into intervals that will hold their
attention and are geared towards
their level of handling tools. Talk
about the different shapes and
angles the pieces have to reinforce
geometry. Try letting them
count the pieces, read the instructions
(if they are old enough), or
figure out directions from the pictures
for younger children. Talk
about the scale of what you are
building to reinforce some concepts
such as big and small; tall
and short; hard and soft; the kind
of materials, e.g,, metal or wood,
etc,). Besides having a great experience
with your children, you
are aiding them in keeping up on
skills learned during the school
year, along with some new ones.
Family Drives
Need to be in the car with your children
on a long drive? Don’t want
to simply hand them a device to
lock them into for countless hours
of mind-numbing screen time? It
might feel a bit old fashioned, but
my dad and I searched for license
plates from different states. We
had a map of the US and stamps
with sample license plates. When
we both spied one, I put the stamp
on the state. Then we’d count how
many were able to spot. We’d be
listening to classical music on the
radio, and he’d tell me the story of
the music. Not only was this precious
and special time with my dad,
who was on the road much of the
week, it reinforced my love of classical
music that I value to this day.
Not into license plates? Try having
your child be the navigator using a
paper map or compass? These are
great almost lost skills for anyone
to have.
Have them read road signs. One
summer I challenged my granddaughter
to an hour of reading
every day. She was huffing and
puffing over this, but when we
added up all the time she was in
charge of reading any kind of instructions
for recipes or art projects,
road signs, or directions on a
map along with some book reading,
she was shocked that an hour
or more was achieved without her
even realizing.
Rainy Days
Summertime isn’t all sunshine
time. What to do on rainy days?
My go to is always the public library.
I take my girls to different
locations so they don’t get bored.
Libraries often have all kinds of
free or very low-cost activities for
children. Story times, craft projects,
movies, games, etc. Check in
with your library for their schedule.
And, of course, let children
pick out some books to bring
home. Many libraries have bookstores
where you can purchase
used books for pennies on the
dollar. Children love counting out
the money and choosing a book for
themselves. Lessons in money are
important skills to help children
learn to budget and understand
the bigger picture of using money.
Children’s Museums
All my girls grew up going to museums.
I was an art major in college,
and sharing my love of art
with them was important to me.
As a child, my mother took me
to museums, galleries, and art
events at a very early age, and it
was always the highlight of my
time with her. Many museums
have free or low-cost activities for
children. Look online for these
kinds of events and use them as
your rainy-day experiences.
Supermarket Shopping
My youngest granddaughter used
to LOVE going food shopping
when I was visiting. I let her pick
out the fruit and vegetables and
put them on the scales to weigh
them and print out the labels.
We’d always stop at the fish counter,
where the live lobsters were
kept. The people behind the counter
loved to take out a lobster and
give her a short lesson on the life of
a lobster. When we got home, we’d
cut up a plate of rainbow-colored
fruits and vegetables for our snack.
When children are engaged in the
process of food selection, they are
more apt to be willing to try a variety
when offered.
Summer Holidays
Between Memorial Day and
Labor Day, some of the most important
holidays in American history
take place. It’s easy to just say
it’s another day to party or day
to wear red, white, and blue, but
sharing the important of history
with children is important. Towns
and cities usually host events that
celebrate with booths that have all
kinds of related activities for children.
Pinterest can also help you
find some fun projects. Baking a
cake and using sliced strawberries
and blueberries as the stars and
stripes on the American flag is a
great way to review counting and
recounting the story of American
Montessori
Grandparenting
freedom. Our story of obtaining
freedom is one all children should
remember and since the 4th of
July falls right in the middle of the
summer break, it’s a great one to
use for some civics lessons.
These are just a few of the ways
parents and grandparents can
help them retain skills learned
during the year without too many
power struggles.
Margot Garfield-
Anderson the author
of this article and
the Director of the
Montessori Foundation's Conferences
and Bookstore, has decided to retire
after more than 20 years. Margot has
trained her 'replacements' (it took
two people), but even two people
cannot replace her. We cannot begin
to express our gratitude for her many
years of service to the Foundation
and the entire Montessori community.
We hope that she will continue
to provide articles on Montessori
grandparenting and share her
guidance when we are able to resume
in-person conferences. Her professional
email address remains margot@
montessori.org. Well done, Margot!
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