The Kavanaugh Report

The elementary years, or the second plane of development as we call them in Montessori, are marked with many unique characteristics. One of the major characteristics of the second plane of development is the immense interest in social relationships. These kids are so social. Their brains are wired to move around in little packs learning how to be in community with others. Their friendships become important, they start to explore social dynamics, and test out social rules. They also have a strong interest in justice, morals, and fairness. In fact, one of the first signs of the second plane in my family has been the phrase "that's not fair" popping up repeatedly!  Why do Elementary Kids Love Rules? The combination of these two characteristics create a super interesting phase for some second plane kids - an obsession with rules. I've seen in my kids this peak between age 5.5+ (when they start to transition to the second plane) and around 7.5-years-old. All of a sudden r...

Pretend play can be such an interesting and complicated topic within Montessori. While Maria Montessori found that children prefer real work in favor of pretend toys, children in Montessori environments still engage in pretend play. In fact, pretend play has an important role to play in the social emotional development of all children.  Where Montessori often differs when it comes to pretend play in the preschool years is the role of fantasy based play. Fantasy is often avoided, or limited, until a child is older and has a firmer understanding of reality. While every family will take their own approach in this area, Montessori principles would suggest less fantasy and more exploration of real life. In our society things like talking animals, superheroes, fairies and mythical creatures are common in the preschool years, often making them difficult to avoid.  Don't miss part 1 of this series: Montessori at Home: Pretend Play in the Toddler Years Building with mirror blocks (an...

We've been experiencing an explosion of pretend play in our home lately. With my two youngest (nearly 2 and 4) both in really unique stages they have both been drawn to pretend play in a way that I find so fascinating. Sometimes in Montessori environments, there is a pervasive myth that small children prefer only real work to pretend play. And while Montessori activities should certainly be based in reality for small children, pretend play is an important part of every child's work in these years.  Even in Montessori schools , you see a fair amount of pretend play. While materials have a specific aim, children often explore the boundaries of those material through their work. Montessori at home, however, is far more flexible than in a classroom. Children will want and need opportunities to pretend and process the world around them through their work.  Pretend Play in the Toddler Years I've observed some unique phases of pretend play in my own children over the years. The to...

 This week on our Montessori parenting podcast:  The new year is here and for a lot of us that means a time of reset after a break from our regular routines. In this this week's episode, Nicole explores a couple of ways that she likes to reset her home and get back to Montessori roots following a time of disruption.  Show Notes... Reading Area Reel 5 Minute Observation Ideas    Thanks for joining me for today's podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share and leave a review in your favorite podcast app.  If you are interested in finding Shelf Help in a podcast app, it is available on  Apple  |  Spotify   |  Google  |  Amazon . *Shelf Help now includes  automated ad breaks. We do have control over the content of the ads and do not specifically endorse their messages/products. Thank you for your support of our show.

For many of us the first few weeks of the year mark a time where we are staring at just far too much stuff. Especially children's stuff. With the holidays newly over, and winter here I feel like my house is bursting with all sorts of toys, games, activities that need to be organized and need a place to go. With my younger kids, a solid toy rotation usually solves the issue. The older things go into storage and some new things are placed neatly on shelves. But, for elementary aged kids, those in the second plane of development, that usually doesn't cut it!  See, I find that by elementary (especially as they move into upper elementary) toy rotations aren't effective anymore. They aren't the solution for keeping the clutter at bay and helping to organize their spaces. Instead, I find working together to purge some of the things in their spaces tends to be a more effective approach to eliminating clutter and excess.  Why Toy Rotations Don't Work for Elementary Aged Kids...