SN's Montessori activities at home

I am now becoming more and more interested into Montessori Methods after seeing the living proof (my son) who has developed remarkably in his gross motor skills and fine motor skills after being introduced to these method at his present nursery.

For those who might not know, The Montessori method is an educating approach for children based on the research and experiences of Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori.

Based on Maria Montessori's observations, she created an environment prepared with materials designed for their self-directed learning activity.

Applying this method involves the teacher in viewing the child as having an inner natural guidance for his or her own perfect self-directed development.

The teacher's role of observation sometimes includes experimental interactions with children, commonly referred to as "lessons," to resolve misbehavior or to show how to use the various self-teaching materials that are provided in the environment for the children's free use.

The method is primarily applied with young children (2 - 6 y/o), as this was the initial age with which Dr. Montessori worked. Her philosophy was based on certain characteristic seen in this age group.

The method is also utilized successfully for ages 0-3 and 6-9, 9-12, 12-15 and 15-18, though the majority of children learning through this method are in the 3-6 range.

I also believed that a mom is their child's first teacher so I strive to work hard to be the best teacher that my son could ever had *perasan*. Influenced by the Montessori educational toys provided at SN's nursery; I've made several efforts to provide some simple Montessori tools at home for my baby.

========= Phase: 1 - 2 years old ==============

1) Stick and Spoons

• Use chopstick or spoon as a great device to strengthen the skill side of the hand.

• Moving the item from one container to the next container requires him to coordinate his small muscle movements especially the coordination of finger movement with vision

 
+- left pic: butang baju masukkan dalam bekas yang ada lubang kat atas *ala2 tabung coin* -+ 
+- right pic: pindahkan guli guna sudu dari mangkuk A ke mangkuk B -+

#cost: guli satu pek (100 yen); butang baju 1 pek(100yen); tray ( 2 x 100 yen); sudu dan mangkuk-mangkuk kecil tu ambil yang kat dapur punya #

(2) Colour recognition sets

• A set of colorful triangle pieces to be used optimally for color recognition activities, as well as it can be used for enhancing hand-eye coordination. 
• Thus, using this toy, baby can improve the hand-eye coordination by either rearranging the pieces into different bowl

+- belajar bentuk segitiga dan warna -+

# cost: set segitiga (100 yen); tray (100 yen); mangkuk free dari bekas marjerin kat dapur & balang muruku yang dah kosong #

============ Phase: 2 - 3 years old ==============

(1) Chopstick

• Use chopstick to strengthen the skill side of the hand and move to rubber eraser from one box to the other box

+- pindahkan rubber eraser guna chopstick, good for his gross motor skills dan juga belajar mengenal buah -+

#cost: set rubber eraser (100 yen); chopstick (100yen); tray (100yen); box tu dari bekas macaroon yang mommy dah ngap -+

(2) Coins 
• I use a jar of coins and a cylinder case from cotton buds.
• Introduce coins and their values and nurture early math skills in counting, adding, and subtraction
• As SN is only 2 years old, I used only 1 yen coins for him to begin his activity of learning to count
• this activity has to be supervised by adults because the child might made some unnecessary attempt to put the coin inside his mouth

+- 1 yen coins, bekas plastik buah buat isi coins, bekas cotton buds yang di tebuk kat penutup buat jadi tabung -+

(3) Matching Pairs Memory Game
• Match pairs of cards by turning over matched pairs. All of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards.
• Good for concentration, as well as the child's memory.

+- I've prepared several set for him based on categories i.e. animals, foods, occupations, body parts and etc. I printed it myself, glue it on a cereal box and voila, it all set! -+

(4) Puzzles

• puzzles are a great approach of early introduction to problem solving and critical thinking.

• Solving jigsaw puzzles is a great way for children to develop hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills while having fun.

• Most of the puzzles are colorfully illustrated which can attracts the child's attention.

