Today, I would like to discuss two important aspects of a newborn in a family. This would be involvement (of the child as a family member) and concentration.
Both these play an important role in the Montessori pedagogy. From birth, we must make sure we involve the child into our family and give them their place as an individual member. Additionally, we must do all it takes to foster concentration and this helps the child later in developing to their full potential/capabilities.
Involvement of a Newborn in the family
Should we involve a Newborn into everything we do at home? Or should we let them be safe in their cot?
Dr. Montessori said, "The needs of a newborn child are not those of one who is sick but of one who is striving to adjust oneself physically and psychologically to new and strange surroundings."
Montessori recognizes a newborn as a full human being deserving all the love and respect that any other human should get. Simply put, they should be a part of the family like everyone else.
A few things we did to involve Siyana were:
· When we had our meals, we would make sure she near the dining table (if she was awake) to be able to watch what we were doing.
· We read to her a lot.
· She spent a lot of her awake time during the day on the mat close to where I was working.
· We did not confine her to the room where her cot was. She spent some time in every part of the house.
Concentration in Babies – Does that even happen?
Absolutely! Have you ever seen a baby lost in thought and we disrupt them? They are not dreaming, they are concentrating.
Concentration in children is an extremely important topic in Montessori. In the words of Dr. Montessori, “The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy.
Instead of disrupting them, we should try and facilitate them so they can concentrate even further. This basically would help in developing their concentration in the future. Some of the things we can do is:
1) Provide them with a calm environment that does not include noisy, flashy toys. Always remember that less is more!
2) Let your child concentrate for however long they need. This is very difficult, as we never have time. We are always in a rush because there is so much to do and such little time! But we must wait. If you are in the park and notice your baby looking at something, please let them be. Do not disturb them as they are focusing and concentrating on something, which is important for their development.
Dr. Montessori in this regard quoted, "Adults can hinder this inner toil when they rudely interrupt a child's reflection or try to distract him. They take the tiny hand of a child, or kiss him, or try to make him go to sleep without taking into account his peculiar psychic development."
3) Maintain eye contact when talking. Babies watch and listen when we speak to them. They watch they way our lips move, our expressions and so we should try to keep eye contact with them for as long as they are watching us. I loved doing this as it gave me a chance to look at my baby more and watch her movements. But keep in mind, not to disturb them, which includes not even kissing them no matter how bad you want to.
I would encourage all of you to include your babies (and babies-to-be) in family day-to-day activities as much as you can. Give them their due respect as an individual member. This will help them explore their environment to a great extent. And do let them concentrate when they are doing so for as long as they need.
What do you do to include your baby in the family and to protect their concentration?