Choosing Appropriate Learning Materials for your Child

Children are driven unconsciously, by an inner force, to develop particular skills at particular phases in their growth.  Dr. Maria Montessori called these phases Sensitive Periods.  During these periods, your child has a strong desire to learn particular skills, and does so in a seemingly effortless manner.  Once the sensitive period is gone, the ease of acquiring the knowledge disappears and does not return.  If your child does not have access to the materials he needs at the time of the Sensitive Period, it becomes more difficult for him to learn that same skill at a later time.  The Chart of Sensitive Periods (see my earlier blog on this topic) can be used as a basic guideline to determine when your child may be ready to learn and when to introduce new concepts and activities. 

Observe your child to see what he or she is focused on and follow that interest.  Watch for cues as they arise and offer activities that coordinate with that interest.  Your child may ask you if he can pour his own juice, or point to a plate of cookies and ask how many there are, or point to a word and ask what it says.  When my grandson Johnny was two, my daughter noticed that he loved to screw lids onto jars.  So she created an activity which included various sized jars and matching lids and before she knew it, he was an expert at the task!

Don’t’ insist that your child do a particular activity.  Instead, ask him, “Would you like to do this or try that?”  If you try to engage you child in an activity and there is no interest, just put it away.  You can try again at another time.  By observing your child’s interests, you will be right much more often than you are wrong about the activities your child is interested in.

During the first six years, it is important to lead children toward independence by helping them master daily life tasks (Montessori Practical Life Exercises) such as pouring their own juice, combing their hair, getting dressed, taking care of plants, helping in the kitchen, and many more.  Ask your child “Would you like to help me fold the laundry, sort socks, set the table?”  For best results, when showing your child a new skill or activity, think of each and every step, then demonstrate it s-l-o-w-l-y.  Use as little talking as possible.  Fewer distractions will help him concentrate on the task.

Here are a few tips to help you find appropriate learning materials:

• If your child shows an interest in a topic, think of as many activities as you can to support it.  If your son loves airplanes, take a trip to the airport; go to the library to find factual books about airplanes, make a paper airplane and fly it, etc.
• Surf the internet to find sites with age appropriate information on specific subjects.  One mom I know planted seeds with her children then found a worksheet on parts of a plant for her children to study and color.  Try “googling” worksheets for kids.
• Check out these websites with valuable toys and activities for kids:  MindWare, Young Explorers, Hearth Song, Magic Cabin, Insect Lore, For Small Hands (features Montessori activities) Back to Basics Toys, Toys to Grow On.
• Look for games that teach motor coordination, thinking skills, i.e., colors, counting, shapes, etc.
• Look for toys that focus on one concept only.
• Avoid toys with  bells, whistles, and music that distract children from focusing on the concept.
• Go to the library and find informational books for your child..  Children crave information.
• Remember that young children learn by manipulating objects.
• Talk to other moms and share ideas.

"If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence".  By Dorothy Law Nolte from her poem Children Learn What They Live. 

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Your Child's Best Teacher - YOU

Not every teacher is a parent, but every parent is a teacher.  You are your child’s first and best teacher.

In the first six years of life, your child learns 80% of what he will ever know.  He is like a sponge, taking in everything in his environment.  Beginning in infancy, everything he does, sees, hears, smells, tastes and feels is a learning experience.  By taking advantage of these facts, you can give your child a great head start.

Your child wants to be like you and emulates you in every way he can.  By being a good role model, by showing the values you want your child to learn, you are teaching by example.  To show the values of respect for others and good manners, say good morning every day when your child wakes up, give a hug and a kiss, say “please” and “thanks”.  In the Montessori classroom, it is customary for the teacher and child to say good morning and shake hands every day.  Model a respect for objects to show that things have value. Handle toys, books, and all items properly, and put them away when you’re finished.  If you put things away, your child is much more likely to do the same.  It helps to make putting toys, books, games, clothing, etc, away part of the process.

By doing things in the most efficient way, you will teach your child the easiest way to master an activity.  For example, put your shoes away when you take them off instead leaving them by the door; carry objects in a way that will avoid dropping, spilling, i.e., one at a time, using both hands.  Demonstrate how to do a task step by step – for example, brushing teeth: how to squeeze the appropriate amount of toothpaste onto the brush, brushing all areas of the teeth, rinsing the mouth, rinsing the toothbrush, putting it away, rinsing the sink, drying hands and face, hanging up the towel.  Taking the time to show your child the proper way to do something is a great service to your child and saves you time in the long run.  Behavior may not happen overnight, it is a process.

TIPS

• Avoid distractions - Say as little as possible when showing your child how to do a task or activity
• Think in the smallest steps possible - things that are old hat to you are new to your child
• Much of learning is not formal learning: alphabet and counting songs; reading, games, puzzles, caring for plants and pets
• Play car games: What starts with ‘m’ sound?  What comes after 5?  Name a red fruit.  What rhymes with cat?
• Expose child to stimulating environments:  Find points of interest when you go places.  When you go for a walk or to the park, look at nature, point out birds, trees, flowers, insects, note different shapes of leaves, etc.
• Use vocabulary as a tool for learning.  For example:
• At the grocery store – Name fruits, vegetables, etc.; Note that the can is heavy, the bread is soft; the milk carton is cold, etc.
• When doing any activity, name everything you can: cooking utensils, garden tools, etc.
• Name colors, shapes, names of flowers, birds, not just ‘see the bird’ but ‘see the cardinal’.
• Follow up on topics your child shows an interest in.

Each child develops in accordance with his inner needs.  By being a role model and making activities and information available to him, you are creating an environment for his intellectual, physical and mental growth and independence.