Forest Montessori

Montessori From Birth

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montessori materials

The most important Montessori material

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I have been sharing activities that a 4 month old baby can do daily for the past week on Instagram. I will summarize it this week on the blog. Amongst all the ‘activities’, ‘materials’ and ‘things’ I think the most important reminder for me is to do the “best version of me”. Anika seems increasingly aware, responsive and OBSERVANT every single day. Her most interesting activity has been to watch me (and dad). She sees my expressions, how I eat, how I move, my lips when I talk, my hands when I sing,,

I was watering plants and she was watching me with greatest concentration….

I was eating and her eyes didn’t move for few minutes just watching how I hold the spoon and bring it to my mouth…

Every day, every minute I see her looking at me (and hubby) absorbing EVERYTHING! So here is a reflection and  some reminders for me….

  • Stop and talk. Chores can wait.
  • Water the plants with both your hands, like you would expect her to do.
  • Walk around the house with more grace. Do not stomp and run.
  • Sit and eat. Do not stand and eat.
  • Put your chair in (every time!).
  • SLOWDOWN.

I am sure I do many more things in home life, which are not very Montessori of me. But since this very alert little human has her eyes on me all day long, here is a reminder for me to be my most gracious self. 

3 Most Loved Montessori materials in the first 3 months

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I have written a detailed post about ‘Preparing a Montessori Newborn Space‘ earlier. Here is a quick guide to Montessori playroom furniture and three materials we have loved in the first three months.

A Montessori playroom for babies has 2 main pieces of furniture, which are used daily for many years:

  • Horizontal mirror– Easily our most loved and used piece of furniture. Anika has loved looking in this safe acrylic mirror since the first few days after birth. Some uses of the mirror for a baby are: it helps the child to have an extended view of their environment, Anika enjoys the mirror image of the mobiles, she watches her face and tries out facial expressions, she watches her hands and feet move, she enjoys interacting with others through the mirror, she prefers to be held (by a new person) while looking in the mirror so she knows whats happening with her body. Basically I cant recommend it enough 🙂 I love this particular mirror because we can easily move it, does not damage the walls and it can be reconfigured vertically when she starts walking.
  • An infant shelf- Babies are sensitive to order. So having this piece of furniture to store their play materials neatly in trays adheres to this sense of order and they learn from start and things belong to and have to be put back in their place. We got a wooden infant shelf from a local woodsman in Auckland , which will be used for years to come. But a shelf from Ikea or Kmart works well too.

As far as Montessori materials go, here are top 3 that we have used heaps and absolutely loved….

Montessori mobiles have been the most loved in these first 3 months

Montessori mobiles– We have had so much fun with these! They have been marvelous to develop Anika’s concentration. This being our main ‘toy’ for the first 3 months (and even now!) these mobiles have been totally worth its use.

Baby books and these black and white flash cards have been loved!

Baby books– Reading books has been a great way to bond and also form concrete routines for us. Anika loves these books and they are Montessori (real-life images) approved. We also love using these books and the black and white flashcards as our tummy time incentive.

The much loved Lovevery playgym

Lovevery Play gym-this Montessori inspired playgym has been a big hit for us. Anika loved the black and white images, mirror, mobiles…I love that the little guide book that comes with it and tells you how to change the material every few months according to their development stage. It can be used right till she is a toddler.