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If you listen long enough in a Montessori classroom you’ll be surprised by the phrases that you don’t hear. Good job! Your work is beautiful! Clever girl! These are positive sayings, right? Everyone likes to receive praise! These common praises often slip out of our mouths before we have a chance to pause and think if there is a better alternative to praise, such as encouragement. In our Montessori practice we use encouragement, not praise, to build healthy self-esteem and habits in our children. Read on to find out about why we encourage encouragement, rather than praise, to support good behavior in our children and tell them how we feel.

Maria Montessori believed that the greatest factor in a child’s education was the environment -- they absorb their surroundings and take their lessons from their experiences. The environment is everywhere, all the time, meaning that a child’s education is not limited to the classroom. Thankfully, Maria Montessori gave us a framework that guides teachers and parents, giving us all the tools we need to be active guides in our children’s development. What are some of the features of a Montessori environment that you can bring into your home? How do you begin? We’ll walk you through it in our latest blog post.