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ntables instant downloads how to have a healthy and courteous first day of school tea party fun shoe and coat tricks for toddler and preschooler independence fabulous first day of school and back to school free printables and activities how to have a healthy and courteous back to school tea party follow deb living montessori now s board back to school on pinterest if you d like ideas for calendar based themes throughout july and august see my july themed activities for kids and my august themed activities for kids be sure to go to my free all about me printables and montessori inspired activities for lots of free printables and activity ideas i hope you have a great start to your school year deb chitwood is a certified montessori teacher with a master s degree in early childhood studies from sheffield hallam university in sheffield england deb taught in montessori schools in iowa and arizona before becoming owner director teacher of her own montessori school in south dakota later she homeschooled her two children through high school deb is now a montessori writer who lives in san diego with her husband of 51 years and lives in the city where her kids kids in law and grandkids live posted by deb chitwood at 11 30 pm 0 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels back to school deb chitwood early literacy math manipulatives montessori montessori school tuesday august 18 2026 why sharing an activity with a child matters children may not always remember the toys they received or the television programs they watched but they often remember the moments when an adult chose to sit beside them and enter their world a shared activity coloring a picture completing a puzzle baking cookies planting flowers or building something together communicates a powerful message you are important to me i enjoy being with you that message can have a lasting influence on a child s confidence sense of belonging and relationship with the adult children value our presence more than our perfection adults sometimes hesitate to participate in creative activities because they believe they are not artistic enough they may say i can t draw or i m not very good at coloring but children are rarely looking for artistic perfection they are looking for participation when an adult sits down chooses a color and begins creating alongside a child the adult becomes a companion rather than an instructor the experience is no longer about producing the best picture it becomes an opportunity to relax talk laugh and enjoy being together the adult does not need to direct the activity or correct the child s choices in fact some of the most meaningful moments happen when the child is allowed to take the lead which color should i use what do you think this little creature is doing should we give it a name simple questions can invite imagination and open the door to conversations that might not happen during the usual rush of daily life side by side activities make conversation easier some children find direct conversations uncomfortable especially when they are asked serious questions such as how was school or is something bothering you a shared activity removes some of that pressure when an adult and child are both focused on coloring their hands are busy and the conversation can unfold naturally the child may begin talking about a friend something that happened at school a worry or an idea simply because the moment feels comfortable and safe the adult does not have to turn every comment into a lesson sometimes the greatest gift we can give a child is our calm attention by listening without immediately correcting questioning or offering solutions we show the child that their thoughts and feelings matter shared creativity builds confidence when adults participate in creative activities with children they have opportunities to encourage effort without judging the final result instead of saying that is the prettiest picture an adult might say i noticed how carefully you colored that part you chose colors i never would have thought of you kept working even when that section was difficult tell me about your picture these responses help children notice their own creativity persistence and decision making they also teach children that their work does not have to look exactly like someone else s to be valuable two people can begin with the same picture and create completely different results that is not a mistake it is part of the fun children learn by watching us a shared activity also allows adults to quietly model important life skills a child may see an adult color outside a line and simply continue they may watch the adult change their mind about a color work patiently on a detailed section or laugh at an unexpected result without delivering a lecture the adult is demonstrating that mistakes are manageable creativity involves choices and not everything has to be perfect this can be especially valuable for children who become frustrated easily or worry about doing things the right way when adults approach the activity with curiosity rather than pressure children begin to understand that learning and creating can be enjoyable the activity becomes a memory coloring together may appear to be a small event but small moments often become meaningful memories a completed page can remind a child of sitting beside a parent on a rainy afternoon coloring with a grandparent during a visit or laughing with an older sibling over an unusually colored butterfly frog or backyard animal the finished pictures become more than artwork they become evidence of time shared that was the inspiration behind color together 25 matching coloring pairs each backyard creature appears in two coordinating versions the adult or older artist receives a detailed illustration while the child receives a simpler version of the same critter and scene both can color at their own pace while still sharing the experience no one has to wait for the other person to finish no one needs to compete each artist has a page designed for their comfort level but both are participating in the same creative moment connection does not have to be complicated adults often feel pressure to create elaborate experiences for children we may think meaningful family time requires an expensive outing a perfect schedule or hours of preparation it does not sometimes connection begins with two chairs a box of crayons and the decision to be fully present for a little while put away the phone let the child choose the colors resist the urge to correct ask a few curious questions and allow moments of silence too years from now the child may not remember every picture that was colored but they may remember the feeling of having an adult sit beside them and say through their actions for this moment there is nowhere else i would rather be read more posted by bill corbett at 5 00 am 0 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest thursday august 13 2026 becoming the montessori guide you never had teaching children with dignity independence and respect even when those values were absent from your own childhood some montessori teachers were raised in homes where children were listened to encouraged to become independent and treated with patience and respect others were not perhaps you grew up in a home where adults made every decision children were expected to obey without question mistakes brought criticism emotions were dismissed and independence