Junnifa Uzodike spent this LiveTalk on Montessori in the homes most of us actually live in: small, busy, and nothing like the photos. She starts by treating Montessori as a lens rather than a set of materials, and walks through the four planes of development, which she calls the Montessori secret, so you can see what your child is building right now. Then she takes the prepared environment back to its basics. Can your child reach what they need on their own? Is there order they can help create and restore? A big house, she says, can make that harder, not easier.
In the recording you will also hear her SIMPLE framework for the first time (Simplify, Involve, Model, Pause, Look, Enjoy), why the same human tendencies make Montessori work in any culture, what involving a toddler can look like on a tired weekday evening, from handing you tomatoes to sorting cutlery or simply being close, and why the kitchen is her favourite place to parent. She closes with the one thing she would keep if everything else feels like too much: live with your children and be present.
In this video
A home that looks nothing like the Montessori playrooms online, and the worry that this means you're doing it wrong. Junnifa Uzodike's talk is for parents of young children, and walks through what children are building at each stage, including the 6- to 12-year-olds who keep asking why and saying “it's not fair”. Later chapters cover a simple framework for everyday Montessori, toddlers in the kitchen on busy evenings, and Montessori while traveling.
Chapters
- 0:00 Montessori as a way of seeing your child, not trays and toys
- 4:47 The four planes and what your child builds from birth to six
- 11:49 Ages 6 to 12: why they ask why and say it's not fair
- 17:08 Teenagers, young adults and why knowing the stages helps
- 22:00 A prepared environment without the Instagram playroom
- 26:45 Montessori in any culture and when you're traveling
- 32:10 The SIMPLE framework: simplify, involve and model
- 36:32 SIMPLE continued: pause, look and see, and explore together
- 41:18 Toddlers in the kitchen on busy evenings and why it matters
- 49:12 The one thing to remember: just be present with your kids
