The 15 Best Montessori Home Parenting Tips Of 2024

Montessori parenting encompasses ideas drawn from the studies of Maria Montessori and her famous Montessori movement. 

These Montessori parenting tips focus on your child's need for learning through play and their desire to take on responsibility. 

The following tips give them the opportunity to grow and to develop in a healthy and productive way. 

1. Respect Your Child 

Respect that they have needs as we do. Respect that your child does not want to eat at times, may be in a bad mood or doesn't want to be stuck in one room.

Being respectful can also extend to teaching them respect and courtesy by setting good examples. This respect can influence other children, adults and other living things as well. 

2. Freedom of Movement

Give your child the space and opportunity to be able to move around. Do not confine them in one place where they are not able to explore their environment or try new activities.

Give older children challenges to climb in safe areas. As children learn to move it expands their possibilities for learning by freely exploring their environment

3. Freedom of Choice

Always give your child a choice. This works best when dealing with toddlers who want a power struggle. Provide them with only two choices for things that will involve them. They can have a snack now or they can have it later or, they can wear the white or yellow shirt.

4. Safety First

Explain the dangers of electric sockets, matches, heavy doors and lids, stairs, pools and more. Make sure your child knows how to swim.

Just because we have child proofed our home doesn't make our child safe when they are not at home. Teach your child his address, phone number, and how to call 911. 

5. Teach Independence

Give your child opportunities to do things for themselves and even though they are not adults, they are not helpless little humans. Simplify things for them so that they can do things for themselves. 

Teach them to dress themselves rather than have to ask you to help. Allow them to feed themselves and get practice, even though it may get messy.

6. Communicate

Our children learn words and language through listening to us. Talk to your children every opportunity you get. When driving in the car talk about what you see and the same when shopping. It may feel strange but you are giving your child the gift of language.

7. Let Them Help

Involve children with many of life’s daily duties, especially those they express interest in and not just in the kitchen. Duties like setting the table, sorting laundry, dusting, helping to wash the car, sweeping and more are a good start.

Take the time to show them in steps, how to accomplish such tasks successfully.

8. Teach Not by Correcting but by Modelling

If your child makes a mistake, model on how to correctly do it. Do not make a big deal out of it, and make them aware of their mistakes skillfully.

If your child mispronounces a word, repeat what they said and pronounce it correctly. There is no need to say that it was wrong, just model how it should be done.

9. Stick with Natural & Simple Materials or Toys

There is no need for fancy or flashy toys that flash and make noise just leave your child watching and being amused for a short period of time. Get toys that encourage children do something with their hands like dropping a ball in a box, or stacking rings to accomplish a task. 

This can entertain them for long periods of time as they repeat the activity over and over.

Montessori believes the work of the hand is very important for the child’s development. Give them toys in which they can manipulate objects.

10. Show Don’t Tell

When showing your child an activity, drop down to their level, and use minimal words so they can focus on your hands, not your words.

It’s also important to present from left to right, and top to bottom, to help your child develop a sense of order. This helps to prepare them for reading and writing.

11. Use Common Sense

Most of the Montessori principles involve only common sense and rational thinking. Raising a child sometimes just needs to involve common sense that seems to be not so common for some. Trust yourself that you are doing the right thing, if it feels right. 

12. Patience Is Key

It may take a longer time to get a child to learn something, when they do, it does not become an issue any longer. When sleeping, teach them to sleep independently and not rely on being rocked or patted. In the long run you do not need to spend long periods of time putting them to sleep.

13. Provide the right tools

Children can do for themselves very well when they have child-sized tools, furnishings, or utensils. Provide low shelves so that they can put away their own toys, books, and other items.

Even younger children can return things to their proper places, hang their own coats, put laundry in the hamper, and much more. Provide things like a step stool, a small weaning table and chairs, a child size dustpan and broom, or dishes and utensils just the right size for kid hands.

14. Love and Support Your Child

If you do this, you cannot go wrong with any parenting style you employ. It will always be good enough as long as it’s done with love and support.

Life can never be perfect and mistakes and faults are all part of the growing up process.

15. Show Love and Empathy to Your Child

Putting yourself in your child's shoes makes us more patient and erodes their defenses. They can't argue when you are on the same side.

Being able to show empathy is key to Montessori parenting. We’re not reacting to their behavior, but trying to understand where they are coming from and what external factors may be contributing to it.

Related Articles:

• 25 Best Montessori Toys for 1 Year Old's
• The Pros and Cons of the Montessori Method
• The 15 Best Montessori YouTube Channels You Should Be Watching

Montessori is a lifestyle that doesn’t just start and end inside a classroom. Bridging the gap between home and school is important when it comes to raising your child the Montessori way.