A new series all about Montessori for babies.
In our book The Montessori Baby we wanted to highlight families from around the world applying Montessori from birth. As there wasn’t space to fit in all their photos and the full interview with each of them, this is the perfect place to let you get to know these families even better.
Meet Junnifa (also the co-author of the book!), Uzo, Solu, Metu and Biendu from Nduoma Montessori and Fruitful Orchard Montessori School and you can follow them on Instagram here and here.
“Montessori helps me notice and celebrate the effort my children have made, no matter how small. It could be trying to turn over or figuring out how to get a ball into a hole. I never cease to be amazed by how persistent and resilient they can be. Observing them is my favorite thing to do and it is what allows me notice.I don’t celebrate it in an external way, but I allow it, and give time and space for it. This is a celebration for me and these little moments add joy to my parenting.”
“One of my favorite stages was when they’d wake upfrom their floor bed and without crying,they’d quietly crawl over to my room, pull up on the side of our bed and wake me up by rubbing my face with their hand or making small sounds. I’d wake up and there’d be a hand on my face or a baby staring at me. It happened many times with all three of my babies and I still smile at the memories. I loved this stage when they were mobile and starting to independently explore. Using a Montessori floor bed definitely contributed to their independence in this regard.”
“Having a baby with older siblings comes with its own challenges but is also beautiful to watch. I was lucky to discover Montessori before my first child because all the work and I type I put him flowed over to my next child and again from both of them to my third child. It’s so beautiful to watch them together. They do have times when they disagree or where one interferes with the other’s work but even these moments are opportunities to learn how to express themselves kindly and how to resolve conflict. My favorite thing is to sit in a corner and watch them while they play together. Montessori has definitely made parenting a joyful and rewarding endeavor by arming me with the understanding and appreciation of my children even in not so easy situations.”
Junnifa, what a blessing to be able to write The Montessori Baby book with you. You live Montessori, you are Montessori. Thank you for birthing this book baby with me.
You can find more from this series here:
- Montessori for babies with Maria from Montessori Chapters
- Montessori for babies with Theresa from Montessori in Real Life
- Montessori for babies with Neus of Montessorian by Heart
- Montessori for babies with Ahoefa from Raising Yannis
- Montessori for Babies with Jaya from Forest Montessori
- Montessori for babies with Nicole from The Kavanaugh Report