5 Lessons Learned After 5 Years of Montessori Parenting

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DISCLAIMER: This video was not sponsored. The recommendations and opinions expressed here are completely my own. Some links included in this description may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide, I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week! :)

**NOTE: This video is NOT intended for viewing by children. It was designed ONLY with parents of young children in mind, to offer helpful ideas that they can incorporate into their homes in alignment with Montessori parenting principles.**

#montessori #montessoriathome #montessoritoddler

[DezziQ]

I agree with all of this. I have followed your for 4 years now. my youngest daughter was my intro to Monte life.
I didn't get a toddler tower, we used an Ikea kitchen chair and supervision.
I didn't get a fancy floor bed. I used the bottom of her crib and her crib mattress until an Ikea jr. Bed was a good size.
I packed away alot of the wooden puzzles and toys at 3 years old.
I stopped doing toy rotations around 3 years old and just made sure every toy had a place and was visible, same with books.
Made sure her hooks were low enough for her to hang her own jackets and backpacks.

You can do it without spending a million dollars

[AnestheticsForAna]

I used to watch all your videos for a couple years but then stopped for a while because of my own issues with how Montessori parenting is presented online and of course the comparison thing. This video is the first I’ve watched of anything Montessori for a while and honestly was a breath of fresh air and very self-aware of the erroneous thinking we parents can fall into when trying to implement Montessori principles into our daily lives. Thank you. I will now hide back in my corner of the world 😅

[CheerSeeds]

To help our children to “cultivate a personal stewardship towards the earth.”
This is so beautifully put - of course the core reason why we are all raising our children to be the best they can be is so that each one of them can reach their full potentials and hopefully leave the earth a better place than when they were born into it, because that’s how we can advance as a society, as a species, as an earthling! Thank you soo much for bringing it back to this and giving us a gentle reminder ❤

[feliciaweese]

I needed this video today 💛 Lesson 4 really spoke to me. Thanks for your positive outlook and compassion for us parents. Hope your family is doing well these days 🙏🏼

[JL]

Thanks for this. Especially the part about all children being different. It's easy to lose sight of.
Instead of a learning tower we got a $10 plastic step stool from the hardware store. It's light weight so the kids can move it easily, is just the right height, and doesn't take up much space. Works well for us.

[MariaandMontessori]

To add to that first point, Practical Life is also the starting point of the class! Not only from the progression of materials and presentations, but also what we see kids first gravitate towards when the enter Montessori class! Because for those who weren't in a Montessori preschool prior or a Montessori style home, it's often the first time they're getting to do these basic day to day activities they've seen adults doing, all on their own! Some kids spend weeks or even months fully immersed in the Practical Life area just soaking it all in! And from the perspective of the class, so much of what is needed "academically", regardless of Montessori class or not, is found in the Practical Life activities. Sequencing, following directions, problem solving, fine motor and gross motor development, counting and measuring, prediction, setting up and putting away an activity, language development...
I always say one of the best ways to see if a school is a GREAT Montessori school is to ask "what happens if my child is only interested in the Practical Life area?" because that should give them the opportunity to show just how well rounded and central that area IS!

[MariaandMontessori]

"My child only wants to do X, how do I get them to do the shelf activities" is SUCH a common question. And yes there's some things to consider for that as well, often it is as simple as just letting the child explore what theyre interested in! They're playing with cars all day? Great! That' cause & effect, motion, friction, speed...physics! They're drawing all day? That's creativity, colors, maybe shapes, and strengthening their hand. It also seems the shelf and activity ideas often get misinterpreted as almost a curriculum, rather than just that-ideas! Ideas set out based on OUR unique child's interests that COULD be of interest to another child if they have the same interest or could absolutely not be of interest at all! They're set up as an invitation to explore a concept we notice an interest in, but, especially in toddlerhood, that's not the main part of their day. Even in the toddler class, that work cycle would be such a short part of the day and STILL contain practical life!
Yes, we have some strong interest in counting literally everything so yeah there's a couple counting activities on the shelf. That get used every other day for maybe 5 minutes max. Most of the day is dolls, cars, reading, building, running, climbing, drawing, and being outside!

[sagetaluy]

Yesss getting outside is key!! Montessori at its simplest and finest!

[jqumwrw]

This. Every tip, every word. So good. Thank you, Ashley! Hope you and Mike and your fantastic family are well!

[The.Journey.to.Freedom]

You are so sweet and enc8uraging! Always good to be reminded that there is no perfect parent. Just do the best you can!

