Allow Time for Repetition and Concentration from Montessori at Home!

Allowing time for repetition and concentration are essential parts of Montessori parenting and education. John Bowman tells why repetition and concentration are so important in his Montessori at Home! eBook.

John Bowman’s Montessori at Home eBook (available exclusively as part of the Montessori at Home eBook and Materials Bundle in the Living Montessori Now shop) is filled with amazing ideas for families. John Bowman has gives a clear explanation of Montessori principles for families in the beginning of the book.

Here’s an excerpt from John’s book with some of his introductory advice. (Note: Because my blog dimensions are different, the layout won’t be the same as in the Montessori at Home eBook.)

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Allow Time for Repetition and Concentration from Montessori at Home

Maria Montessori observed that young children often repeat movements and activities many times with full attention and concentration over a period of time. See pages 14-15.

Montessori noted that when children finish these periods of uninterrupted concentration and activity they appear refreshed, happy, satisfied, and even joyous. She came to understand that while their attention is focused, children are developing and organizing their brains and structuring their perceptions of the world. Children have a strong inner need to do this and derive great satisfaction from it.

Photo: Chasing Cheerios

“This phenomenon gradually became commonplace among the children….and each time that such a polarization of attention took place, the child began to be completely transformed, to become calmer, more intelligent, and more expansive…”

“Thus, when the phenomenon of the polarization of attention had taken place, all that was disorderly and fluctuating in the consciousness of the child seemed to be organizing itself into a spiritual creation, the surprising characteristics of which are reproduced in every individual.”

Maria Montessori, Spontaneous Activity In Education

Encouraging focused activity and attention is easy – when you see your child wrapped up in an activity and repeating it over and over, unless your child asks for help, stay out of the way. If the activity involves you, such as throwing a ball or another activity you are doing together, stay involved as long as you can.

We may think that a person who requires multiple repetitions to learn something is not as smart as someone who ‘gets it’ right away. This does not apply to young children. Children by nature want to repeat activities so that they will open efficient brain nerve pathways. When a child repeats an activity, he is developing the brain architecture he will use for the rest of his life. Allow uninterrupted repetition of favorite activities.

When you begin making learning materials, always observe for that focused attention that tells you a material has hit the mark. Your child’s interest in any material is always your best guide. Those she is into repeating and using the most are the ones that should be on her shelves at any given time. Trust the Inner Teacher, follow the child.

Too much television prevents young children from learning to focus attention. Television’s rapid fire images and constantly changing visual images hold children’s attention by conditioning them to expect something new to happen every few seconds. This is the opposite of true, focused attention. Watching television is a passive activity. Children need to be actively engaged most of the time. There are many good programs on TV, but too much television imbalances a young child’s development. Children need to get most of their experience interacting with the real world in their early years.

Photo: Shutterstock

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Excerpt used with permission of John Bowman.

The book continues with ideas for using Montessori principles at home before sharing activities in each of the Montessori curriculum areas plus 76 pages of printables.

You can get a free download of 51 sample pages from Montessori at Home eBook by clicking here! (This includes information on John’s simplified Montessori reading sequence.)

Here’s the direct link to the purchase page for the Montessori at Home! Materials Bundle,which includes the Montessori at Home eBook AND over $60 worth of Montessori Print Shop materials to go with the book (now only $14.95)!

Excerpts and Activities from the Montessori at Home eBook

you can read all the excerpts from the book that I’ve shared here at Living Montessori Now:

Activities with Marbles and Golf Tees from Montessori at Home!

Building a Flashlight and Pipe Building from Montessori at Home!

1000-10,000 Activity from Montessori at Home!

Make Fossils from Montessori at Home! Cutting with a Knife from Montessori at Home!

Free Play Tubs (Sensory Bins) from Montessori at Home!

Create an Attractive Home Environment from Montessori at Home!

 Concentration and Normalization from Montessori at Home

How to Prepare a Montessori Jar for Meaningful Preschool Activities at Home (an activity prepared using one of the book’s printables)

Allow Time for Repetition and Concentration from Montessori at Home!

Activities Using Some of the Montessori Print Shop Materials from the Montessori at Home eBook and Materials Bundle

Here are activities I published using just 4 of the 21 Montessori Print Shop materials from the Montessori at Home eBook and Materials Bundle:

Montessori-Inspired Phases of the Moon Playdough Tray

Easy-to-Prepare Montessori Animals of the Continents Activity

Extending Montessori Animals of the Continents Work

Hands-on Fun with Montessori-Inspired Human Skeleton Activities

Seashell Color Matching {Easy-to-Prepare Variation of Montessori Color Box 3}

Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!

The Montessori at Home! eBook and Montessori at Home! eBook and Materials Bundle are AMAZING resources! You can learn more about them here. Buy them in the Living Montessori Now shop.

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