Montessori Preschool

The Toddler Program

What Does Your Child Need?

What Does Your Child Need?

Your child needs love, warmth and security.

The young child is dependent on adults for many things, but the most important is a sense of being cared for. Moments of physical closeness, a smile, a kiss and a hug to express the love you feel for your child are vital for his development.  Such signs of affection should always be natural and never be forced upon a child.

Your child needs to be treated with respect.

A young child, with her strong sense of personal dignity and her deep sensitivity, needs to be treated with respect. Your child needs to be listened to by the adults in her world.  She needs to see that her own feelings and ideas are important and worthy of consideration.  She needs to feel that she is included as a respected member of her family. This does not mean that she needs to “get her way”; your child does not really want to rule, only to share.

Your child needs understanding.

Although you may not always agree with him, your young child needs to feel that you understand him.
Taking time to listen, to consider and perhaps to change in response to his feelings and ideas helps your child build feelings of self-respect and increases his love and respect for you.

Your child needs freedom to explore her world.

Your child needs open space, both indoors and outdoors, in which she can move about freely.

Your child needs freedom to learn by himself.

He needs objects in environment that he can freely handle and manipulate without adult interference.

Your child needs sensible rules and limits in her life that are enforced fairly and consistently.

Your child is relatively inexperienced and needs the benefit of your knowledge. She also needs to learn how to live happily with other people. Sensible, flexible rules and limits that she can accept and follow easily are important. They should be agreed upon by both parents, presented to the child and enforced firmly and cheerfully. They give your child a sense of security in her environment and in her relationships with others.

Your child needs much time to explore his world and to do things for himself.

Since a young child’s sense of time differs from that of an adult, he should not be rushed.
By being allowed to explore his world slowly, your child can learn things at his own natural pace.  In the same way, he requires sufficient time to allow him to do things for himself in his own way without adult interference.

Your child needs an orderly environment and regular routines in her life.

To the very young child, the world is a confusing mass of unknown things. As she grows, she explores her world and learns many things about it. In order to make sense of it all, your child needs an orderly environment and atmosphere in which to live and grow. Parents who provide such order for their child help her to develop in a natural, healthy way so that she can understand and learn to deal with life.

Your child needs to have many opportunities for success in his life.

Whenever your young child succeeds at something, he has a sense of personal worth; he has also furthered the development of his mind and body. Adults can provide guidance that will allow a child to experience as many successes as possible and, in contrast, as few failures as possible.
(See suggestions for parents in Appendix)

Your child needs frequent praise and encouragement

Honest praise and encouragement from adults help your child to feel good about herself. She feels a sense of personal worth and is motivated to continue her efforts to learn. A child does not require a great deal of praise or false enthusiasm – these can actually harm her. But a few, genuine, warm wards or gestures of appreciation for her efforts and her personal qualities are very important for your child.

Your child needs to find out “who he is” and how he is unique.

Each of us is different in some ways from everyone else. A sense of how he is unique is important to the growth of your child. He needs to feel special in some way and to have this quality recognized by others, especially his parents.

Your child needs human companionship.

The young child needs more than just the presence of other people. She needs to do things with them, to interact with them. Your child wants you to respect her as an individual and include her in your life. She also needs other adults and children around her. This helps her to learn to deal with and enjoy different kinds of people.

Your child needs a stimulating environment.

The young child shows limitless curiosity. He needs to have a stimulating environment that he can explore freely and learn from. This environment is created to a large extent by parents. They can provide proper materials in the home and also take their child to interesting places outside the home. As always, a good balance is important; over-stimulation must be avoided. Your child needs time to fully explore something new before he is ready for the next new thing.

Your child needs the right environment to develop her mind and body.

Since your child learns mainly through her senses in growing levels of complexity, she needs an environment that matches her particular needs at any given time. When you know what materials to provide her with, your child’s growth and learning will occur naturally and effortlessly; she will actually teach herself with only a minimum of guidance from the adult world.



Montessori and your child A Primer for Parents
By Terry Malloy1974  All Rights Reserved
Published by Nienhuis Montessori USA, Mountain View, California