MONTESSORI VS WALDORF

MONTESSORI VS WALDORF // Discover more about each of these popular alternative educational approaches, including how they are both similar and very different from one another.

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//IN THE VIDEO:

○ MORE WALDORF INFORMATION:

○ MORE MONTESSORI INFORMATION:

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#montessori #waldorf #parenting

[HapaFamily]

**Editing Note: I always watch my videos ahead of time before uploading, and I did that with this one, as well. Something clearly happened at 9:22 after I watched it, likely a button I touched or something, hahaha! I certainly did not intend to have the frame that close! 😳😳😂😂😂 I’m bugged that it’s in there and I can no longer do anything about it, but I certainly appreciate your kind understanding! 👍🏻

[Moss_piglets]

25 year old here. I was a product of both montessori/waldorf teachings. My dad was raised in a waldorf home (grandma was a teacher from Finland) but went to public school in the states while my mom went to a montessori school. They combined both teachings to raise five children.
We all grew up to be well adjusted children. Yes, it took a while to adjust when I went to high school since the learning method was so different. The environment was also chaotic unlike the serene and unhurried environment I was used to.

I believe both methods combined are beneficial. Why? Because a child will grow up to be a well rounded individual. Both nurtured our love of learning and curiosity without boundaries. I enjoyed the freedom to solve problems on my own. Choosing a profession definitely made it easier for us because we were exposed to many experiences. For me it was the connnection to nature, my love of being outdoors taught me to respect the environment and animals which lead me to be a conservationist. Montessori taught us the skills we needed to be leaders in our fields. Waldorf taught us empathy and creativity. Most importantly, we easily get a long with other people and adjust/react faster in certain situations.

[everythingrebekahlorraine]

As someone who grew up to be a fantasy author, I can't imagine not being exposed to fantasy and imaginative play

[liamariavoelker]

I‘m a social worker and worked multiply times with Montessori and Waldorf kids. Waldorf kids seem to have an easier time to fit into society, are often highly creative and very sociable. Montessori kids on the other hand are quite difficult to handle. Tend to have a stronger opinion and seem to prefer to do their own thing. My experience is that Montessori kids that go to a Montessori school don‘t learn how to make compromises with other kids. I really like the Montessori approach when it comes to a toddler room layout and I can see how some day cares and kindis might be beneficial for some children. But as they grow older it‘s critical to teach them the right values and how to make friends and play with each other. I‘m missing that in the Montessori philosophy.

[marinachiovetti]

Just a small correction - Waldorf doesn’t delay teaching math and reading until year 2 because it’s not seen as enjoyable - it is actually times to match a change in brain development when kids brains switch to be more left brain dominant where more logical thinking comes online. Steiner believes that before age 7-8 (when baby teeth fall out) that the right brain (creative brain) is more dominant and should be nurtured (hence the focus on fantasy and creativity.)

Waldorf teaching begins in the abstract world in preschool and progresses to concrete world in secondary.

Montessori is a reverse approach beginning with the concrete world in preschool and ending with the abstract on secondary.

[Anya-sun]

Hi there, thank you for sharing these brief and detailed descriptions! I'm a Waldorf teacher and want to make one clarification- math, science and reading are not put off until age 7 because they are "less interesting". They are of course very interesting! The science behind Waldorf is called Anthroposophy, and in Anthroposophy we study the development of the physical body, (as well as emotional body and thought) over periods of time, throughout rhythmical periods of life, and in this case, we're looking at the first 7 years. The input of too much "study" and intellectual efforts in the first 7 years is said to be hardening on the child's physical body, whereas we want to develop warmth in that time.

[carolinabaez]

While I've been very much into Montessori, yet the Waldorf approach turned out to be a better fit for my energetic toddler. He started in a Montessori preschool when he was 19 months old and it was very hard for him to choose his own work and respect other's, to the point that he became kind of disruptive to the classroom. A few months later our family moved to a different place where the best option available was a Waldorf preschool and the change was amazing. The time outdoors, the routines and I would say the fact that he got to literally hold other's hands and spend time doing different activities together just made sense to him, improving not only the behavior in the classroom but at home as well. Even his naps and night sleep became more steady! Now he is 7 and we are homeschooling. I'm still trying to learn about Montessori homeschooling for his little sister, but I can absolutely give credit to Waldorf education for what I saw at the time

[coreyjacq]

I’m not even pregnant or in a relationship but your videos are so great. I can’t wait to raise independent, emotionally intelligent children

[thebyrdsnest]

I love what you added at the end about blending the two. Sometimes it's hard to remember that you don't have to choose one!

