Montessori - Freedom within Limits

"Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed. ~ Maria Montessori"

Montessori Method of education was developed by Maria Montessori . One of the most important principles of Montessori method of education is to give the child the freedom to do whatever he wants to do but this freedom should be given within limits. Maria Montessori believed that the child is an explorer and is capable of doing a lot of things.

Tips to implement freedom within limits in your house :

Plan ahead and set ground rules :

Make a list of simple house rules that you would like to implement and want everyone in the house to follow. Discuss with your spouse and then tell your children. One thing to keep in mind is the tone how you talk to your child. Rules do not mean scaring the child or being strict. It means to lay down certain boundaries . For eg.,

• Not to jump on the couch or beds. Jump on the floor or a mat or in  garden.
• Not to splash water in a glass or on the floor. Splash water in a water tub.
• Put away the dishes after eating.
• Put the toys back in their proper space after playing.

Act as a guide and not a dictator:

Our role in Montessori Parenting is to be around the children when they are doing an activity. Let them play or do the activity the way they want to do. Giving them the freedom on how to think makes them independent and competent individuals. It also helps them to improve their critical thinking, problem solving skills and concentration.

Follow through the rules that have been set :

If you have given the freedom to let your child do whatever he wishes to do then be consistent. Do not change the rules frequently. This will confuse the child. Also, a child might break a house rule. Do not lose your temper , give an alternative of what they done wrong. For eg., if you child is jumping on the couch, tell them that you understand that they want to jump but they might get hurt and fall from the couch. Try to jump on the floor or the mat. Tell them that they would have a lot of space and it would be so much fun.

Set a routine:

Setting a routine from the beginning is very important. It instills discipline in a child. From a very young age, the child gets to know about the simple things like the meal times or the time to play.

Keep the toys / books within the child's reach:

Keep your child's books and toys within their reach so that they can easily take out the toy with which they want to play. Also,  teach them to put back the toy in it's proper place after playing. This is helpful for you as well as the child. The child learns not to keep a mess after playing and it saves you time to clean the room after the child has played.

Freedom to repeat :

This principle also gives the children the freedom to repeat an activity or a task as many times as they want. With repetition, the children learn to self correct and the technique of problem solving.

Let them communicate freely:

This principle also encourages a child to talk freely about what he or she wants to do or explain what activity they did and how did they do. Giving a child freedom to communicate, makes them feel respected and it also helps to improve their social skills.

Freedom within limits, make the children independent and confident individuals. It's never too late to start anything. If you want to give your child the freedom to think, start from today. Take small steps like setting a routine and keep things within your child's reach.

"Let us leave the life free to develop within the limits of the good, and let us observe this inner life developing. This is the whole of our mission.” – Maria Montessori

 ‘This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon.’ 

 https://www.theblogchatter.com/

This blog post is also part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.