Parenting Archives

January link pack: all the links you have to read, curated by Simone Davies

Hope you are all having a fun start to the year. What are your favourite things to do in January? I’m going to live vicariously through you all as I still have a couple more weeks of study left with the altMBA program. I’m taking the chance to really dive…

Being your child’s translator may be the answer we’ve been looking for

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…

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…

Setting limits Montessori-style

When my son was a toddler he hated leaving places. So I would begin to dread when it was time to go home. I’d be thinking, “how am I going to get him to leave soon?" No matter how long we stayed, there were always tears. And did I mention…

Musings on the absorbent mind

Today I’m planning something a little different for this blog post. Usually I offer advice and practical suggestions on ways to get cooperation from your children, or how to understand your child better. Today I’d just like to muse a bit. Ok with you? I’m curious if this will resonate…

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…

Points of interest

Usually in my newsletters and blog posts, I address the most commonly asked questions I hear from parent. Not today. It’s something I rarely even get asked about. But it’s something that I have learned as a Montessori teacher that I want to share with you. Maybe it’s meant to…

10 ways to deal with a child who has trouble sharing Montessori-style

Why is it difficult to share? When a baby is around a year, another child can usually walk up to them, take the toy they are playing with out of their hands and the baby will turn around and pick up the next closest toy. Then, around 16 months, they…

Allowing our children time

Anyone else struggling to get everything done in a day? There’s kids to dress and feed, educate, have fun, go to the park, run errands, work, and all the rest. It can all seem overwhelming. But we all get the same 24 hours in a day, even the Presidents and…

Dealing with tantrums

I’m going to dive right in to discuss a very tricky area for parents and children alike – tantrums. I hope you find this blog post super useful so you can start applying Montessori principles in your home too. Dealing with tantrums Tantrums are a pretty normal part of life…

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…

Siblings Without Rivalry

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. We have been trying to make the most of the good weather. But this weekend we were pretty lazy around here. One of the highlights was sitting on the front steps in the sun and eating our lunch with our plates balanced on…