[yvettaguidel]

Hi there! I am a Mexican mom. In their preschool years my two kids went to a 100% Montessori school and I adored it, for me it was a great way to learn following the own development of the child. I was very happy that at an age of 5 years old my children could write, read and make some math because it was expected they do so. But 5 years ago I discovered Waldorf education and it changes my point of view. It is based in Antroposophy that recognizes that the human being is conformed by 4 bodies: physical, ether, astral and an ego ones. In a Waldorf school those bodies are nourished by its curricula that follows the development of the humanity, in other words, in its way from the living in a spiritual world as first human beings did (like children between 0-7 years old, that is why fairy tales are told to them), then passing through the phases of moral matters giving to the children stories of animals, biblical ones, craft works, and so on, that without telling the children, they are learning not only culture and history, but the evolution of consciousness, this happens from 7 to 14 years old. At the age of 14 to 21 it is the era of the reasoning when the civilization turn to the materialism and children look for the truth. In social terms one can say that Waldorf Education pretend to be a social revolution, in fact in the Nazi years, Waldorf schools were closed in Germany and that is one of the reasons that they emerged in other countries. After studying Antroposophy and Waldorf Education, I can say that being a Waldorf parent implies a great commitment not only with children, but also to the teachers who are people who made a great inner job in order to give the best to children. And yes, all the art that is used is a way to teach children to make team work, children can face frustration and learn how to deal with it, among other many aspects. Also parents have to be patient of the processes, perhaps a child cannot read in 1st grade but be sure he is going to do it during the primary. Waldorf is a way of life, a way of thinking quite different from traditional education. In Mexico there are few Waldorf schools around the country from preeschool to 9th grade, unfortunately there is only one from 10th to 12th grades, and it is not in Mexico City where I live. By now my son is in 10th grade in a traditional school and he is doing well, I can say that better than many of their partners. My son cannot believe how a guy can fail a project or an exam, he had realized that some of their partners don’t do the necessary things. Finally I would like to point out that it does not matter what type of education is chosen, as long as the parents are very involved to be able to accompany their children in the expected way.

[JordanJLyon]

Similarities:
1. Holistic (educated whole child - emotional, social, pratical not just academic)
2. Hands on learning
3. Natural materials (no/less plastic or battery operated)
4. Limited technology
5. Deep Respect for the Child
6. Love of learning (culitivatea)

[legumesss]

I am a Waldorf teacher and there is so much more to it, but I think you gave a good overview.
The biggest difference in early childhood is that in Waldorf education the focus is not on cognitive learning. The amazing thing is that children can engage only in free play until 6/7 years old and it doesn't put them behind at all. Here in Germany, Waldorf students even finish high school with much better grades than normal students. And this is only in addition to having learned gardening, knitting, sewing, woodwork, painting, drawing, sculpturing, playing instruments, singing, etc.
Having said that, the Montessori approach is of course valuable as well. Either way it's so much better than public school.
After kindergarten you can even include many Montessori methods in your class as the teacher has a lot of freedom in teaching. This is one of the reasons why I chose that profession.

[alika]

I am a music teacher in a local Montessori school and a local Waldorf school, so I see the good of both approaches. I’m blessed to share the joy of singing and making music with the students from both schools.

[hS-ntpr]

If I was a child I feel like I would prefer Waldorf. Just startling to learn about all this but it sounds like a nice gentle environment while Montessori seems more harsh and cold.

[TheFamilyVonPapp]

I met a lady who had been a teacher in Europe (can’t remember where) at a Waldorf school. She said that Montessori teaching worked great for children who had been institutionalized (orphanages/hospitals/etc) who needed remedial training in basic social and education principles to function normally. She didn’t believe that a healthy, well adjusted child needed the level of strict structure and lack of free play that a child that was basically starting at step one of social development at a delayed age did. She favored the Waldorf approach for the average child that didn’t have milestone delays do to isolation/lack of emotional/mental development.

