“To have learned something for the child is only a point of departure. When he has learned the meaning of an exercise, then he begins to enjoy repeating it, and he does repeat it an infinite number of times, with the most evident satisfaction”
Maria Montessori – The Montessori Method
Children had a great time this week exploring and repeating some of the new materials in the environment. In a Montessori environment, repetition does not necessarily mean that the child has to engage in the same exact work over and over again. Anything that provides the child with practice of a previously learned skill, including extensions and games, is repetition.
Dr. Montessori said, “Repetition is the secret of perfection.”
Through repetitive exploration your children are able to look at a material from different angles and explore it, letting it become part of their understanding of the world. At the same time, it allows them to self-critique; they look at how they are doing something and make slight changes in order to perfect the action, making it more efficient. The Montessori environment is designed to support exactly this kind of learning. Children choose their own work, allowing their interest to guide them to a choice. They are drawn by desire and that allows them to return to an activity with frequency, working with it until they have perfected it. It is, in fact, a developmental need. A common phrase you can hear in our environment is the children saying, “Again!” Dr. Maria Montessori wrote, “When a child has attained this stage, of repeating an exercise, he is on the way to self-development, and the external sign of this condition is his self-discipline.”
Based on our observations, this is just ONE of the works your child seems VERY attracted to lately and enjoys repeating:
Ella – Flower arrangement
Shea– Maximum effort using the wagon
Kian– Object to picture matching- Arctic animals
Chey– Dressing and undressing
Sara– Transferring water with a dropper
Maya– Puzzles
On another note, children enjoyed exploring a juicy grapefruit for food tasting. It was a fun and tangy experience! 🙂
Lastly, In our movement area we added the slide to our stair structure and, oh boy, children really enjoyed it! Slides are encouraging to children and invigorating to play on. Children will climb almost anything if it means going down a slide and since they use it over and over, it encourages balance, coordination, and spatial awareness. It also teaches the children social skills and organization. It’s so fun!
Wishing you a fun and safe holiday weekend,
Mrs. Hood and Ms. Maria
