• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Montessori Notebook

The place to learn everything about Montessori at home in easy-to-follow, simple steps for busy parents and caregivers. Whether you are new to Montessori or have been using Montessori for a while, you will come away with practical ideas you can try today and use in your daily life.

  • The Montessori Notebook
  • Home
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • Online courses
    • 4-WEEK E-COURSE Setting up your home Montessori-style
    • 2-HOUR ONLINE WORKSHOPS
    • 2-WEEK BOOTCAMP Setting up a Montessori playgroup
    • Which course should I follow?
  • Free resources
  • Blog
  • About
    • Giving Back
    • Contact
  • Login
    • Login
    • Support

What is false fatigue in Montessori?

I love this graph from from Spontaneous Activity in Education by Maria Montessori. What you’ll see is a 3-hour work cycle in a classroom in (I believe) a 3-6 classroom.

false fatigue in Montessori

In this graph the children arrive at 9am. For the first 30 minutes you have the children arriving, settling in, greeting and observing each other. Then from 9:30 to 10am you see the children often selecting work they know already, an easier work. 

Around 10am you see a dip – this is “false fatigue.” This is where the class can be a little unsettled, marked on the graph as “agitation.” A child might want to use the toilet, there may be a feeling of unrest and distraction and we may feel like we want to round them up to read a book, sing a song and control the energy.

The wise Montessori teacher knows and observes (stepping in only where a child might hurt themselves, another child or the environment) because they know that after this false fatigue we see some of the deepest work of the session – marked on the graph “most earnest work, new and difficult work.”

The end of the graph the work slowly comes to a stop and I love how it is marked “calm serenity.” When a child feels satisfied, challenged, and peaceful, they have that hallmark calm of a Montessori classroom.

So what can we do with this information?

I’m curious! Take some time to observe a morning at home:

  • do you see something similar happen in your home? 
  • do you observe false fatigue? 
  • if so, can you sit out the chaos of the “false fatigue” to see them come to some of their deepest work of the morning? 
  • does this happen at other times of day too?

Note: For a toddler this may be a shorter work cycle of around 2 hours

Most popular posts

1. Get your free Montessori routine cards
2. Free 44-page PDF of Montessori activities for babies, toddlers and preschoolers
3. A Montessori approach to toilet training
4. My top Ikea picks for Montessori children
5. Dealing with tantrums

Most recent posts

  • Getting kids to help at home
  • How to help a dysregulated child
  • My favourite Montessori colour activities 🌈✨
  • Montessori and screens
  • Redefining peace education

Primary Sidebar

Follow me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Receive lots of Montessori inspiration to your inbox

Search this site

Easy to follow + affordable online workshops

 

The Montessori Toddler book, by Simone Davies


– NOW AVAILABLE IN AMAZON AND ANY BOOKSELLER –
* Learn to understand your toddler better
* Find alternatives to time out and help them become responsible humans
* Get rid of the chaos and set up cosy spaces at home
* Create beautiful Montessori activities for their age
* And more…
<<< MORE INFO HERE >>>

The Montessori Baby book, by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike


– NOW AVAILABLE IN AMAZON AND ANY BOOKSELLER –

* Help you bring Montessori into your home from conception, birth and the first year
* Learn how to show your baby respect the Montessori way
* Set up your home for your baby with a lot less than you think
* See how capable your baby is and learn to follow their interests and timeline
* And more…
<<< MORE INFO HERE >>>

© 2015–2023 The Montessori Notebook for Jacaranda Tree Montessori B.V.

kvk no. 87544784 btw NL827166898B01