Montessori pedagogy is for many people a whole benchmark in parenting of the smallest. While it is true that there are those who do not accept many of their ideas, such as the autonomy and freedom of the child when learning, it is still an approach from which we can learn great things.
The approach that Maria Montessori left us, based on her own experience as a doctor, educator, and expert in the world of children, is very useful, for example, for learning certain guidelines for daily life with babies between 6 and 12 monthsEveryone is free to accept them or not, but certainly, It is still a perspective in which we can educate more autonomous, capable and happy children. It is therefore worth taking it into account, and from "Mothers today" we invite you to discover it.
Montessori pedagogy: bases from which to educate our children
You can read many books on pedagogy and child rearing. Educating and living motherhood is an adventure that not only helps us to educate our children, it also helps us to enrich ourselves as mothers.
Always keeping Montessori pedagogy in mind on a day-to-day basis will allow us to interact with our children in a more intimate way., fun and full of which you will enjoy. The basic axes that MarÃa Montessori left us from her famous "pedagogy of freedom" can be summarized in these areas:
- Children's brains are incredibly plastic and eager for learningThis is something we all know. Babies' brains are eager for learning and experiences; any stimulus will help them grow and develop as individuals.
- We must pay attention to the so-called "sensitive periods": It is important to remember that from when children are born until they are 6 years old, they will experience the most intense phase in their development. They are periods in which they will be much more receptive, and where your help as a mother is essential.
- The designed environmentAs you know, every stimulus creates a neural connection in the child's brain, and therefore leads to integrated learning. That is why It would be very appropriate to have a prepared and safe environment to provide greater stimulation for the child.
- Your role as a guide in your child's day-to-day life is essentialYou are part of your child's life and growth. The most important thing is to foster the child's maturity and independence every day, and you are their facilitator, their best guide.
Complementing these basesEvidence and Montessori practice agree on the importance of the senses, movement, and language in the first year. Providing rich and well-paced sensory experiences helps consolidate these developmental milestones. essential neural connections and supports hand-eye coordination, attention, and innate curiosity.
How to prepare the best environment for learning in your children
The first thing you may have thought when reading this is ... But how much money is it going to cost me? Do not panic, adapt the house Enriching babies' growth requires more imagination than financial outlay.
The basic premise is to offer the greater type of stimuli Always handle the baby in the safest way possible, avoiding all kinds of risks. To do this, keep the following tips in mind:
- The baby's toys and belongings should always be within easy reach..
- Order is essential. We must worry every day that everything is in its place, and once the game is finished, we must help the child to put the toy away or see how we do it.
- Let it be present during your tasks. If you're cleaning, encourage it to touch the broom. If you're cooking, let it smell the food.Warn him of the risks, show him how you do it.
- It would be interesting if you put one either in the living room or in your own bedroom. large blanket or rug as a space for basic activity. Here we place the stimulus objects and their toys.
Furthermore, in the 6 to 12 month range, the environment can be enhanced with specific Montessori elements:
- Safety mirror and grab bar to practice rolling over, crawling and standing up independently.
- Low, open shelving that allow viewing and choosing materials without overstimulation.
- Bed at floor level that promotes free movement and respectful rest.
- Learning Tower to assist with everyday tasks in the kitchen under supervision.
- Movement zone with rollers, firm cushions or balance board for safe motor challenges.
The best everyday games according to Montessori pedagogy
It doesn't matter if your children are different ages. According to Montessori pedagogy, children of different ages can enrich each other, acquire responsibilities, and learn. Don't be afraid to place your baby in the company of your older children.The experience will be wonderful.
The treasure drawer
In the house we will always have our treasure chest. Can be a simple box where each day we will put new stimuli for the children to discover:
- Choose objects that are stimulating and have intense colors.
- Avoid plastic, wood, fabric will always be better ...
- They must be objects that stimulate hand-eye coordination.
- You can put food, such as apples, pieces of bread, so that they experience new flavors.
We play hide and seek to promote communication
A great idea of ​​the Montessori method To stimulate the baby's attention, language and discovery, play hide-and-seek..
- We can hide them in that rug or blanket where the child is located, a toy. Ask him where he is, stimulate him with words and gestures.
- Depending on their age, we will add a higher level of difficulty.The idea is always to encourage their curiosity, their autonomy when searching, and their communication with us.
Puppets and marionettes
Surely you have more than one at home. Puppets and marionettes are a wonderful way to bond with our babies. to get all these dimensions:
- Capture their attention.
- Encourage their language.
- Enhance their imagination when they have already acquired communication skills. The idea would be to invite them to create stories, situations, dialogues.
