It's estimated that most toddlers walk the equivalent of two and a half miles, roughly 14,000 steps (but also including over a hundred falls.) And, if that toddler is yours, you might be sure they take most of them between putting on their shoes and walking out the door. Toddlers are hardly the most efficient of movers, easily distracted while they're up and about, changing directions, taking time to squat or bend over or sit down every once in a while. It may be frustrating,

As Montessori teachers, we define our service to the children as encompassing roles farther than just those in the classroom. If we are truly serving children, we need also to advocate for them outside of our prepared environments, as parent educators, community educators, and political activists. And if we truly believe Montessori practices reflect the developmental needs of all children, we can't limit that advocacy only to those children whose parents have enrolled them in

Montessori was deeply concerned with the nature of development in adolescence, and the disparity between the expectations of formal school settings and the needs of learners at this age. In this Third Plane of Development, from 12-18 years old, learners are moving through rapid changes in their physical bodies and equally chaotic changes in their sense of belonging and of identity. "If puberty is on the physical side a transition from an infantile to an adult state, there is

Remember what distinguishes the Second Plane of Development, that window from six to twelve years old. Moving out of the "construction of the individual" that marks zero to six, children in the Second Plane are capable of more abstract thinking, of moral reasoning and far more complex social development. The essential Freedom of Movement takes on new importance in this plane, moving from the physical growth and cognitive impact of early childhood to be an important tool as ch

A core tenet of Montessori is that children are free to move. We understand that the child's developing mind is influenced by their interactions with the environment around them, and that movement is necessarily entangled with the child's ability to make sense of the world. In the First Plane of Development, that window from 0-6 years old, children's ability to move influences the entire rest of their development. Children develop their strength and coordination when they mov

It's estimated that most toddlers walk the equivalent of two and a half miles, roughly 14,000 steps (but also including over a hundred falls.) And, if that toddler is yours, you might be sure they take most of them between putting on their shoes and walking out the door. Toddlers are hardly the most efficient of movers, easily distracted while they're up and about, changing directions, taking time to squat or bend over or sit down every once in a while. It may be frustrating,

Montessori identified a number of "Sensitive Periods," times when children's development motivated them toward an interest in particular qualities or dispositions. The Sensitive Period to Movement is one. The Sensitive Period to Movement is evident from the first moments of human development… arms flail, muscles tense and relax. Even in the early hours after birth, infants placed on their mother’s bodies will move toward food and nurture. In the next few months, the infant’s

The Sensitive Period to Movement is evident from the first moments of human development… arms flail, muscles tense and relax. Even in the early hours after birth, infants placed on their mother’s bodies will move toward food and nurture. In the next few months, the infant’s intrinsic motivation to move can seem to overpower almost all his or her other instincts. There is little a child needs, except time and a sturdy environment, to compel him to wiggle, roll, scoot, crawl, s