Children participating in outdoor activities, learning about nature in a Montessori garden.

The Benefits of Organized Sports

November 15, 2019/in Child Development /by bright_access

Fewer children than ever are playing organized sports and could be missing out on an important development tool. According to ESPN, a research study by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association revealed that in 2018, only 38% of kids aged 6 to 12 played team sports on a regular basis, which was a 45% decrease from a decade earlier.
That means many children are missing out on the physical, social, and emotional benefits that team sports provide and it might be a good idea for parents to encourage their children to get on a team.

Social Benefits:

Sports are a great way to help children develop their relationship building skills. Playing on a team can help children learn how to work with and support others to reach a common goal while making friendships in the process. Making friends is not always easy but being part of a team can offer opportunities for your child to feel like they are a part of the group. When children experience wins and losses together, they can form long-lasting friendships.
Sports also helps with developing social awareness and respect for authority. According to Nobel Coaching, constructive criticism is an integral part of sports. Children learn to respect those in authority even when they don’t see eye to eye, as they see their skills developing and improving.

Health Benefits:

Staying active is especially important for children, because they are at a stage in life where physical development takes place quickly. Children who tend to participate usually have more muscle and less body fat, which helps build better cardiovascular health.
Sports also help children with improving their motor skills. Constantly training improves their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, while resistance from exercising stimulates the growth and strengthening of muscles and bones.
But take precautions. Too much resistance can stunt growth though, so make sure your child gets plenty of rest between activities.

Emotional Benefits:

Childhood is a crucial time when it comes to their emotional development. Organized sports can offer a foundation for emotional growth by building self-esteem, lowering stress, and teaching emotional recognition. Being part of a team can give your child a sense of belonging and importance. And going to practice getting better can offer a sense of accomplishment.
Sports can also be a physical outlet for emotional stress and can help clear the mind. Children learn that they must focus and control their emotions if they want to perform well for their team. This may also help with reducing behavioral problems.
In a study conducted by the National Institute of Health, research showed that physically active children tend to be “less hyperactive and have fewer peer, emotional, behavioral or conduct problems than physical inactive children.”

At Silverline Montessori

At Silverline Montessori, we believe introducing our students to organized sports is a great way to boost their potential. Furthering their fine and gross motor skills through physical activity is one of our many developmental goals.

Students using Montessori geography puzzles to learn about continents and countries.

How to Motivate Your Child the Montessori Way

May 9, 2019/in Child Development /by nruiz

The Montessori method is all about intrinsic motivation, or the desire to engage in behavior that arises from within the child himself, as it is naturally satisfying to him. All children have this intrinsic motivation to learn and to explore. When it comes to motivating your child to cooperate with you, it’s important to tap into this intrinsic motivation, rather than resorting to punishments or external rewards.

By tapping into this intrinsic motivation, we are able to develop the child’s will and independence. On the other hand, if we oppose their free will, it can lead to more disobedience. One way to develop the child’s free will is to give them our respect. By showing our children respect, we can earn theirs, and by extension their cooperation.

How to earn your child’s respect

Be patient

One way to earn your child’s respect is to be patient with them. Sometimes if a child refuses to do something, we may get frustrated and lash out. This is not the ideal reaction because it will lose our child’s respect. It’s important for us to not rush our children or force them into doing the thing that we asked as this may clash with their free will or they may not be developmentally ready to take that task on their own.

Offer help and encouragement

When a child is unable to do something right away, it’s important for us to recognize this and offer them help and encouragement. For instance, if you are in a rush and tell your child to put on their jacket so you can leave, your child may refuse and say no.

To motivate your child in this situation, you can simply say “You’re saying no to putting on your jacket. We need to go to the grocery store now. Would you like me to help you put on your jacket or would you like to put it on by yourself?”

By offering her choices, you are showing your child that you respect her free will. Offering your help also shows your child that you are willing to work on things together and that will make them feel like it’s a team effort, rather than making them feel like they have to do everything by themselves.

Recognize that this is part of their development

One day your child may do the task you ask her to do with no problem, and the next day she may say no. Disobedience or refusing to cooperate is going to happen because it is a natural part of the child’s development. That’s why it’s so important for us to work with the child to develop her will during these formative years instead of trying to break it. After all, we want our children to be independent individuals who choose to behave well on their own accord.

