What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word ‘work’? And what do you think of when you hear the word ‘play’? There’s a VERY clear difference between the two, right? There’s a difference between the time we dedicate to each, our attitude, our effort we put into them, we even wear different outfits for each! Not to mention the difference in the reward we get from each. So why did then Maria Montessori call play the ‘work of the child’?
A VERY short story of the Montessori approach
Maria Montessori spent a lot of time observing children. She noticed that when given the choice, they actually chose to do activities that are considered ‘work’, instead of playing with toys. This meant serving real food to each other and pouring water from real jugs. Or sweeping the floor with a broom. Or even clean the windows with a cloth!
After observing all this, Maria Montessori had the genius idea to make everything child sized. This way children had a much easier job doing their ‘work’.
It was just another mental jump for her to come up with an idea of a place which resembles a home, where children are surrounded by materials that are based on reality, and where they are allowed to contribute and be part of a community. And there you have it, your first Montessori nursery!
So why is this important?
Think about it. Who is the one who gives toys to children? Us. What kind of toys do we give them? What kind of play do these toys inspire children to?
I will leave you with these questions and the answers you might find for yourself. If you need a little help, check out my Toy Showdown blog post.
Do you agree that play is the work of the child? I’d love to know what your conclusions are, please share them in the comments section.
In my next post I’ll talk about how babies play. Or do they?
Click here to read more about how the Montessori Visual Mobiles, the Montessori Tactile Mobiles or the Sensory Baby Toys help your baby’s development.