Dr. Maria Montessori, developer of the Montessori method of teaching, believed “[a]ny child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence.”¹ Therefore, a child’s independence, as demonstrated by his ability to care for himself, is an important part of Montessori classroom life. To this end, there are many classroom materials centered around teaching self-help skills, like buttoning, food preparation, and pouring.² Children are also expected to put materials away when they are done with them and help younger students as well.

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

How does this relate to your toddler? As you’ve likely noticed, your 12- to 18-month-old child wants to do things for himself and feels very proud when he does so. You might find him demonstrating self-help skills, like putting on his shoes or feeding himself.³ He might want to hold his own cup or pick out all or part of his outfit for the day.⁴ (If that’s the case, we recommend offering him limited choices, or you could be there all day!)

Supporting your baby as he tries new things is a big part of helping him develop a healthy Self-Concept and self-esteem. This is a great time to let him start helping you with simple tasks. If he is not yet walking, encourage him to help you put his toys away into a bin or books back on a shelf. When he begins walking, ask him to get his shoes when it’s time to go out or help pick up his toys after playtime. Simple tasks will allow him to feel good about helping out as well as build the confidence to tackle larger tasks as he gets older.

Understanding your daily routine can help your baby feel safe in working on his independence. If he knows getting dressed happens after breakfast, then he’ll be ready to work on getting out of his pajamas (which you can ask him to put in the hamper!) and picking out an outfit for the day. If you have the same bedtime routine every night, he’ll know that it’s time to brush his teeth, and you can brush your teeth with him as a model.

Although he may not be completely ready to easily, quickly, or successfully do all the things he wants to do, don’t be too quick to step in and take over his efforts. Understand that the act of doing something may be just as important to your baby as the actual result. This is the idea behind purposeful work, which Dr. Montessori defined as when “the child is actively engaged in learning while performing the activity.”⁵ In other words, the process of doing an activity is just as, if not more, meaningful than the end result. So, give him a moment to flex his muscles, focus on the task, and build his persistence and problem-solving skills!

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your baby’s development of Self-Concept skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Encourage your baby to help with simple tasks. Your baby is at an age where he will often want to help you because he enjoys imitating your every move. Let him help around the house by putting away his toys, taking off his socks and shoes, and giving your family pet its food (with supervision). If a task is too difficult, offer help or suggest a different way to do it so that he will still gain the experience.
2. Help your baby help himself.¹ You can help your baby help himself! If he’s interested in putting on his shoes, try to find ones that he can slip on without your help. If he wants to pick out his own clothes, set a basket on the floor with two or three choices of shirts, pants, and socks. To encourage him to start washing his hands or face on his own, keep a step stool near the sink, and make sure he’s able to reach the soap, faucet, wash cloth, and towel on his own. Or, keep a bowl of water on a low table for this purpose.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Self-Concept developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) she has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Takes off simple articles of clothing on her own (e.g. a jacket, shoes and socks, etc.).

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Sources:

¹Chitwood, Deb (2012). Montessori-Inspired Activities for Care of Self. Living Montessori Now. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://livingmontessorinow.com/2012/04/10/montessori-inspired-activities-for-care-of-self/.

²The Well-Trained Mind: Montessori. Curriculum. The Well-Trained Mind: Montessori.Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.welltrainedmindmontessori.com/curriculum.html.

³Connecticut Department of Social Services. Connecticut’s Guidelines for the Development of Infant and Toddler Early Learning.

⁴Brill, Ariadne (2012). Giant List of Self-Care Skills for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers. Positive Parenting Connection. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.positiveparentingconnection.net/giant-list-of-self-care-skills-for-babiestoddlers-and-preschoolers/.

⁵Coventry, Andrea (2010). Purposeful Work in Montessori Education. Rochester Montessori Education Examiner. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.examiner.com/article/purposeful-work-montessori-education.

• About
• Latest Posts

Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

Latest posts by Playful Bee (see all)

• Have a Super Fortune Cookie Friday! - February 9, 2018
• All Kinds of Shapes: Your Child Is Learning Simple Shapes, and Drawing Them Too! - November 13, 2017
• Fishing for Sneakers: Create your own Hand-Eye Coordination Fun - November 11, 2017