Montessori before the age of 2....

As many of you know, I taught Montessori preschool (ages 2.5-6) in Washington for about 5 years before moving to Louisiana. Long story short, I have not officially gotten back into it since moving here, but the thought crosses my mind every day. Working with children is definitely my "calling" and I guess I thought that since Montessori only goes so far in infancy that I would look into returning to that line of work once Sean was old enough to go to school for it.

Well this website The Joyful Child has proved me wrong. It is all about Montessori in infants and toddlers, and has a lot of very interesting concepts. I plan on researching this more, and implementing what I can into our house as Sean is growing up.

Today I wanted to re-post one part of an article I found particularly interesting. Enjoy : )

The Child's Research
Some people call the search for limits "testing," but there is negative connotation to this word. When a child is trying to learn the rules and procedures of the society in which she lives this is a very positive undertaking. It is actually important research.

A good example is the question "What is the meaning of the word 'No'?" I remember an incident in our home between a good friend and her two-year-old daughter, Julia. The two-year-old had climbed up on the piano bench and was reaching for a bust of Mozart kept on the piano. As she reached toward it she looked expectantly at her mother, obviously for some kind of a response. The mother said "No, don't touch it." Julia stopped, lowered her hand and then reached toward it again. The mother said "No" again, a little louder. Again the daughter reached and looked at her mother. This happened several times with no resolution.

I watched this communication, and the confusion on both sides, and offered the suggestion "I don't think she knows what 'No' means and is trying to find out".
The mother laughed and said "Of course." Then she went to Julia, said "No," gently, and, as she said it, picked Julia up and moved her across the room to a pile of building blocks. Both were completely satisfied.

In the first exchange perhaps the child thought "No" meant "I am waiting and looking and expect you to eventually pick up that statue. And I am getting mad at you."
In the second exchange the message was clear. "No" meant "stop doing what you are doing and move away to another part of the room or another activity," (and, thanks to the clear and gentle way of speaking, "I am not mad at you").

Children do not understand the language of reasoning until around age six. They need clear demonstrations along with words.
It is very helpful for parents to realize that their child is not trying to be bad, but she is being a normal, intelligent human being trying to find out how to behave. She is carrying out research.