[toobizarremusic]

You are one of the best home schooling content creators out here❤️❤️❤️ Thanks for sharing these valuable informations. I wish you healthy, wealthy and beautiful family life 🙏🙏

[stephgreis]

Thank you so much for this! I'd been thinking about whether I "should" try to get little one (27 months) to do more shelf work, but we try to be outside so much that most of our time at home is spent doing practical life (cooking, tidying, normal life stuff), reading or playing with open-ended toys (we just got the train tracks out and she loves them!!). This video has been really reassuring! :)

[RoutinenReich]

I was so frustrated when my daughter wouldn't play with all the Montessori toys on her shelf in the "right" way when she was a toddler, and I got so mad because I had that expectation from seeing all the beautiful set ups on social media, and it totally distracted me from the fact that she is a super creative kid that comes up with so many games of her own. When I was finally able to let go of all the Montessori toys we had I could finally appreciate her and her imagination, and it also gave us so much more time (I wasn't chasing around all the little toy parts around the house). Social media has us thinking it's all about the shelves - when it really isn't. (It was actually a video of Ashley's, I can't remember which one, that first helped me understand that it is normal for some children to not play with the Montessori toys in the "appropriate" way and that that isn't a reason to worry)

[mtosques]

Thanks for sharing! Would love a video on giving allowances for older kids as you once mentioned you do not give it for chores. Would love to hear as they are older your take on family chores and allowance.

[kiwimorado]

I just want to thank you for all that you do. I have been following you since my daughter was born. She will be 3 in May. :) You have helped us so much. Thanks for being so amazing!

[AmmaraSHAH]

I have been thinking about this a lot and in need of some of these reminders. I know one thing that has happened in the past 7 months of the pregnancy is that i have become more relaxed on my expectations for both myself and my toddler. I just learnt to enjoy the alone time we have had even though i found it difficult. One thing which helped me to not depend so much on the prepared environment was that i couldn't get the energy to prepare it to the level i wanted to. But i did rely on practical life and gross motor opportunities and pretend play a lot more. And even when i had low energy one thing which helped me was to be honest with her. The positive discipline techniques in this way of parenting and just being respectful enough to be honest and have her involved in this big part of my life day to day without expectations from her somehow she suprised me with how much she is capable of in understanding what is going on and how she can adjust to it. I trust that she will adapt and am ready to guide her through it with the same amount of respect for her once the baby is with us.

A lot of these points are what i learnt from being put in a situation where i had to live them. I had to learn to be okay with her not liking the activities i prepared bevause i didn't have much else i could offer and then also learning to DIY or buy items from charity shops because i had to save up and reduce how much i spent on the Montessori stuff and just had to learn to enjoy the time we had during the day to day tasks aound the house. Had learnt that being outside for most of the days we were alone, was very beneficial and not just wasting her learning time and was building a lot of key skills that i was so excited to see her developing on those days where i couldn't be cooped up. I learnt so much along these lines from the toughest times. And i appreciated how much we have already benefited from following the Montessori approach these previous 2 years alhamdulillah.

I am very greatful to have found your videoes so early on and valuing this approach is what has lead me to a community of home education locally that i never expected. I thought we would have a Montessori school somewhere near us but once i because stressed out in the normal schools near us, i was greatly relieved to find that we could home educate in the uk and that we had a community already settled into it with a lot of varying backgrounds who all value the pace of their children and the natural development of a child and are very much following the respectful parenting approaches so it doesn't matter if they follow Montessori or Charlotte mason or waldorf or other educational techniques, the main thing is that the child is valued and respected. This is something i didn't expect to be doing in our life but its going to be better for our family in the long run I'm sure



Thank you for posting these videos can't wait to share with some of the mums in our community.

[alishaberrey]

Ashley, I just finished watching your 6-12 age range video. I have a 6 and 5 year old. So much good knowledge and life wisdom. I would love to see some videos specifically on the topics you covered: what art materials do you leave out, which ones do you not (like paint 😬 that can get everywhere). How does your daughter sew, how did you teach her? Videos depicting your children preparing their own breakfasts/lunches? I was interested when you said that you "compromised" with your child about teeth brushing. Personally, authority was always "if I say it you obey it" for me and I have thought that compromise is a good idea as my children grow. I would love to see how you balance authority and a child's budding independence in your home. I love your channel. Our family has learned so much over the years. Thank you!

[jessicagaige]

Fantastic insights and grounding reminders, Ashley.

[melissacastillo]

Thank you so much for your videos!!! You are so knowledgeable and I really enjoy them. ❤

[DemimPravocefilha]

Whenever I watch one of your videos, I always feel calm and confident. Thank you ❤️