The last several years have been disruptive and challenging times for families during the pandemic with lockdowns, remote working, limited social interactions, and homeschooling. As a result, anxiety and stress have increased for both parents and children in trying to navigate the disruptions and uncertainties of COVID-19 and other current world events.

Dropping your child off for their first day of school can be as emotional for the parents as it is for the children!

Looking for ways to keep your infant or toddler engaged this summer while building their skills? There’s a multitude of age-appropriate activities inspired by the Montessori method of child development and education that exercise motor, sensory, language, and practical life skills in your home and outdoors. We categorized activities by skillset to help you select which ones are best for the age, interests, and abilities of your child.

“Giving children the opportunity to stir up life and leave it free to discover.” —Dr. Maria Montessori Summer isn’t over yet! Help your baby enjoy and grow from purposeful Montessori-inspired activities all summer long. You will foster the development of fine and gross motor skills, mobility and balance, muscle strength, language, and sensorial experiences using different sights, sounds, textures, and scents.

Welcome to Part III of our three-part Montessori Parenting Series, where we highlight ways you can practice Montessori methods of child development and education at home with your preschooler.

Home and school can feel like two entirely separate worlds. Parents don’t always know what’s going on in the classroom and, likewise, teachers are often unsure of what their students do outside of school.

Your child’s first day at a new school or summer camp can be a little stressful for you and your child. It’s a disruption in your routines, you may not know what to expect, and you both may be experiencing a little separation anxiety.

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that a child not only needs to be loved, nurtured and cared for, but also respected. Demonstrating respect for your child early on helps them grow to be courteous, kind, thoughtful, and compassionate. That’s why Apple Montessori Schools focuses on building a child’s emotional and social skills from the outset by creating a respectful, loving, and safe environment in which to learn.

The celebrated Montessori philosophy of child development and education can easily be applied to infants at home. Founder Dr. Maria Montessori believed that a child’s mental development begins at birth and grows with the greatest intensity during the first three years of life. While your child is in this “absorbent” state of mind, there’s no better time or place to foster your child’s education than in your home.