4 Steps to Remember When Showing Your Child a New Montessori Activity

Young children can learn something new by watching our movements. To be successful, we need to keep in mind a few things when showing them a new activity. With babies, most toys are self-explanatory. You won’t necessarily need to show them how a rattle works. But as your baby becomes a toddler, and later a preschooler, you’ll start wondering what’s the best way to show her certain things. The following steps will ensure the best learning experience for your child.

1. Choosing the right time

When you show a new activity to your child, make sure he isn’t hungry or tired. Imagine you were up from 1 am to 3 am with your teething toddler last night. The following day, you’re supposed to spend the whole day learning a new computer program at work. How excited would you be to learn something new? Children are the same as us. They won’t learn well if they don’t feel well.

Choose the time your child is not distracted by other things or people in the environment. If possible - remove any distractions. For example, turn off the radio, put your dog into a different room, etc.

Before presenting the activity, ask yourself: “Did I set up the activity in the way so my child can be successful?” “Does my child show interest in these kinds of activities? For example, watering plants outside. You need to think about all the details ahead of time. For example, where to hang his apron? Where is he going to get water? Where to store his watering can? How is he going to clean up when done?

2. Position yourself

When showing something new, your child needs to see each step. Your position will change based on what you are presenting. And whether you’re left-handed or right-handed.

Try not to hover over your child as it might be distracting. When I was in the first grade and learning to write, my teacher hovered over me, watching my efforts. Even now, I remember how uncomfortable it made me feel. Often, I stopped and continued after she had walked away.

3. Use slow and graceful movements

This step will require a lot of conscious efforts and practice on your side. If you want your child to learn something new, you will need to break up the steps for him and do them slowly. Here’s an example of what breaking up the steps would look like for pouring water:

Steps for pouring water:

grasping the handle of the pitcher
supporting the front of the pitcher with fingers
lifting the pitcher and moving it above the glass
pouring water into the glass
finishing pouring and waiting for drips
placing the pitcher back on the table
wiping drops with the sponge

Emma is practicing pouring from the pitcher during baking

Use slow hands when showing each step. This is the hardest part for most people. You need to slow your movements, so your child has time to absorb them. If you’re new to this concept, the rule of the thumb is: slow down. Once you think you slowed down enough, slow down more. Slow movements will feel unnatural, and that’s okay.

4. Avoid unnecessary talking (explaining)

Your child will learn by observing your movements, not by listening to your words. Focus on showing rather than explaining what you’re doing. If you do both, your child doesn’t know what to do first. To watch or to listen?

Important notes

Did your child repeat the activity after you without any struggling or mistakes? Did he do it perfectly the first time? If so, he has already mastered this skill. Move onto something new.

If your child is not interested in the activity, don’t take it personally. Ask him to clean up. You can say: “Let’s put this away for now.” You can show him the activity some other time. When Emma was 18 months, I showed her how to use a wavy vegetable chopper. I thought she could be interested because she loves helping me in the kitchen. She couldn’t care less about this little tool. I haven’t pushed it on her, but I modeled using it on several occasions. Four months later, she wanted to join me cooking and asked for the vegetable chopper. I gave her zucchini, and she started cutting them with the chopper as if she did it every day. She knew exactly how to use the tool and asked me for more vegetables to cut with it. What a great reminder that those little eyes are always watching.

Offer only the help your child needs - think about what your child can do and ask him to do that when showing him something new. For example, washing a table. If your child already knows how to fill a pitcher with water, ask him to do that. Then show him all the other new steps.

Allow time and repetition - give your child enough time to practice new things. Repetition will help him to master new skills.

Don’t give everything away the first time. For example, when doing opening and closing. First, show your child how to open and close each container. Let him practice. On a different occasion, introduce new vocabulary to the child. You can tell your child the name of each container and what materials they are made of.

Tailor the presentation to your own individual child. The steps above are general guidelines. You know your child the best, and you want to be flexible when showing him something new.