Choose. Move. Repeat.
These three words can guide your choices as a parent of a young child.
You make choices based on what you believe to be best for your child and family. These choices may be based on emotion, assumptions, or exasperation. I encourage you to consider making your decisions based on a system you know can work.
When you can create a system for yourself in your decision making for your children, you may find that you have better, less-stressful outcomes, and more confidence as a parent.
All though all situations and families are different, many of the choices you make as a parent in a day can go back to these three words: Choose. Move. Repeat.
These are the three freedoms that Dr. Maria Montessori provided for in her first classroom and are still part of every authentic Montessori environment (whether home or school).
The freedom to choose.
The freedom to move.
And the freedom to repeat.
Within a classroom this may seem easy, but what does this mean as a parent?
I recommend that as a parent, when faced with making a decision about:
Whats for dinner?
Do we go to the park or on a walk?
Will your child wear blue or green?
that you come back to these three freedoms.
Ask yourself, what part of this decision can my child choose?
If it is dinner, can he choose between carrots or green beans?
Then ask, how can my child have the freedom to move?
Can your child help gather the groceries at the store? Can he help set the table or wash the carrots? Whenever you incorporate movement into a task, you help him connect learn. Children need to move to learn and get very frustrated when expected to be still.
Next, what part of this can we repeat?
Well, when it comes to dinner, I suggest just one dinner, but think about how this can become a daily activity. Can you repeat this multiple times a week? Can your child come to count on this as a predictable routine?
Choose, move, repeat. These are the three words that can create harmony in your busy family life.