Why Montessori is NOT Daily Lesson Plans

Some people really want Montessori daily lesson plans. This is a contradiction of terms.


Short story: 
Montessori - Follows the Child.
Daily Lesson Plans - Don't.

Montessori albums tell you how to present the materials, how to use the materials, provide guidance on typical best times to present that work option to your child. Your child's abilities and interest dictate the pace.


Some random details/thoughts: 
There is NO curriculum publisher, NO Montessorian, NO traditional public school teacher, NOBODY can predict, pre-determine a child's interests from day to day, months or years (or even HOURS!) ahead of time.

But what is "interest"? Referring to a child before the age of 6, we are referring to sensitive periods and a lighthouse-like feature of the child's mind that can absorb deep facts and experiences when the light is shining on that particular area, while everything else is entirely ignored. Then the child's focus shifts, some things seem to be "forgotten" for a time (they are generally picked back up very quickly afterwards), and a new focus is centered on.

Referring to an elementary child, "interest" refers to the child's research, projects, and work choices, both in academics and personal life.

In both cases, we present a relatively consistent flow of new and deeper experiences, while honoring the child's need for time - time to just BE, time to explore, time to make discoveries and connections of one's own.

These interests cannot be pre-planned in any particular order. Within a particular subject, a child may jump to chapter 4 of the geography album in elementary without doing all of chapters 1, 2, or 3. Why? Because outside of the very earliest presentations, the chapters are there for the adult's organization - NOT the child's curriculum. Follow the child's interests so that we can provide a rich experience when the child is entirely prepped to do so; so we might do work of air before work of water; or vice versa. There may be "early" activities in each of the chapters for the younger children, to provide the framework and basic of the key experiences, so that the child is exposed to an array of interest-options.


Now, some people say that those lessons, those keys we give to continue their experiences, can be pre-planned. But no, they really can't either. At least on a daily or even a weekly basis. A child may move through a few presentations quickly, then need time to delve into particular ones without receiving a new presentation in that area for a short time, because interest has been centered, and the creative juices are flowing.

Thus albums are divided up by "subject" - not daily, not weekly. But some albums do have charts to show the options for possible paths, leaving leeway for each individual learner.


Montessori, using daily lesson plans, outlined by someone who does not personally know the child before you; it is hard to call that Montessori because of the number of Montessori principles that type of practice entirely ignores, the most important of which is: Follow the Child.

Follow the Child

A topic that deserves attention again and again as we journey with the child through life.


What does it mean to follow the child?

Those who do not fully understand Montessori or who are just being introduced to it, think that it means that we only do what the child wants to do. That if he wants to explore what happens when he climbs onto the roof and jumps off, that is what we do.

And if a child never wants to touch a lick of math, we don't do any math at all.


But that's not it.

We follow the child - not willy-nilly - but according to his actual inner needs. We then provide the keys of the fulfillment of those needs.

Every human being has the same needs and tendencies, but personalities and circumstances will shape how those needs are expressed.

Within the Montessori environments, particular to each plane of development, we provide various keys. We also provide the children with freedom and responsibility - freedom to make choices within an environment we have set for them; along with responsibility to make a choice (or lose the freedom to make a choice and have to be told what to do - something that yes we do in Montessori when absolutely necessary to the development of normalization within the child). Freedom to work as long as he likes and with as big of a work as he likes - with the responsibility to maintain the freedom of others in the environment.
"My freedom ends where your freedom begins."

We adults set the environment in such a way that the child chooses between various good things; if and when a choice for something deviant (start of bad habits, disrespect, and the like), we immediately step in. Following the child does not mean we follow the child down a path towards poor choices. We follow the child so that we see potential stumbling blocks and provide the child the keys to overcoming them. In some cases, that is physically moving the child; in some cases, that is immediately cutting in to what is happening with an instruction put the material away appropriately and come for a new presentation - immediately; in some cases, that is a conversation with the child at an age appropriate level; in some cases, that is changing up the environment so that the child gains success and self-control.

Sometimes, it is simply stopping all presentations and just loving the child.

When we follow the child, the child reveals so much to us - the wonder of the world around us, new connections we didn't see before or have forgotten from our childhood's. Every time we work with a child in humility and respect, we become a better person - a better parent, a better teacher. Better - greater than we were before. And more humble.

So, our responses are varied. But our goal remains constant: to provide the keys towards the fullest possible spiritual development of the child in our care. We follow the child to serve as a guide - and so the child can be our guide as well.

Follow the Child

Let's juxtapose a few Montessori principles to see what they reveal :)

Follow the child.

Freedom and responsibility.

The child is the constructor of the man (loose translation).



Yes, we follow the child, but if the child is leading us toward a fugue, it is OUR responsibility to re-direct him. Immediately in the case of bad habits and of danger (physical, emotional, spiritual).
That applies to both primary and elementary - and all ages actually. We do NOT let babies stick their fingers in outlets, nor toddlers to stick knives in outlets - but we do allow elementary children to build electrical circuits - because we have given them a strong foundation in safety and good habits. THUS, the child's work is ENHANCED because we provided boundaries.


Freedom and responsibility. Your freedom ends where mine begins and my freedom ends where yours begins. We do not let babies pull on mother's hair just so they have freedom (that is actually called license and Montessori was adamant that license is NOT acceptable).
They learn these boundaries that we provide for them, so that later, let's say in elementary, the children learn that they have freedom to explore their interests, AND they have the responsibility to be genuine in their work - not just busy work; they also have the responsibility to meet any local educational standards.

