Krystle Lord-Keller Newquist is a dear friend, a doting and badass Mama of three, and while she’s juggled successful side hustles over the years, she has found herself continually led back to a special Montessori school. Krystle is the Program Coordinator at a local Montessori School that she has helped run for the past 13 years.
Krystle has her degree in Education for Social Change, combined with the disciplines of Traditional Easter Arts, Early Childhood Education, and Environmental Studies. After college, she worked for an educational institution working for social change in the Northeast of Thailand, and it was during that time working with villagers that she was inspired to focus her goals on educating children. She felt that children were the source, and she knew she could reach parents through their children.
Her passion is getting in the classroom and applying Montessori in her home. With the chaos of the holidays behind us, I reached out to her for some advice on organizing the toys and creating a home environment not only where our children thrive, but where we as parents can feel relief and trust. And I’m so grateful that she’s sharing her knowledge and experience in accessible tips for us!
WEBPAGE – www.lagunamontessori.org
WHAT IS THE GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF MONTESSORI?
- Freedom within limits
- Child-centered and driven
- Independence: when given carefully, inspires confidence!
- Classrooms and materials are built for every type of learner: auditory, visual, kinesthetic
- Prepared environment, prepared adult
- Nurtures a child’s natural desire for knowledge
WHAT ARE SIMPLE WAYS TO INCORPORATE MONTESSORI AT HOME?
Kitchen
- Give your kids a cabinet or drawer. Apply the “less is more” concept.
- Include a plate, utensils, cup, napkin, whatever they need to set a table.
- Have a small basket prepared with snacks.
- Include a small scissor, so they can open those snacks.
- For older children, a stool allows them to be a part of the kitchen.
Bathroom
- Hang towel hooks low, and make sure they have their own, clearly defined “self-care” basket or drawer.
- Have an accessible drawer with a hairbrush, small mirror, or personal items of their liking.
- Use a tray to display their tooth brush, tooth paste, a cup for water, or even a timer.
Bedroom
- Use clear bins in a play storage area that are small, so they can easily see and carry/retrieve their own toys.
- Display activities on low shelves
- A puzzle with an appropriate number of pieces presents a challenge, but it’s not overwhelming
- Create a physical workspace (mat, table, etc.)
- Accessible hooks for clothes or accessories
Organized Toys
And you don’t need to look at a perfect Marie Kondo or Pinterest space. Just ask yourself these questions:
- Can my child access it?
- Can they see it?
- Can they carry it?
- Can they clean it up and put it away?
- Less is More.
Again, this doesn’t mean you have to get rid of 50% of your toys. Step back, and look at what your children are into now and where they are headed.
- When I help clean out play rooms, I make piles:
- 1. Stuff they love
- 2. Stuff they are growing out of (Ask if you need to keep it. It might depend on the age of other children.)
- 3. Broken or toys with missing parts
- 4. Toys which include adult supervisions (certain board games or art/science kits)
After each pile is made, I choose what to keep accessible, what to donate, what to store short-term and what to store long-term. I keep the short-term accessible and will often rotate to make it accessible.
Montessori has universal principles, but they can be applied very personally. Start with observation and reflection. What does my space allow for us to do? What do I need to help foster in my child?
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE IN TERMS OF HOW WE CAN ORGANIZE THE ACCUMULATION OF TOYS FROM THE HOLIDAYS?
I am huge on rotating toys. They don’t all need to be out at once. If you don’t have the space to store, it’s definitely important to do some cleansing! It can also be good to have older children (ages 4/5 and up) help in the process. When they help, it’s more likely to stay organized and clean! They have some ownership over what they choose to keep and how they choose to organize. They can also feel good about donating to children or schools in need.
CAN YOU OFFER GUIDELINES OR TIPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE GIFTS FOR CHILDREN? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THEY’RE FUNCTIONAL FOR MONTESSORI?
- Gift Experiences! Promote family time, whether it be a theme park, an outing to a museum, a group art class, or a water park.
- I love board games. They are a magical way for children to bond with their family and learn problem-solving.
- Subscriptions make great gifts for new moms or little babies, such as a “Love Every” or “Monti Kids” subscription. There’s also magazine subscriptions for kids, like Highlights or Ranger Rick.
- Our favorite gifts for birthday parties are play dough kits from Young Wild and Friedman
FREE PLAY VS. ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES: WHICH IS BETTER? IS THERE AN IDEAL BALANCE?
“Prepared” play is the word I would use to balance the two. An environment that is accessible to a child invites either! A child “at play” or “at work” should be free to concentrate uninterrupted. This happens best when they have freedom of choice or are engaging in free play.
I choose free play more often. It’s where our kids can get lost in their imaginations and explore their own inner worlds. However, bonding is a huge value for early childhood between the adult and the child. Bonding often happens through organized activities, so this is definitely still important.
WHAT IS THE MONTESSORI WAY OR GUIDE FOR LANGUAGE WE USE WITH OUR CHILDREN? HOW DO WE SPEAK TO THEM OR WHAT DO THEY NEED TO HEAR?
