As a Montessori teacher and parent, I am constantly looking for ways to see the world through the child’s eyes. It helps me to understand what is going on for them and to give some guidance when necessary. What I’ve realised is that I have become a child’s translator. And you can too. With toddlers when they go to push a child, we can translate, “Is it that you want to play by yourself right now?". Maybe the translation is “Did you want to ask if you can play too?". Or “Did you want to … [Read more...] about Being your child’s translator may be the answer we’ve been looking for
mindful parenting
Let’s start a revolution of kindness
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 kindness. Some of you know my surreptitious plan to overtake the world with kindness. Mwaaah ha ha. I guess this could be a baby step in the right direction. Over the summer, let’s try: If we … [Read more...] about Let’s start a revolution of kindness
How to stop saying “no” forever + what to say instead
It’s been nearly 6 months since I set up The Montessori Notebook. Whooosh. That went fast. I’m realising just now (ha!) that what I am hoping you will be learning along the way is a Montessori mindset – respecting the child; preparing their spaces so they are beautiful and engaging for your child; being neither their boss nor their servant, but a guide to support them; and to see the world through their eyes. I get lots of questions from parents like, “My child isn’t listening to me" or “I … [Read more...] about How to stop saying “no” forever + what to say instead
My child is being so clingy
My child is being so clingy Parent question: “My child is so clingy. They don’t want to play by themselves. They won’t let me leave the room, even to use the toilet. And yet the more space I want, the more clingy they get! What should I do?" Clingy children are super difficult – it’s so tiring to have someone hanging off you all day, and you just want a break. But I understand it from the child’s perspective too – there can be many reasons why they are clingy: * The child’s … [Read more...] about My child is being so clingy