we are a montessori family.
besides the fact that our kids go to a montessori daycare, it also means we try to create an environment at home for them that promotes self-care, help around the house and just be a part of the family as much as possible.
what's montessori?
the montessori approach to education is based on the work of Dr. Maria Montessori who is the first Italian female doctor in the early 20th century. she used her training as a scientist and doctor to design a school based on her observations on the behaviors and needs of young children.
montessori and selfcare
in montessori classrooms, self-care is considered just as important for young children as academics. Learning to identify their physical needs, and begin to take care of them, is a huge step for these little people.
i remember being shocked when i walked away one day while getting ready to go out to find my phone. to my surprise, when i came back and found kai's sister (who was just under 2 at that time) with her winter jacket donned and waiting to be zipped up. we’re so often in a hurry and it’s so much easier to do things for children - and so, we are sometimes the biggest thing standing in their way.
5 self-care activities for little ones
here are a few simple activities you can get started
moisturizing their skin why not give your little one his / her own little bottle of lotion? find a product that you feel comfortable giving your kids access to, ideally something that is natural and clean like our baby balm and lip & cheek balm. kai's sister love to mimic me and moisturize her face after bath in front of the mirror while kai loves carrying around his lip & cheek balm everywhere he goes and applying it himself when we are outside.
brushing their hair i personally love this tiny brush from The Body Shop that you can buy on Amazon.
brushing their teeth instead of fighting them to brush their teeth, why not let them do it themselves? you can always help a little after to make sure they get a good brush. with kai's sister, she's now learning to squeeze her own toothpaste!
dressing and undressing the famous "montessori coat flip" is a great place to start! having them be able to put on their own winter coats just make going out in the winter so much easier. investing in having them learn to push down and pull up their own pants is also great skill to build up towards so potty training goes easier too. make sure you budget for extra time for them to do these by themselves and offer a little help if they need it.
first aid we have ice packs in the lowest shelf on our fridge that they can reach. so whenever they get hurt, they can go get an icepack and practise a little first aid for themselves. Dollarama has these cute penguin ice packs (in the summer only I believe) which my kids love!
what other activities do you do to promote independence and selfcare at home?