This handout addresses: What are reasonable expectations for my child, and what can I do to foster pre-reading/writing skills?

1) Children learn when they are interested. This is a large difference between Montessori education and traditional education. In the old days, we were taught according to a curriculum. Montessori believed in the innate desire of a child to learn. She called the teacher a "directress" or "guide" because his/her job was only to observe what a child may be ready for. When a child is ready, they request a lesson over and over, hold extended focus, and exhibit great joy. When not ready, there is no interest, and we can pull back. They are also always observing lessons being given to other children, so they can learn and express interest through others? learning, as well.

This is also true of adults! I learned with my own children to notice the books I liked, the games I enjoyed, because better things happened when this was taken into account as well.

2) When your child is concentrating on any (non-destructive) activity, avoid interrupting, even to comment or praise. This allows the child to learn to concentrate, to move from step to step in a thought process, and shows respect for that process. (In addition, Montessori would say that if your child is being consciously destructive, that what they want is to be engaged in meaningful activity.)

3) Mistakes are important to learning. Children can either learn to be distressed when they make mistakes, or to correct them themselves, with little direction and much confidence. This depends on how mistakes are treated. At school we try not to correct unless someone is deliberately (judgment call!) being destructive, or hurtful. Otherwise, spills can be wiped up, broken things can be replaced. "Things spill, things break."