Motivating students at Silverline

Our faculty at Silverline Montessori School has crafted a learning environment that taps into the child’s intrinsic motivation to learn. Our classrooms are designed to encourage independence, good behavior, concentration and coordination. As a result, our students begin to build character and confidence and improve their focus and attention.

Children practicing hand-eye coordination with Montessori pouring exercises.

Choosing Montessori Style Books for Your Child

March 1, 2019/in Child Development /by nruiz

March is National Reading Month! During the 31 days in March, children of all ages are motivated by educators and parents to read every day. Reading regularly not only boosts vocabulary, literacy, and writing skills, but also promotes academic achievement across the board.

The Montessori environment has always been very supportive of the reading process. Dr Maria Montessori aimed at keeping the classroom a reading-friendly environment. “A child does not read until he receives ideas from the written word,” Maria Montessori, (Discovery of the Child p.229)

In honor of National Reading Month, we will discuss what kind of books are suitable for the Montessori child. We’ve also gone ahead and created a list of some of these Montessori-style books that young children love reading.

How to find suitable books for the Montessori child

The books that you should choose for a Montessori child should be based on Dr. Montessori’s ideas about young children and their development. Here are some concepts to consider when looking for a book for your Montessori child:

Rich language: Books that use descriptive words and avoid baby talk are good for teaching your child accurate language and increasing their vocabulary.

Reality-based: Children are naturally very interested in the world around them and therefore should be given books that are based in reality. Try to find books with stories of real experiences, such as daily life activities, and that show picture of real objects, such as vehicles, rather than fantasy.

Type of book: It’s important to choose books that are age-appropriate for your child and the type of book that you choose will reflect this. For example, children under a year old should be introduced to board books while children at the toddler age should be given lift-the-flap books or books with sturdy pages.

Number of words per page: The number of words per page should also align with your child’s level of cognitive development and should be age-appropriate. For example, an age-appropriate book for an infant would contain one word per page with a picture on each page. As the child develops cognitively, the book may have a picture with a sentence on each page, then a simple storyline, and finally complex stories as the child develops a higher reading comprehension.

Interesting details: Kids find details interesting, so they’ll have an extra fun time reading a book with lots of details in the illustrations. These details are also great conversation topics to discuss as you read the books together.

Beauty: For children to fully appreciate reading, you’ll want to select aesthetically pleasing books that your child can admire for their beauty. This allows them to see books as if they were works of art.

20 Great Montessori-style books for children under 6

“My First Pets” by DK
“I See” by Helen Oxenbury
“I Touch” by Helen Oxenbury
“I Hear” by Helen Oxenbury
“I Can” by Helen Oxenbury
“Tell Me About the Sea” by Justine Smith
“Eating the Rainbow” by Star Bright Books
“Find the Puppy” by Stephen Cartwright
“Autumn” by Gerda Muller
“Colours” by Anne S. A. Millard
“Flip, Flap, Find! Counting 1, 2, 3: Lift the Flaps and Count to 10” by DK
“Diary of a Wombat” by Jackie French
“Rosie’s Hat” by Julia Donaldson
“The Waterhole” by Graeme Base
“Fred the Firefighter” and “Vicky the Vet” by Jo Litchfield
“The Windy Day” by Anna Milbourne
“The Art of Clean Up: Life Made Neat and Tidy” by Ursus Wehrli
“Sunshine” by Jan Ormerod
“Global Babies” by The Global Fund for Children
“All by Myself!” by Aliki

Reading at Silverline Montessori School

Today in our school, there is a rising number of kids who have become independent readers. At Silverline Montessori, we make reading a priority in our classrooms by reading to and with children on a regular basis. It is seen that reading is a special art, and in the study of human history speaking precedes reading by century. Through reading, our children are introduced to language concepts and they develop the skills necessary for writing and spelling, as well. All of the books we introduce to our children are age-appropriate and have valuable lessons and interesting concepts that expand their knowledge base and encourage them to read more.

We also encourage our families and teachers to take regular trips to the library and spend time reading with their little ones. Remember, practice makes perfect and fostering that early excitement that arises from learning how to read can transform a child into a lifelong reader. It’s important to be patient and provide lots of encouragement during this time.