was viewed as defiance perhaps your own classroom experience was built around sitting still memorizing information competing for grades and waiting for an adult to tell you what to do next now you find yourself creating something entirely different for the children in your care you prepare an environment that invites exploration you speak calmly instead of shouting you observe before intervening you allow children to experience manageable frustration solve problems repeat activities correct their own mistakes and develop confidence through meaningful work in many ways you are becoming the teacher and perhaps even the adult you needed when you were a child that is beautiful work it can also be surprisingly difficult and lonely teaching differently requires courage montessori education asks adults to reconsider many conventional beliefs about children instead of asking how do i make this child comply the montessori guide may ask what is this behavior communicating what need is not being met is the environment supporting the child s development have i shown the child clearly and respectfully what to do am i stepping in because the child needs help or because i am uncomfortable watching the struggle these questions require reflection patience and humility they also require courage particularly when the methods you use differ from those of the adults around you a visitor may wonder why you do not immediately correct a child who is struggling a parent may question why children are allowed to choose their work a colleague from a more traditional setting may mistake quiet observation for passivity someone may assume that respecting children means allowing them to do whatever they want but montessori education is not the absence of limits it is the thoughtful combination of freedom structure responsibility and respect respect does not mean permissiveness children in a montessori environment have meaningful freedom but it is freedom within carefully established limits a child may choose work but not disrupt another child s concentration a child may move around the room but not use materials carelessly a child may experience anger disappointment or frustration but not hurt another person a child may decline an invitation but still remains part of a community with expectations and responsibilities respectful guidance can be both calm and firm you may be angry but i will not allow you to hit that material is being used you may watch quietly or choose another activity i can see that you are frustrated i will stay nearby while you try we return the material so it will be ready for the next person there is authority in these statements but there is no humiliation the adult protects the environment and holds the limit without attacking the child s dignity for educators who were raised with yelling threatening shaming or punishment responding this way may not come naturally it must be learned and practiced when stress rises the voices from our own childhoods can sometimes emerge from our mouths before we realize it that does not make us failures it reminds us that becoming a different kind of adult is an ongoing process it is hard to become a guide you have never seen many people enter montessori education because something about it feels deeply right even if it feels unfamiliar they recognize that children are capable of more than society often allows they see how concentration develops when children are given purposeful work they witness the pride that appears when a child completes a task without unnecessary adult assistance yet believing in these principles does not mean they are always easy to practice if adults solved every problem for you as a child it may be difficult to resist solving problems for your students if your mistakes were criticized you may feel an urge to correct every error immediately if obedience was valued above understanding a child s independence may occasionally feel like rejection or disrespect if strong emotions were not welcomed in your home sitting calmly beside a distressed child may be uncomfortable montessori training can teach us how to present materials prepare an environment and understand child development but the work also invites us to examine ourselves are we helping because help is needed or because we need to feel useful are we interrupting concentration because the child is doing something incorrectly or because the child is doing it differently from the way we expected are we protecting the child from failure or preventing the child from discovering that failure can be survived the adult s inner preparation is every bit as important as the preparation of the classroom observation is an act of trust one of the most powerful things a montessori guide can do is observe to an outsider observation may look like inactivity in reality careful observation requires attention restraint and trust it means pausing long enough to see the difference between a child who is productively struggling and a child who genuinely needs assistance it means noticing patterns instead of reacting to isolated moments it means considering the environment the child s development recent changes social dynamics hunger fatigue and the need for movement before labeling a behavior as deliberate defiance most importantly it communicates a quiet belief i trust that you are capable some of us did not receive that message as children we may have been rushed rescued criticized compared or told that we were too slow adults may have taken tasks away because allowing us to finish required more time and patience when you allow a child to pour the water fasten the button clean the spill solve the disagreement or try again you are offering something you may not have received yourself you are telling the child your effort matters i will not take this experience away from you the child s behavior is not a judgment of you teaching becomes especially difficult when we interpret a child s behavior personally a child refuses a presentation disrupts the room ignores a direction mishandles a material or speaks disrespectfully the behavior may awaken a feeling of being challenged or losing control if we were raised to believe that a good child obeys immediately we may see that behavior as evidence that we are not being firm enough but behavior is communication not a verdict on our competence a struggling child may need a clearer limit more purposeful work additional movement a reconnection with the adult or support developing a skill that is not yet available this does not mean overlooking harmful or disruptive behavior the community must be protected and limits must be maintained it means responding with curiosity before anger and guidance before condemnation we can correct behavior without defining the child by it when parents or colleagues do not understand montessori teachers sometimes find themselves defending practices that are easily misunderstood why are children doing practical tasks instead of completing worksheets why does the teacher not praise every accomplishment why are materials limited to one set why is the child expected to clean up a spill independently why not simply make the child apologize why allow so much time for one activity these questions can feel frustrating especially when you have witnessed the development that occurs through purposeful work repetition natural consequences and growing independence but most parents want the same...
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