LSL x Montessori: How They’re Similar, How They’re Not

We had always intended to incorporate some Montessori values into our parenting.

Maria Montessori's "The Secret of Childhood" is one of our favorite reads.

When we got our daughter's diagnosis, we were prepared to overhaul our approach to whatever our LSL team recommended. But, we've been pleasantly surprised by how much they align!

Montessori - a Surprising History

We got curious and looked up a brief history of the Montessori philosophy's founder, Maria Montessori.  Her life story is incredible, as she was one of the first women in Italy to attend medical school. It turns out, Maria Montessori developed her methods back in the early 1900s, while working with special needs children! She suspected that many special needs children had more potential to learn than they were being given credit for.

Montessori suspected that many special needs children had more potential to learn than they were being given credit for.

She changed the approach, found success, and saw how her new methods could benefit all children.

Similarities in Montessori & LSL 

Here are 3 similarities we've seen between LSL and Montessori!

1 ~ A Heavy Lean Into Simple Toys

Montessori classrooms are famous for their low shelves, bearing beautiful, simple toys.

Our Early Intervention speech classes often focus on simple toys like blocks, balls, simple dolls, stacking cups, and a plush bird house.

Our team has encouraged us to avoid electronic toys, which is also a tenet of modern-day Montessori schools.

2 ~ Respecting The Individual Child's Learning Style

Getting a baby to cooperate is a true art! 

We love how our speech instructors carefully observe our baby's reactions and learning style. They calibrate the lessons using a give-and-take approach that allows the baby to do some leading, while also guiding her towards a strategic skill.

Montessori also focuses on giving children autonomy while building their skills.

3 ~ Fostering Early Independence

The goals of both Montessori and LSL are children who can confidently and respectfully navigate their world and advocate for themselves.

One Key Difference

An important distinction we've noticed is how LSL and Montessori are implemented in preschools. And, it comes down to acoustics.

Traditional Montessori classrooms can be loud!

Traditional Montessori classrooms can be loud!

The focus on individual play—without an equally important focus on acoustics—means a bit of auditory chaos.

So, a traditional Montessori preschool is not as appealing to us as it was before.

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But, our baby is a year old now, so preschool choice is a ways away! For now, our use of Montessori ideals and our LSL work hand in hand!