[kristinmasefield]

I’m a Montessori preschool teacher and you did a wonderful job explaining the philosophy!! Thank you for explaining the Waldorf philosophy in a clear and concise way. I have begun to explore Waldorf and see if I am able to apply some concepts to my classroom!

[danaventura]

This is so on point! I started my son on Montessori and we loved it for the first three years. Now that he’s 3 1/2 he loves to engage in imaginative play a lot! I noticed he loves fantasy and story telling. Story telling has helped with some of his behaviors and picky eating. He also loves creating materials and help creating his toys. Lastly we spend a lot of time exploring the great outdoors. So we started giving Waldorf a try and he loves it. I still keep the Montessori approach of follow the child. So if he’s interested in bird we focus on birds. He also wants to learn to read and basic math. So we lightly implement it in our day at his pace and choosing . Our circle time structure was set the way he chose the first time and we stuck to it ever since. We went from 100% Montessori to 80% Waldorf 20% Montessori. I still believe Montessori is wonderful. I still believe following the child is essential.

On another note Waldorf’s base is rhythm. Rhythm from the day to the season to the year. Rhythm is adjusted accordingly to yearly rhythm. Which is amazing in my point of view. It keeps our family far more grounded. Has also helped our family relationship. Since relationships is another key to Waldorf.
I just personally like how much deeper it goes.


My last note is that I did have an issue looking for a Montessori preschool for my son at age 2. Some weren’t truly a Montessori school and just implemented some Montessori materials and called it Montessori. So those looking keep an eye out for that. We also had the reoccurring issue of my son not doing well with transitioning quickly from one activity to the next. I was told he had no schedule/ routine. We did but we spent a much longer time on each part of our schedule. I noticed he dives in deep for a long period of time and I wanted to respect that. So that led us to homeschooling instead.

[claudiacooper]

I am a trained Montessori teacher who has taught at 5 different Montessori schools, 3 in Missouri and 2 in Ohio.. I am also familiar with the practices of a number of other Montessori schools and I would assert that most Montessori schools actually do have a more blended approach such as the approach you use with your children at home. All of the schools where I taught, for example, encouraged the inclusion of what is called circle time where things were discussed such as calendar topics, seasons of the tear, weather, also stories were regularly read aloud by the teacher. In one school where I taught there was already a play kitchen in the classroom, however I will say that I would not have chosen it. I did read fantasy books to my students however I regularly asked the students to discern whether the story was real or pretend. They were amazingly accurate in their ability to make those distinctions. I regularly led music sessions with my students which included creative movement and the use of instruments. Now I will say that upon occasion I have had a student who did not want to participate in the circle activities as long as that student was engaged in an activity that did not interfere. I always have included art and gardening as a part of the curriculum. One thing that must be realized is that anyone can label their school Montessori and to be certain of what the center or school is about I would say that it is essential to spend some time at the school to observe and to ask questions. I have heard of what I consider nightmares where the staff boasts about being true Montessori thus not including music or art in the curriculum because Maria Montessori did not emphasize those areas or another school that did not allow children to cry because that was somehow not Montessori????!! Again I think the wisest thing to do is to visit the school with your child if possible and do some reading. I do appreciate what you're attempting to do with this video however people must do their own research. Oh and before I get off my soapbox I want to mention that here in Ohio many preschools are. Being licensed by the state which I assert has some very unworkable guidelines in terms of working with children and hampers the paractices of Montessori methods.

[beeelllaaa]

It’s so interesting that you mention the avoidance of pretend play but that’s a huge developmental milestone for kids. I was an early childhood teacher and the Massachusetts developmental checklist made sure to emphasize it. I’ve noticed kids who don’t get pretend play get more nightmares and aren’t able to strengthen that mental muscle

[JessicaWelshRottman]

The amazing thing is that Dr. Montessori is NOT opposed to fantasy and pretend play at under age 6 - this was inaccurate information passed down through the decades, but she addresses it in The 1946 London Lectures. This book was a game-changer for me!

Also, it turns out she supported appropriate use of technology at all ages! I was shown the article in a course I took, but I need to get a copy of it for myself. Another game changer!