If the work is at his level, he should be interested in it. He may need work that is easier or harder. If it’s too hard, he may just play with it. If it’s too easy, he might not be interested in it at all.

Make sure your presentations are short and talk very little if at all. The second he “gets” the point of the work, let him start doing it.

Here’s where observation (a key part of Montessori) comes in. Watch him, both at work and at play. What things is he good at? What does he gravitate to? Where does he need some improvement? (Fine motor skills, following directions, etc.) Target the activities towards those things. For instance, if he loves to pound things and he needs some fine motor skill improvement, this would be perfect: Clay Hammering Exercise.

The more you observe, the better you’ll get at choosing work that sparks his interest.

I have recently discovered the montessori method. I have been reading online and books to become more familiar with it. I cannot afford to send my kids to a school, but would really like to teach him montessori at home. This is where I’ve run into trouble with my highly-energetic 3 year old. He is a well-behaved, good boy, but…he’s a boy. When I try to demonstrate new activities he won’t sit and watch me. If he does (which is rare), when it is his turn he plays with the items in different ways than I’ve demonstrated. I quickly end the work item and try redemonstrating it another day but I don’t feel we’re making much progress. Any advice?How can I get him interested in doing what I’m doing?

I’d appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks.

Kids can handle all types of learning – and Montessori mixes well with homeschooling. Sending him to Montessori first and then keeping him home would be fine.

The only thing I would suggest would be to look into Montessori at home for elementary – it’s very doable – or some other approach to homeschooling rather than using the public school materials at home. Really take advantage of the homeschooling format to carve our your own curriculum rather than just copying the public school.

My 19 month old is going to start a Toddler program at a Montessori School on Oct. 1. I am a fan of the Montessori method and like the open space and importance of self and independence that is instilled in the child. However, prior to enrolling him there, I was considering homeschooling him from Kindergarten onwards using the virtual K-12 public school system where they send public school materials home and let you kind of homeschool your child with a teacher guiding you along the way. I am sure you must have heard of it. Here is a link to their program http://www.k12.com/vava/how-it-works/

So my question is, if my toddler goes to the Montessori school till their elementary program and then I homeschool him following the K-12 public school curriculum, will it cause confusion or drawbacks for him? I really want the best for him and don’t want him to suffer later on because of my limited knowledge about these programs. I would really appreciate it if you can advice me. Thanks so much!!

Just give it a little time, and if things don’t change, ask the teacher if you can have a talk so you can tell her what your son is saying.

Even when children skip a grade (which your daughter would not be doing if you sent her now) they do fine socially and they do not have negative effects socially. Yes, childhood is fleeting but holding your daughter back would not help. Montessori makes learning fun, not a chore, and children love to learn.

A good Montessori school will not push your daughter – just work with her where she’s at and give her the tools to learn at her own pace.

It’s hard for me to know, since I do not know your daughter or the situation, but as a teacher I had many children whose birthdays were past the cutoff date in September and they did great. It was not a problem.

I’m a fan of asking children what they think, so I suggest presenting the two options to your daughter – starting first grade now or waiting – and getting her opinion also.

I was thinking Is Montessori is too much for her because I don’t want to push her. I want her to enjoy her childhood. According to me it will never come back – she has to do studies when she will grow up. My husband and I were debating on this issue. He wants her to go and I want her to start first grade when she turns 7.

Please advise.