Grace and Courtesy

Grace and courtesy are part of the life lessons learned under the practical life principle. Montessori teaches children acceptable behaviour through exercises which display respect and kindness to others. They are taught how to speak politely to others and resolve conflicts peacefully. This is done by explaining different situations in simple terms and demonstrating the behaviour the child needs to display. Role playing is an effective method of teaching young children good manners.

My son loves to read books and as a way of introducing a fun new way of explaining grace and courtesy to him, I have enlisted the help of Storybird. Storybird is a website that allows users to create personalised stories that are fun, social and easy. It is a highly interactive website that encourages users to create stories (either individually or as a collaborative effort) using the artwork of various artists who post their creations to the site. Below is a story I created titled 'Feeling Cranky'. You can view my other Storybirds, or you can sign up and create your own.

Feeling Cranky by Janelle on Storybird

Practical Life

Practical life is one of the cornerstones of the Montessori teaching method. The exercises practiced by children during these sessions resemble life at home: sweeping, dusting, washing dishes, dressing etc. By practicing these types of activities, children are learning self control and how to be a contributing member of the group. As their ability to master these tasks grows, so to does their confidence and independence. By teaching children self-awareness and reliance, we are increasing their overall sense of self and reinforcing their competency in these areas. Practical life encompasses a number of life lessons, including care of self, grace and courtesy, work and play, getting dressed and helping around the house.

At daycare, my son is practicing these self-help skills by washing his dishes after meals. With the use of Montessori dressing frames, he is being taught how to do up buttons and zippers, all of which are not only developing his fine motor skills, but teaching him how to do these things for himself. At home he is expected to take his dishes into the kitchen when he has finished eating, help make his bed in the mornings and clean up after playing with his toys. Using positive reinforcement, these tasks have been easily adopted into our home and help make my job a lot easier!

Sensitive Periods

The Montessori teaching method believes children pass through 'sensitive periods' during which they are at their optimal best for learning experiences. As Tim Seldin notes in his book 'How to Raise an Amazing Child', "During a sensitive period children become intrigued by aspects of their environment. Given the right stimulation at the right time, children are able to learn almost unconsciously".

There are several sensitive periods that occur during the early years, from birth through to age six. These are:

• movement (from birth to one year)
• language (from birth to six years)
• small objects (from one to four years)
• grace and courtesy (from two to six years)
• senses (from two to six years)
• writing (from three to four years)
• order (from two to four years)
• music (from two to six years)
• toilet training (from 18 months to three years)
• reading (from three to five years)
• spatial relationships (from four to six years)
• mathematics (from four to six years)

It is important to remember that while children can be completely absorbed and focused on a particular aspect of their environment while in a sensitive period, these are transitory states. Once the skill is mastered, the period will disappear. Therefore the importance of exposing children to the right experiences and activities is paramount in order for them to make the most of this learning opportunity. Obviously the skill can still be learnt, but it may take more hard work in the future.