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The Montessori method to help your child speak
The Montessori method helps the child to be himself, and to do things on his own. It not only has many benefits for his well-being, but it also promotes the development of his potential when he begins to speak. Emmanuelle Opezzo, Montessori specialist and creator of the place in Paris, and Marie-Helene Place, author of the children’s book “Balthazar’s imagier”, published by Hatier jeunesse, offers advice to parents who wish to help their child to express himself.
Children learn from others
In Montessori philosophy, language is one of the fundamental learnings. “The fetus hears sounds, words in its mother’s womb, from the 2nd month of pregnancy. The vibrations and rhythm felt in utero will develop his sense of hearing, ”explains Emmanuelle Opezzo. According to Maria Montessori, the child goes towards speech naturally. In the Children’s House, she saw that there was a contagion between the children, they were learning to talk to each other. “These are explosions of language, said Maria Montessori. The child develops his oral expressions around 2 years old, the age from which he really begins to speak, ”explains the specialist.
Talk to him in a natural way
“Parents can address their child the same way they would an adult, using the same words, even if they are complex or generic. You just have to explain their meaning to him. This helps to enrich the vocabulary of a toddler, even before 2 years old. Then, when he is able to speak, the child will use these “complex” words more naturally, ”advises Emmanuelle Opezzo.
Have fun with words
“To help their child develop their language, parents can offer them simple games. Name the word, without the article once, then with the article. For example, “plate”, then “plate”, then the child is asked to show the object and made to repeat the word. He can memorize the new word while having fun. Then, when he can speak, he will be asked “what is it”. At that point, he will be able to respond by remembering the word! », Explains Emmanuelle Opezzo. She also advises parents not to be in a process of results. “Parents expect a lot from their child. The Montessori method induces benevolence in child and parent relationships, fluid and natural, without seeking performance. In this case, the child will get stuck and will not want to play with new words. ! », Specifies the specialist.
The picture book represents “all that exists”
“Balthazar’s picture book is a book that helps children through the sensitive period of language development. The picture book encourages children to use new words, giving them the opportunity to classify, sort and order their impressions of the world, ”explains Marie-Hélène Place, author of Montessori children’s books. For her, this support allows her to build and develop reasoning and logical thinking. ” The words corresponding to the objects chosen in the picture book are “all that exists in the world” and they are classified by category. First of all, we find the different kinds of houses, then there is a fairly classic house, that of Balthazar, in which the child can find a resonance with his environment, ”explains the author. The child then discovers the different rooms: for example the kitchen and all the interesting objects that can be found there – from the glass to the refrigerator to the corkscrew. Then we explore the fridge and everything it contains, so on, we go inside the cupboards: coffee, pasta, etc. “The idea is to go through all the rooms in the house up to the attic,” explains Marie-Hélène Place. In her practice, Maria Montessori realized that during the first two years of her life, the child sees, hears and experiences very many things. “These millions of impressions are stored by the child, waiting to be understood. Balthazar’s picture book allows the child to put words on these impressions and to classify them. By ordering “everything that exists” into categories, he can then receive or express information about the world, which appears to him to be organized, “says the specialist. “A place for everything and everything in its place”, Maria Montessori said on this subject.
Simple advice
Marie-Hélène Place recommends a few very simple tips to apply on a daily basis: “ Draw your child’s attention to what is written on the boxes and signs. Very early on, you can help him recognize the sounds of the letters that make up the words. “. Finally, the author thinks that it is necessary to privilege the situations where “reading, listening and writing poetry are part of the learning to read and write, it is a kind of language that the child can approach very young. », She concludes.