Freedom of Movement

Maria Montessori was a champion for advocating children and movement. In an era where children were meant to be seen and not heard, standing in line quietly, sitting still in one spot, and learning what was in front of them, she was a pioneer for education and movement. Has education actually reformed from these archaic expectations? I think not.

Scientifically, Maria Montessori said it well: “Children develop their brains as well as their bodies through movement, and in the process of concentration, self-discipline, and perseverance with an active interest, the foundations of character are laid. To give our children a fine start in life we must see that their surroundings satisfy their need for activity and development, remembering at the same time that our own part is not that of instructor and interferer but of helper and friend. ”

Movement is essential to all humans and living creatures. Essential. It is unnatural to expect otherwise.

I am not saying there is not a time and a place for the ability to sit still and quiet. It is an important skill to develop through isolated exercises and intentionality. Creating a “Sit Spot” for example, as we do in our Wilderness Warriors class, is an intentional exercise for a child (or adult). “Sit Spots” are a place chosen by the individual that can be a place to retreat in order to calm the senses and the body and reset. Nothing else is expected of the child except to focus on calmness.

Building stillness as a skill is a good thing. Intentional exercises carry over to other areas of life, learning, and self regulation.

I most note, however, being still and quiet does not mean a child is regulated!

Learning will occur in a child that has reached an open door, in their own development. Maria Montessori referred to this time as Sensitive Periods. It is through trusting in God’s Perfect Design that we allow the child the opportunity to learn academics at the best possible time for them, not the standardized checklists that seem to loom in every classroom.

Through the freedom of movement, children naturally show us what their needs are. As parents and educators, if we are observing and paying attention, we can catch the sensitive periods of learning and offer learning opportunities that stick. The opposition is restriction. And restriction causes anxiousness. Have you heard of “After School Restraint Collapse?” Oh… that will be the topic of my next blog post. It is in fact, one of my biggest reasons for opening a school based on movement. Stay tuned, friends!

Supporting Young Readers at Home

I often have parents ask how they can help support reading work at home. Quick advice: read together daily! Also, it’s important to make reading together a positive experience.

A frequent concern I have heard from parents:

“My child wants to read or hear the same books, over, and over, and over.” Repetition is a great thing when it comes to reading practice! It may be annoying to us as parents, but redundant reading is building those reading skills! Repetition also builds confidence. When the child knows what to expect, they feel confident to keep reading and learn to work through mistakes. Some children struggle with sorting through feelings of getting the “wrong answer”, or not getting work “right” the first time. Some struggle with concentration or sitting still enough to read a sentence. Some children are just naturally timid about reading out loud. Whatever the root is, a lack of confidence can be stifling. Repetition (with positivity!) is a great tool for building confidence.

    Keeping the experience positive is the only way to demonstrate that reading is fun. It’s also a great (and easy!) way to connect with your child. Connection is key to any type of positive growth, and reading daily together is a simple way to build a connection routine into your schedule.

    Here are a few highlighted tips for reading with a new reader:

    1. Keep it positive.
    2. Keep it short, and in predictable time frames. For example, my son knows he usually gets 3 stories at bedtime, and when he does reading practice for school work, he knows how many pages he is expected to read to count as “complete.” It can be as little as a few pages, or a whole story, depending on reading confidence and what is in the child’s “challenge zone.”
    3. Allow plenty of time for the child to process the whole page and the words. Some children just take a little longer to sort out the answers in their head and some sound words out loud. Be patient.
    4. It’s ok to read the page or whole story first before asking your child to read it back. This points back to repetition and building confidence. Eventually, your child will feel confident, and likely excited, when they are ready to branch out past their comfort zone. It will happen in it’s due time! We were all Created and Designed to learn language skills.
    5. Point along the words when reading, and also when your child is reading. Often times, I will point along for a new reader, and simply pause, without saying a word, if the child doesn’t read the word correctly. This is a positive way to offer a type of correction without triggering feelings of frustration. It also slows a rushing reader down a bit, in order to sort out sounds or words.
    6. Offer books and rotate out new material. The library is a great resource and it’s free! You can both pick books to read together.
    7. Tap into the audio and visual resources, but avoid too much screen time. The affects of screen time on children will be saved for another blog post. There is a plethora of online resources, which are great! Teaching reading, however, should be a very tangible experience. Did you ever have a favorite story growing up? Maybe it was your favorite because the pages were glossy, or nicely textured and the book had a wonderful papery smell. Which brings me to the next point:
    8. Reading should access the senses! Go outside and read under a tree. Make a scented book mark with essential oils or herbs.

    Happy reading to you and your child! Like I always say, “If a child can read, they can succeed.”

    -Mrs. Rebekah

    Doing everything

    “…for Joseph did everything, and Yahuah perfected it.”

    -Jubilees 39:13

    I can’t help but ponder the word “everything” in this quote. We all want God (Yahuah/ YHWH) to make our work prosperous and perfect and productive. Most days I feel like I am doing the same things over again that I did yesterday: washing dishes, laundry, sweeping the floors, changing diapers.. This list goes on. These things are necessary but rarely feel “productive.” Sometimes it’s nice to accomplish something that isn’t undone by the next day or hour. Motherhood requires a servant’s attitude. Not that we should put our own needs aside and let ourselves go. Even though it seems there’s limited energy by the end of the day to squeeze in another person’s need, which is usually our own. I’m working on that aspect of motherhood!

    I am still learning Biblical Hebrew, so finding the translation for the word “everything” in Jubilees 39:13 will be a treasure to seek out as I get to know the language better, but I can compare other verses of Joseph’s life and see that Joseph knew God’s commandments from Abraham’s words that he wrote.

    “But he [Joseph] did not surrender his soul, and he remembered Yahuah and the words which Jacob, his father, used to read from amongst the words of Abraham…” Jubilees 39:6.

    Ok, so Joseph knew the commandments and followed them. And he was prosperous in all he did. Joseph was enslaved and imprisoned. Is it possible he didn’t always feel prosperous and productive? He served with the joy of God’s Presence in his heart and was blessed. He worked and did everything, and Yahuah perfected it. Holding fast to His Word requires us to know His Word and turn to it in all manners of feelings and circumstances. To turn to it for encouragement when we aren’t feeling so joyful, and to remember Him when we are.

    I’m going to strive to have an attitude like Joseph. Commandments and Words held fast to my remembrance while I do everything the day demands, and with the faith that Yahuah will perfect it as He sees fit.

    Glow Worm Parenting

    Intentional parenting is exhausting. It takes mental and emotional energy to stop and make eye contact, to smile at your child’s soul when they are looking at you, and to answer with an intentional tone. I know if I’m giving attention with the glow of a screen on my face, it’s not going to count. It makes me irritated and short tempered to try and “multitask” with whatever show, podcast, or social media feed that has managed to rope me in. Investment parenting requires fullness of attention, even if it’s just for a few minutes. This very short blog post took me a whole day to write due to the amount of interruptions of the 4 children I have at home! How many snuggles, giggles, and treasures invested into my precious children would I have missed out on if I chose to be a Glow Worm Parent, stuck in the light of the blue screen!

    One Step

    One step forward in the right direction is what it takes to reach a goal . Combatting perfectionism takes faith that the step will be more than enough to gain momentum in the future. We were Designed to walk one step at a time. Have you ever tried skipping all day to get from one place to another? Maybe that should be a tik tok challenge…