- We improve the relationship with our children.
Games related to practical life
To teach children the need to be responsible and mature, a good idea is to encourage them to game related to practical life.
- It is not at all a question of putting them to cook or change the wheel of a car. They must never lose the feeling that they are playing, The important thing is that they feel free "playing at being grown-ups".
- Offer them a small broom and let them sweep up balls, marbles, or dolls. It is about playing but acquiring practical skills.
- Let them come into the kitchen with you and prepare, for example, a salad or a simple cake. It's okay if the result isn't edible.Let them interact with textures, smells, and tastes. Let them enjoy playing at being adults.
The basic idea is that they see the adult world as something familiar. And to be mature and independent we must allow them to explore, try, touch ... The important thing is that you are the guide at all times and that you promote their mobility and their desire to experiment.
As long as the entire home environment is controlled and there are no risks, we will be safe. From there our mission is to guide without sanctioning. Don't be that mother who always makes the following mistakes:
- Make life easy for them by picking up their toys, doing their homework for them.
- Preventing them from doing this and that for fear of certain things happening. Excessive overprotection gives the world insecure childrenIt's okay if they drop that glass of water, or if they get dirty with that plant they want to smell.
Let them run, get dirty, fall and get up. Life is about experiencing and learning through play So that future obligations will seem normal. Enjoy this experience and don't hesitate to try Montessori pedagogy.
if you are interested in Montessori see also Montessori for children from 3 to 6 years old.
Recommended sensory baskets and materials for ages 6-12 months
In addition to the treasure drawer, at this stage it is advisable to rotate themed baskets and Montessori materials that cover touch, sight, hearing, and coordination:
- Montessori object permanence box: introduces the notion of object permanence by dropping a ball and seeing it reappear; works on attention and cause-and-effect.
- Montessori three-drawer box: promotes simple sorting and coordination when opening, inserting and retrieving objects.
- Large sensory ball basketDifferent textures and densities for squeezing, rolling, and gripping; ideal for fine motor and palmar grip.
- Basket with easy-grip balls: openwork structures that facilitate gripping, support the digital clamp and the passing from hand to hand.
- Fabric toy basket: natural fabrics of varying thicknesses to explore with hands and mouth; they can be crumpled, stretched and hidden.
- Basket with wooden rattles: soft and natural sounds that promote auditive discrimination without overstimulating.
- Baskets with Grimm's-style wooden toysSimple pieces and soft colors for stacking, fitting or sorting; they encourage creativity and concentration.
Choose materials safe, non-toxic and the right size To avoid risks. Weekly rotations maintain interest without visual saturation.
Baby-led weaning (BLW) as a sensory activity
For me, the ideal activity for this period, due to its easy inclusion in daily family life and all the advantages it offers, is... Baby-regulated complementary feedingIn English, the acronym BLW (Baby-Led Weaning) refers to offering babies solid foods without pureeing them from the beginning, meaning moving beyond purees and porridges. To offer solid foods to a baby, the following are necessary: Requirements: that it feels alone, that it no longer has an extrusion reflex, that it has an interest in food, and that it is approximately 6 months oldSome babies don't start until later. The best thing to do is observe them closely. and see what they need and always keep in mind that the main food until the age of one is milk.
BLW is the sensory activity The quintessential thing a baby between 6 and 12 months old can do, for these reasons:
- Is the most natural: eating a pear in bites versus processed products.
- Develop Grace, Courtesy, and Language: sharing meals, schedules and rituals with the family.
- Contribute autonomyThe baby eats alone with supervision; a convertible high chair can be used.
- It favors the hand-eye coordination: to bring the food from the plate to the mouth.
- Power the digital clamp with small and safe foods (e.g., peas).
- It's a real one sensory play: taste, touch, smell, sight and even hearing when handling food.
If you decide to let your baby experience this type of feeding, it would also be necessary to encourage their gross psychomotor development (crawling, creeping, walking, running...). Ideally, the prepared environment should be safe and have freedom to move (hide cables, cover sockets, prevent dangerous falls and other basic measures). Rather than having "no" on your lips all dayIt offers alternatives and anticipates risks.
Fine and gross psychomotor development and language: practical proposals
Don't worryIf you think baby-led weaning (BLW) isn't right for your family, don't worry: there are many other things you can do to develop these skills. In addition to activities for babies from 0 to 6 months, we suggest:
- Fine psychomotor development
– The treasure basket: a collection of objects of different textures and materials, avoiding plastic.
– Storage boxes (DIY possible).
