Encouraging Quiet in the Montessori Environment

Encouraging Quiet in the Montessori Environment

This article is about how we promote quiet in the Montessori Environment.

There are some methods that are respectful and considerate of the child:

·        Use sign language

Using the sign for “quiet” is discreet and respectful. It works well for individual children and it is also effective in large group settings.

·        Place a gentle hand on the child’s shoulder. No words are needed.

The calm reassuring touch quickly redirects focus and attention.

·        Use specific language. Example: “Noah can’t hear my lesson when you are humming.

·        Turn down competing sounds. Take notice of the classroom. Perhaps, the music (CD) is too upbeat to play during the morning work cycle.

·        Go outside, and let the children use their outside voices. Nature is a wonderful way to balance behavior.

The most powerful tool a Montessori teacher has to quiet and calm behavior is to consistently model appropriate behavior and volume. If we are loud, expect the children to be load. If speak in soft, calm tones, the children will too.

The silence game as a way of alerting children to listen to the world around them. For example, rain is a welcoming sound. Instead of telling the children it is raining, ring a chime and everyone stops what they are doing to listen.

The silence game can be a part of daily ritual or one that you play often. It will only serve to heighten the awareness of the children in your Montessori classroom by allowing them to reflect upon the world around them.

Montessori Silent Game

The silence game part 1

Dr. Montessori created silence game while working with children who were partially deaf. After observation, she noticed that their hearing improved when they were given opportunity to listen carefully for sounds. A similar activity is now implemented in Montessori schools all around the world and it is called “silent game”.

To implement the silent game, start by talking with the children about what it means to be silent. Invite them to close their eyes and listen to the sounds in the classroom for ten seconds and when time is up, raise their hand to share what they heard. Before playing the game, it is important that each child understand what it means to be silent and they have the opportunity to listen for the sound around them. Choose a time of day when the group is relatively calm and then proceed with the steps below:

·        Once everyone is sitting at circle time, make sound on our calming chime and the children know it is time to tuck their sounds away and listen.

·        Explain that we are going to play game called “the silent game”.

·        Explain that they need to keep their bodies still calm and to not make a sound, also let them know that they can play the game with their eyes open or with their eyes

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·        closed.

·        For the teacher, stand at the back of the classroom and quietly call the name of each child. Start with a few of the older children who are normalized and understand how to play game.

·        Make sure call each child’s name and once everyone is with teacher at the back of the room, thank each of them for playing the silence game and then send them one by one to choose some work from the shelves.

If there was a lot of fidgeting and noises throughout the silence game, next time make a point to reinforce the importance of being completely still and quiet and talk about how much harder it is to hear each name being called when children are moving and makes noises.

Variations on the Montessori silence game for developing skills

Variations on the Montessori silence game:

·        Darken the room and light candle while the silence game is taking place

·        Ring a bell to signal the starting of the silence game and ring a bell to signal the end of the silence game

·        You can have the children a task to focus on during the silence game.

For example, you can challenge them to hear noises that they may not normally be aware of. Once the silence game had ended, encourage them to share with the group what they heard.

·        If you have older children, you can simple have a sign that has the word “SILENCE” written on it and when you walk around the room holding up the sign, they will know that it’s time to tuck their sounds away and work silently until they hear a signal that ends silent work time such us bell or chime.

·        Create opportunity for children to enjoy silence on their own. Place a basket on a shelf in which there would be a mat to sit on as well as one-minute sand timer. The child simply takes the basket to a spot on the floor and removes the contents. The child should sit on the silence mat with their legs crossed and flip over the one minute timer. The child needs to sit very still and quiet for the duration of the time while focusing on the sounds around them.

The silence game takes practice. Young children and those who are not yet normalized have relatively short attention spans and find it ever so difficult to remain still and quiet for more than 20-30 seconds. With practice, attention spans lengthen and children learn to relax, absorb, and appreciate the world around them.