- Respect
Even though their minds are still maturing, they deserve to be spoken to the same way we’d like to be spoken to. Our house is sarcastic and silly, and our children have learned the difference. So it’s not to say respect means we need to be serious 100% of the time. It’s more like trying to omit speaking to children in a condescending way. They are their own intelligent beings, and while they are still emotionally maturing, they sense things deeply. - Vocabulary
Simple, yet elegant. “Are you finished with your…?” Instead of, “Are you done?” - Eye contact
Getting on the child’s level and looking them in the eyes vs shouting between rooms will work better every time! - Chunk directions
Give one step at a time with very young children, and slowly add more steps as they get older. For example, a 3 year-old should be able to follow 2-step directions, whereas a 6 year-old can follow up to 4 steps at a time. - Validation
This is my favorite. Even though we can’t always say yes, or we don’t want to promote certain behaviors, it’s always ok to validate how they are showing or telling us they feel. Crying for snacks on the way home from school is a serious emotional occurrence in my car. We say, “You are hungry right now. We don’t have any snacks in the car. Tell me some of the things you would like to eat when we get home.” - Be consistent. Be clear.
DOES TECHNOLOGY (TV, IPADS, DIGITAL GAMES, ETC.) INTEGRATE WITH MONTESSORI PHILOSOPHIES AT ALL? CAN TECHNOLOGY BE A MONTESSORI TOOL?
This is a tough question. I don’t think they are related. But as a Mama and also an educator, I’d say it’s important to set boundaries here and be consistent.
- Using technology as a tool for boredom is a slippery slope. Boredom is where imagination takes flight and knowledge is put to the test! Sometimes when I want to get my work done, I will give the kids some boundaries, such as they have to stay in one room to play. At first, they complain for TV, and 20 minutes later, their brother’s room is a pirate ship. That brain activity and connection to their imagination is more important than the absolute mess of a “pirate ship” room.
- Technology is a great tool when used carefully. Parents should set wise boundaries, but at the same time, not feel guilty relying on it for children in certain situations or even developing a child’s interest in it! Language is often learned through TV, so choose wisely or even choose a 2nd language. There are so many wonderful apps out there for learning animations, etc.
- There are Montessori games/apps. Here are two we like:
- Montessori Numbers For Kids
- Edoki Academy Montessori Games
IF MONTESSORI AT HOME SEEMS OVERWHELMING OR TOO EXPENSIVE, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE IN REGARDS TO THE FIRST MANAGEABLE STEP?
Montessori at home doesn’t always need to be Montessori materials. It’s more about how you set up and use what you already have.
If you do want to use materials to teach at home or help children grow in certain subjects, here is a list of my “must haves:”
Language
- Moveable alphabet
- Object matching
- Sandpaper letters… easy to make a lot of these too!
Math
- Cards and counters
- Addition/multiplication bead box
- Spindle box … I have great homemade versions of these
Sensorial
- Homemade: smelling trays, tasting bottles, color box (can be made from paper paint samples from Home Depot)
- Pink tower (ages 2 -4) or knob cylinders (ages 3 to 6)
Practical life
- Most of practical life can be found in our own day to day chores (folding socks, matching socks, plant care, sweeping, dusting, etc.)
- Food preparation: tray with a mixing bowl, small jug, cutting board and small butter knife (ages 4 to 6)
- Dressing frames (ages 2 to 6)
Science
- Solar system puzzle or model
- Living/Non-living object box
- Plant/Animal object box
- Sink/Float box
- Magnetic/Non-magnetic box
Geography
- World puzzle map
Toddler/Baby
- Imbucare box
- Object permanence box
- Basket of balls, scarves, and wooden rattles
- Basket with cute self care items: soft brush, a pair of socks, a silicon toothbrush
Montessori is truly found in how we present an activity. It is a theory based on the belief that children are naturally curious and capable beings, and when we prepare environments that are accessible and appropriate, we emphasize and nurture their independence. Language and directions should be clear and limited, activities should stimulate all modes of learning, especially touch and movement, and a child should be able to do it on their own (in their own way) after being shown it one time. When we are done with Montessori activities, they should be stored in a way that is accessible to a child and all materials are ready to go for when they want to use it again. When things are prepared, we are sure not to miss that window of opportunity when a child asks if they can do their moveable alphabet. If we are climbing to the top of a closet to find it, chances are, the moment will pass, or the lesson on independence for them will be lessened!
Just remember that when children have been at school all day and putting their best foot forward, they are exhausted. They want to come home and have a safe space to just be. And that can manifest differently, but it’s a version of your child coming “undone.” They might come to you excited, defiant, fully of belly laughs, or with any other messy emotion in between. Mama and Dad are a safe space. If you are introducing Montessori materials at home with direct aims to further a subject, like reading or writing, make sure your littles are given freedom of choice. And try to limit pushing them to do an activity longer than they desire.
Implementing Montessori methods does not have to be an all-in or nothing transformation. It can start with being loving, observing and consistent as a role-model. Then, consider what you want to foster and where you can make these shifts. I think the most important thing to note here is to never sell yourself short. Our children are always looking to us as their teachers, usually when we least expect it.
