I just got off a fun call with a columnist for the Dutch newspaper, the Volkskrant, who had written to me wanting a Montessori opinion on a question from a reader about getting their children to help around the home. It was a fun conversation so I thought I'd share…
In Montessori, independence is at the heart of everything we do - but what does it actually look like at different ages? From birth through to young adulthood, independence develops in stages. In this article, I'll help you to see how independence unfolds across the four planes of development, with…
After my round up of the book How To Talk So Kids Will Listen, one of the parents kindly asked when I was going to do one for Siblings Without Rivalry. It was a great idea. Read on... Siblings Without Rivalry - PDF summary to download Before we start, here…
We are so lucky to have many wise parents in our classes. One of these is Laura Carmichael who loves using creativity and creation to spread kindness in their family. I loved her ideas so much, I asked Laura to share with you too. Read on. Hope you love these…
It’s the last week before the school holidays start here in the Netherlands. So it will just be a quick post today. Revolution of kindness I was thinking about something we could all work on over the summer. And I’ve decided on something rather ambitious. Let’s start a revolution of…
Some of us learned that we should say "good job" to our children so they feel seen and to build their self-esteem. Unfortunately this has backfired and has made our children dependent on our praise. So here's why we should stop saying good job and what we can say instead.…
One beautiful part of the Montessori approach is how we show respect to our child in everyday interactions. The most powerful way for us to teach our child how to respect others is for us to model it and for them to absorb it every day. 10 ways we can…
Many parents ask me about raising neurodivergent children and whether their child might be “differently wired.” So I invited my dear friend Debbie Reber of Tilt Parenting to share her wisdom and resources. Debbie is the author of Differently Wired and podcast host of the Full Tilt Parenting podcast. You…
Introduction A grandparent wrote to me as they want to be involved with their grandchild but don't know the best way. The parents want them to follow Montessori principles and let the child choose for themselves; the grandparent also wants to be able to read books with them and have…
We want to be a kind and clear guide to our child. And people want to know why their child listens to me.Well I have been lucky enough to practice with many toddlers over the last 20 years, raised two children in a Montessori way, and my Montessori training has…
As parents, caregivers and educators, it is now more important than ever to help our children connect deeper with the Earth, the Montessori way. Dr Montessori wrote: “We must study the correlation between life and the environment. In nature all is correlated. This is the purpose of nature. Nature is…
"My son is 2, nearly 3, and is full of energy and confidence. However, he seems to get frustrated quite easily and it escalates fast for him so that I have to remove him from the situation or he will scream, hit my daughter usually, or us his parents and…
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