Ultimately, they have societal freedom and responsibility as well. We can go anywhere we want on public sidewalks, but we do not have the freedom to walk through other people's gardens and yards without permission. We have freedom to visit local nature centers, and the responsibility to follow the rules set there. They have freedom to do many things in this world, but must always be aware of the local rules and laws and customs so as to be respectful of others and be a responsible human being.


The child is the constructor of the man - but it is the other adults who must provide the appropriate tools - whether these are material-goods or metaphysical realities.


A child who has difficulty telling the truth, cannot connect with reality, has imaginary friends to the detriment of making and keeping real friends - this child has a fugue and Maria Montessori provides the solutions for working these out. We do NOT follow this child down Imaginary Friend Lane, thereby keeping him from making real friends.

A child who just LOVES workbooks and worksheets should NOT be given a curriculum that is nothing but workbooks and worksheets. These things do not help the child to THINK, to CONNECT, to INTERACT. They can have their place, a very small place in the academic Montessori - and there will indeed be "worksheets" in the real world (tax forms come to mind!) - so knowing how to use them is fine.

A child who just LOVES candy, should NOT be followed to candy dish at every meal, in between every meal. A few small treats in balance is good for the soul. Too much candy leads to unhealthy mind and body AND soul.

What about a child with a keen academic interest and the work is truly deep? SURE! Keep it GOING! But don't let him stall there either. Slowly (slower than usual) still be providing other presentation, other learning. This will only serve to ENRICH his current work, encouraging new connections and sometimes integration of the new material with the current/past. It also provides additional work choices as the first main interest peters out. If a child steeped in nothing but ancient history studies that for 5 years and never gets ANY stories, tidbits, quick presentations on his local country's history - and never touches a lick of math? Is that healthy for the child? No. He's not a "literate citizen" at that point. He doesn't need a LOT of the other stuff when an intense interest is at hand - but does need continued "food" - continued balance - to promote continued studies. We are talking a small part of the week to present a few new things - nothing major - nothing distracting - just a bit of "here is something else you can save for later". But if we avoid adding in these little bits, we have an undernourished child.

We must also trust that children are capable of multiple interests at once as well. This does not mean we overwhelm them - it just means we observe - and respond. Continue our stories. Continue planting seeds so they have LOTS of time for germination as the child works to construct himself.





Follow the child.

Freedom and responsibility.

The child is the constructor of the man (loose translation).

Album Pages are Incomplete - Part 2

No album page or lesson plan or curriculum can plan for every interest! 

ETA: No album page SHOULD be complete, because of this very reason given just above. Album pages are designed to introduce a concept, introduce a material, pique an interest -- guiding the adult in doing each of these things. Then the adult and child together, more and more the child as the years go on, come up with "what next". Will it be some of the suggested follow-ups on the album page? Another idea? What local resources do you have? What educational resources are on hand or can be made accessible. Only YOU the local person can determine YOUR local situation. 

Any album that suggests that it will provide everything for your child's complete education, implying that your child will not need ANY other resource besides these albums and materials presented to him by you... is NOT a Montessori album. 

Montessori albums are guides. They are your structure and your foundation for a life-long learning, a cosmic education. 

If an alleged Montessori album provides every last detail and instruction, then  it becomes your slave-driver; rather than following the child and the unique situation of life in front of you, you are obeying a merciless master who will make you feel inadequate when things are not done at the proper time in the proper order - and your children will not be learning how to learn, enjoying learning, establishing cosmic education within their own souls. 

Now, that does not mean we introduce unnecessary novelties; it does not mean that we do not go as deep as possible with the materials at hand before bringing in other resources. 

It simply means that we present the album presentation, pique the child's interests, cull the depths of the material at hand with resources at hand, then work with the child to see where to go next. Encourage the child to create the materials he needs whenever possible, when it is an interest of his. 

As the children get older, they can be involved in assisting to procure even the core materials - creating, helping with the ordering process, unpacking, cleaning up, repairing - whatever is needed. This sort of activity goes beyond the album page without introducing unnecessaries. 

Follow-Ups for every album page: 

• Child-planned Goings Out
• Invite a visitor on a related topic
• A timeline or chart or drawing or diagram
• Original artwork
• Write a story about this topic
• Teach this topic to another child
• Repeat however long necessary and desired to learn the concept at hand

What other follow-ups can you add to this list that would be present for ALL album pages? 

Normalization and Following the Child's Interests

Justification for "follow the child" - how and when to follow the child.

We can guide the child who is not yet normalized by controlling the environment and our interactions.

We can enhance the normalized child's experience by continuing to control the environment and our interactions.



From NAMTA Journal 23:3 Summer 1997

Maria Montessori did not base her goals on the expectations of parents, of society, or of the government. She looked at the children without compromise and strove for the best realization of their potential. 

To observe children successfully, you need a criterion for what is progress and what is not. Montessori found this criterion in the phenomenon of normalization, the primary mark of which is polarized, concentrated work. 

At the beginning, we make a lot of decisions for the children, but after they are normalized, their likes and dislikes can be trusted to reflect their developmental needs. 

(emphasis mine)