often as when they child is obviously trying to expand their own boundaries and just doesn’t possess the tools to get things to click. The comment is a non-chalant “they will figure it out”. While this is probably true, it begs the question of: “When?”. At a more in-depth level we would also ask, “but what other development are they missing out on because they aren’t being given the tools or guidance they need now when they are ready to have the learning sparks ignite?”.
One of our roles as parents is ultimately to facilitate a childhood that helps the child develop into the best person they can possibly become. While our genetics play a role in a whole slew of factors throughout our life, it is during childhood that we are best able to build the extra scaffolding that supports us growing beyond what we simply would be if we just went through the standard motions. This isn’t us saying it. This is a world full of experts from major universities studying child development to organizations such as UNESCO whose very missions rely on the actions undertaken by future generations.
It isn’t an accident that we are posting this blog on Black Friday. We have written more than a few blogs around Montessori at home as well as general development guidelines. Today is a day to put this into action. Rather than a tablet or video game for a 4 year-old (who studies show will not benefit from either), find something that will stimulate their growth and feed their intrinsic desire to grow and learn. If you want ideas – check out our blogs or stop by and ask. We have over a century of experience inside our walls and we are happy to help you keep that intrinsic motivation alive and well at home. We promise it will work out better than if you just “let them figure it out”.
