Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three QUOTES

1 " Parents in the early half of the twentieth century were primarily concerned with the development of character in their children. They wanted to be certain that their children were ready to cope with adversity, for it was surely coming to them one day whether in personal or national life. The development of character involves self-discipline and often sacrifice of one's own desires for the good of self and others. Montessori education, developed in this historical period, reflects this emphasis on the formation of the child's character. However, parents today are more likely to say their primary wish for their children is that they be happy. In pursuit of this goal they indulge their children, often unconsciously, to a degree that is startling to previous generations. All parents need to remember that true happiness comes through having character and discipline, and living a life of meaningful contribution -- not by having and doing whatever you wish. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

2 " adult’s role is to “teach children limits with love or the world will teach them without it. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

3 " As parents and grandparents, we think that we are showing children that we love them by giving them things. In fact such practice, in and of itself, may send them the wrong message. Children may conclude that if people give you things, they love you. If receiving things tells you that you are loved, the next logical step is to measure self-worth by what you have, not by what you are. The reality is that very young children can only truly love one doll, one stuffed animal, and a few toys at a time. This experience provides a basis for adult life where one must learn to cherish one spouse, one family, one life, instead of fantasizing that it is possible to “have it all.” What "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

4 " After you have demonstrated a practical-life exercise, and once your child has begun to use it with concentration, you must take care not to interrupt him. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

5 " How are we to help? We need to become aware of all the ways in which we hold the child back from becoming a fully functioning human being: the sink and counter that she cannot reach, the mirror that is too high for her to see herself, the chair that is too big for her to sit comfortably in...the pants that are too tight for her to pull up and down... "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

6 " Montessori called the child under six years old "a sensorial explorer" and based her educational approach for the child's early years upon the child's learning through the senses. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

7 " Practical-life activities keep fifteen-month-olds at the leading edge of their skill development, building their intelligence, deepening their concentration, and giving them a new appreciation of their expanding capabilities. In "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

8 " To prepare any activity for the child, it is necessary for the parent to think through every detail ahead of time. For example, is the cracker stiff enough to spread the peanut butter on or does it crumble with the pressure of spreading?...All of these difficulties become apparent in the preliminary practice period by the adult prior to a presentation to the child. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

9 " Because the materials selected for a specific purpose such as food preparation are set on a tray in order and sequence of use, from left to right and top to bottom, the child mentally incorporates this precise order it becomes part of his functional intelligence "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

10 " After you have planned each detail of an activity, organized a tray of materials, and practiced with them, you can model a cycle of activity with the child. Do so very slowly and methodically, pausing briefly after each step. Your child wants to imitate you but his thinking skills are limited. He relies on habit, pattern and repetition. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

11 " independence, coordinated movement, language, and will. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

12 " parents today are more likely to say their primary wish for their children is that they be happy. In pursuit of this goal they indulge their children, often unconsciously, to a degree that is startling to previous generations. All parents need to remember that true happiness comes through having character and discipline, and living a life of meaningful contribution—not by having and doing whatever you wish. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

13 " Our first responsibility to newborns in regard to sleep is to help them sleep through the night as soon as they are capable of doing so. For most babies this is possible when they are two to three months old. By sleeping through the night, we mean from approximately a ten o’clock evening feeding to a six o’clock morning feeding. It "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

14 " We cannot protect our children from life, but we can prepare them for life. We can teach our children to respect money and to choose their belongings and possessions with care. How much we can afford is not the issue. The issue is wastefulness and lack of thought about what we are given. Affluence implies responsibility and an understanding that surplus is for sharing with those who are less fortunate. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

15 " Montessori stated that nothing should be given to the brain that is not first given to the hand. By this she meant that abstract ideas and information of every possible kind should be given to the young child first in concrete form to be held, discovered, and explored. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

16 " In addition to doing practical-life activities at home, many children by the time they are eighteen months old are ready to spend three hours a morning doing these (and other activities) in a setting outside their own home. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

17 " by rushing about with our children without giving thought to their needs for developing focus or, equally damaging, by allowing them to become mesmerized in front of a TV or VCR, we destroy both their conscious attention and the development of the will. Parents "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

18 " Sadly we deprive fifteen-month-olds of such opportunities for work in the home or a homelike setting. Instead we give them a schedule of planned activities, expensive toys, television, and VCRs to keep their mind off their real needs. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

19 " the adult’s role is to “teach children limits with love or the world will teach them without it. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three

20 " We cannot protect our children from life, but we can prepare them for life. We can teach
our children to respect money and to choose their belongings and possessions with care.
How much we can afford is not the issue. The issue is wastefulness and lack of thought
about what we are given. Affluence implies responsibility and an understanding that
surplus is for sharing with those who are less fortunate. "

― , Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three