By Vivian Cain
Montessori education for infants? Absolutely. When studying children’s development more than 100 years ago, Dr. Maria Montessori, saw the principles of discovery and learning at work in newborns.
Dr. Montessori, the founder of one of the leading educational philosophies of this century, saw the benefits of surrounding infants with a calm, nurturing and safe Montessori environment.
Here are some of the observations of a Montessori education for infants.
Movement. Babies need movement in order to experience the world around them. A Montessori setting provides a safe place for your infant to move about, whether they’re just beginning to walk or haven’t yet mastered crawling. At this stage, infants are learning to control the movement of their hands and feet, support their hands and develop hand-eye coordination. Mastering their coordination and movement is the first step in exploring the world around them and developing sensory skills. At Maria Montessori International Academy, infants are given respectful and constant attention. They are provided with age-appropriate activities and simple natural materials.
Sensory perception. Everything is new to your infant, including the basic senses we take for granted. For that reason, many of the loud flashing toys marketed for infants can overwhelm their sensory development. Infant Montessori principles help your infant develop sensory perception in a comfortable way. By providing only a few toys and items at a time, your infant isn’t overstimulated and anxious or confused. Additionally, at Maria Montessori International Academy, we don’t simply rely on these items to entertain your child. Rather, Montessori teachers rely mostly on personal interaction to stimulate your child’s sensory development.
Language development. We know that babies can react to sound even before they’re born. It’s no surprise that sound and language are one of the first and most important developmental skills your infant will pick up. Montessori teachers are specially trained to speak, sing and read to your infant to demonstrate the many sounds their voices can make.
Although it may seem like babies don’t understand what we’re saying, babies, monitor the movement of our mouths closely, and learn to form letters and words by imitating us. To help develop their language proficiency, your infant’s teachers at Maria Montessori will explain to your baby what’s happening during the day. For example, they may say, “I am preparing to change your diaper” or “We’re going to eat lunch now.” This repetition will help your child begin to mimic sounds and begin speaking while also reinforcing the context of what they’re saying.
Your baby’s early years will be filled with new things to learn. Providing a solid foundation of movement, sensory perception, and language development will help them understand the world around them as they learn and grow.
Because we know that safety is always the first priority for any parent, Maria Montessori International Academy provides safe and accessible environments for your infant with dedicated supervision and interaction.