+- many type of puzzles for SN to indulge. Ada wooden knob, foam, sponge, and hard paper. Belajar pasal alphabet, numbers, animals, and many more from the puzzles -+

(5) Sand Paper Numerals and Alphabets
• I used it to teach him the symbols for the numbers he knows.Also to provide him with the keys to the world of written numbers.
• Here's a video for a guide --> SAND PAPER NUMERAL GUIDE

+- sand paper is good for sensorial, the child can trace the number using their fingertips, so that toddler can learn the right way to write the numbers -+

#cost: wooden board (380yen); tray (100yen); sand paper 1 set 10 pieces (100yen) baru guna sehelai je
*extra set of number tu I lekat kat dia punya building blocks, saje nak kenalkan dia dengan teen numbers juga*

+- sand paper alphabets tak siap2 lagi, entah bila dapat siapkan. different color for consonants (pink) and vowels (blue) -+

Parents and educators who want to apply Montessori Method at home/nursery, must clearly understand how to do things properly. When presenting those Montessori activities, it is good to remember:

• Children learn from observation of what adults are doing. --> ulang aktiviti itu beberapa kali depan anak sebagai demonstrasi

• Do not explain too much about the activities, it is better to use key words (names of the objects or the actions). --> cakap banyak tak guna, action speaks louder than words

• When presenting the activities, always do things at a slow pace, children’s pace and not your own. --> ajar satu persatu

• Allow them to try it on their own and to learn by themselves. --> jangan sibuk-sibuk nak tunjuk kecuali apabila di minta bantuan

• Do not expect children to achieve your desired result after the first try. Repetition will help them perfect the activity. --> practice makes perfect

• Concentrate on strengthening and helping the development of what is good in the child. --> cari di mana kelebihan dia, tumpukan lebih dalam aktiviti itu

• Be active in preparing the environment that is suited to the child --> sediakan kerusi rendah, rak rendah, meja rendah *I pernah cerita panjang kat entry ini(klik)*

• Be ever ready to answer the call of the child, listen and respond to the child who appeals to you. Be a good listener. --> setiap kali di panggil, sila lah jawab walau pun tengah sibuk buat benda lain

• Respect the child who takes rest. Neither call her, nor force her to other forms of activity. --> biar dia buat sendiri aktiviti atas kerelaan hati dia

• Be untiring in repeating presentations to the child who refused them earlier and overcome imperfections with mild words and loving presence. --> tunjuk ajar dengan penuh kasih sayang & kesabaran, jangan nak ajar garang2 macam mak tiri pulak

+- susun tray elok kat rak yang rendah, supaya tools dapat di capai dengan mudah -+


+- meja rendah untuk aktiviti melukis & mewarna -+

Kalau rasa tak nak sediakan barang-barang baru boleh sahaja gunakan toys yang anak-anak ada untuk buat aktiviti educational kat rumah. Contohnya, kumpulkan stuff toys dia mengikut kategori untuk binatang dan jenis-jenis kenderaan.

+- kebanyakan toys ini ialah dari hasil koleksi I masa bujang dulu yang gila beli Happy Meal McD; sekarang di wariskan kat anak pulak -+

+- kumpulkan setempat mainan kenderaan yang dia ada, lepas tu ajar lah bus, car, truck, lorry, helicopter, airplane etc. -+

Tak semestinya kena beli alatan baru dan mahal untuk buat Montessori activities kat rumah. Kebanyakan Montessori tools kat rumah I print sendiri ,buat guna bahan terpakai ataupun beli kat kedai 100 yen (RM3.50) sahaja. Yang penting ialah keinginan dan kezaman kita untuk sentiasa kreatif menyediakan aktiviti pembelajaran untuk anak di rumah.


Bila kanak-kanak itu sentiasa berada dalam suasana pembelajaran yang tenang, secara tidak lansung dia akan rasa sentiasa bersemangat nak belajar. Harap-harapnya sampai dah besar nanti pun tak payahlah kita susah-susah nak paksa dia untuk siapkan homework ataupun study, ye tak?.


Pssssssssssttt: perkongsian ini bukan nak tunjuk macam I ni bagus sangat tapi untuk kita sama-sama bertukar-tukar idea untuk aktiviti pembelajaran bagi anak-anak. Share lah aktiviti u all dengan anak-anak u all jugak ye kat komen section.


# Info gathered from: Daily Montessori, Tsl.org, HS journal and I can Teach My Child.

~ Thanks for reading this (^-*) ~