One of the many reasons we have our children in a Montessori school is to foster independence, and it is such a joy to see them when they achieve some new level of independence.

Eli was getting ready for his bath and got focussed in on undoing the buttons on his shirt. He was struggling with the top one, but I could see that he really wanted to try to get this right.

I often find it difficult to stop myself from helping, mostly because there is some agenda that needs to be completed (get to bed on time, get to school on time, other things that need to get done, etc.) but I have been trying to remind myself to foster their independence and to allow them time to complete what they are trying to achieve (easier said than done sometimes). I’m currently doing some more Montessori reading and thinking, so at least that helps to get onto the right wavelength.

I undid his top button, as it is just too high to easily get it undone, and then helped him by showing him how to hold the shirt while undoing the button. The next he was determined to do on his own but he struggled to figure out which way to push the button through. I showed him how to push the button through the right way. The next one was struggle, struggle, pull this way, push that way, struggle….undone!

Eli’s eye’s lit up with the excitement of undoing a button all on this own…then on to the last one which he managed to undo quite a bit faster. Then off to mom to show her his newly developed skill. He was really very happy with himself.

Adam, pooped after a busy night of pooping and getting us to change his nappy. At least he can sleep peacefully.