– A box of fabrics of different types and textures.
– Rattles or sound bottles, when shaken they make noise.
– Games of taking away and putting back with a specific toy (bowl and large object at the beginning, then shapes).
– A sensory board with different textures or a basket with a couple of "touch and feel" books.
- Gross psychomotor development
– If he has siblings, play together Encourage them to play together, face down if they cannot yet sit up, or sitting up.
– Hide a small object for them to find.
– Play hide-and-seek and tag while crawling.
– Encourage him to crawl up small steps.
– Place a mattress on the floor and a safety mirror.
– Visit the park often or use a sandbox with wooden and metal tools.
– Rodari or sticks/bottles that roll to encourage crawling.
- Language and social development
- Name the parts of the body with gentle caresses.
– Say the names of the objects in a basket.
– Read a book on your lap or sitting opposite each other.
– Offer homemade musical instruments (wooden spoons and metal bowl).
– Activities of grace and courtesy: to greet, to say goodbye.
– Two containers with contrasts (warm/cold) to introduce vocabulary.
– I spy a simple two-object game; and, of course, Lots of kisses and laughter.
How to choose safe and appropriate sensory materials
Selecting materials for 6-12 months requires attention to the security and the evolutionary stage: search for objects non toxicwithout sharp edges, larger than a choking hazard, and easy to clean. Prioritize recognized certifications (e.g., OEKO-TEX in textiles or recycled content standards), finished with water paints y eco-friendly wooden toys.
Work with a palette of varied textures (soft, rough, firm) and different weights, soft colors with defined contrasts y delicate sounds (bells, rustling fabric) to enrich without overwhelming. Avoid small or detachable parts and, when in doubt, always supervise.
Sensory activities by stages between 6 and 12 months
6-8 monthsFocuses on hand-eye coordination and tactile perception. Offers textured fabric balls, high-contrast cards, lightweight fabrics for hiding and discovering, and large containers for taking out and putting in soft objects.
9-10 monthsCuriosity and independence grow. Introduce soft stacking toys, crumpled soft paper, rattles with different sounds, small sensory trays (warm water, supervised large legumes), and first transfer activities with large elements.
11-12 months: to reinforce independent exploration and advanced coordination. Containers to open/close, simple large knob puzzles, materials of cause effect (object permanence box), and initial symbolic play with safe everyday objects.
Auditory exercises to enhance perception and concentration
Hearing boosts cognitive and emotional development. Try games with locatable sounds (rattle that sounds to the right/left), alternate intensities and timbres (background/sound figure) and practice small You wait before answering to sound. Household materials such as containers with rice, bells, or crinkly paper are perfect for working on rhythm and discrimination.
Importance of well-dosed visual stimuli
Sight guides much of early learning. It presents objects with contrastSlow movements, simple patterns, and safe mirrors. These resources enhance the sustained attentionHand-eye coordination and pattern recognition. Avoid overcrowding: less is more on the shelf, and rotate items regularly.
Common mistakes when applying Montessori and how to avoid them
– Not respecting the individual rhythm: observes signals and allows repetition.
– Unsuitable materials: prioritize safety, simplicity and the right size.
– Disorganized environment: clear spaces, materials in view and at their height.
– Insufficient support: warm presence, positive reinforcement and respectful boundaries.
– Lack of supervision: routinely check materials and environment; avoid risks.
FAQs
Why are sensory activities important for children 6 to 12 months old?
They stimulate the senses naturally, they enhance hand-eye coordinationconcentration and curiosity, and lay the foundations for autonomous learning.
How to adapt activities at home?
With safe, everyday objects and clear presentationsPrepare a quiet, tidy corner with a rotating stock of materials. Always supervise.
How long does each activity last?
Short sessions of 5-10 minutes, observing for signs of interest and fatigue. respectful repetition consolidates learning.
What precautions to take?
Non-toxic materials, no small parts, clean. Constant supervision and respect for the baby's rhythm.
Do they help in cases of different developmental rates?
Yes, they can support coordination, attention, and sensory integration. Adapt proposals and consult professionals if you deem it necessary.
Every child has their own pace. And it is our duty as mothers and fathers to respect that. We don't force positions or milestones. We avoid Parks, walkers and unnecessary barriersPromoting freedom of movement in a safe environment. Attentive presence, shared play, and everyday observation They are our best allies to accompany us through this exciting stage.
This approach doesn't require large investments, but focus, patience, and perseveranceWith a prepared environment, simple materials, and respectful guidance, your baby will discover the world safely, joyfully, and independently, building the foundations for lifelong learning.
