Category: HotH
One of the questions we get all the time from prospective parents is how the Montessori education prepares their child for the Primary 1 Ministry of Education Singapore (MOE) Mathematics.
Montessori at Home: Learning Responsibilities at Home Thinking about setting up a Montessori home learning environment? This is a fantastic way to reinforce key Montessori principles, foster positive educational habits, and participate in your child’s developmental journey at home. The Montessori concept of “help me to do it myself” is the most important principle to keep in mind when setting up the Montessori activity. With Montessori education, the goal is for your child to learn through authentic experiences. Using everyday household objects also teaches an important lesson: responsibility. Children learn to treat their things and the possessions of their friends and family with care. Dr. Montessori believed that every child is capable of greatness when given the opportunity to learn, make mistakes, and grow. Having the right environment to do that is essential. It’s essential to remember that the Montessori experience isn’t limited to a room for learning. Your child doesn’t stop learning and exploring when they put a book back on the shelf or clean up their art supplies. The Montessori experience is a whole-home experience – from the kitchen to the bathroom, from the bedroom to the living room. The goal of all parents is to help guide your child to become a happy, healthy, and independent individual. Your child will develop their inner discipline and work towards the path to independence when they are given ample opportunities to complete the tasks set up in the Prepared Environment at home. Here are our top 4 activities 1. Keeping the House Clean Children love to help clean, sweep, scrub, and wipe. These chores allow them to practise their physical movements and manipulative tasks and engage them in keeping the home clean. Remember to first demonstrate the task step by step, and model the whole process while your child waits and watches until you are finished. Once you hand the task over, try not to interrupt or comment, so your child can experience a sense of accomplishment, with every attempt they made. It may not be perfect in your eyes, but it is important to let your child be satisfied with their accomplishment and efforts! 2. Taking Care of Laundry How to make a washing machine out of cardboard. You’ll need the following tools and materials to build your DIY cardboard washing machine. Materials Used Cardboard Box Duct Tape Electrical Tape Kraft Paper Cutter Scissors Marker Glue Round Laundry Basket Round Objects (such as bottle caps; to serve as control switches) Instructions Design the front panel – Using the recycled cardboard box, outline. First, you can draw a big circle for its door. You can use your laundry basket as a pattern. Then, draw some small circles for the buttons. You can add some, numbers, and other features. Then colour them according to what design you want. You can even paint it. Anything creative. Make a door – Draw the door onto the cardboard and cut the circle. You can choose to have the washing door on the front or at the top. Attach a small and light door handle. Then, re-attach the door using a hinge. Assemble the body – You can now assemble the box to make the body of the washing machine. Add a laundry basket. Check the size – Make sure the sides are fully attached. You can use glue or a glue gun and support with duct tape to maintain further shape. Next, ask your child to pick the clothes he or she would like to wash in the washing machine. Once the clothes are cleaned, ask your child to hang them on the clothesline to dry. If your child would like the clothes wet for the full effect, add water into a bucket for them to wash in cold water, making sure they wring out the clothes before handing them on the line. 3. Folding Clothes Folding clothes also encourages children to spend lots of loosely structured time purposefully and wisely in activities that promote: Learning new words and gaining language skills. How to make this easy DIY child-sized folding board. Materials The materials that you need for this project are cardboard, scissors, and tape. Instructions The cardboard should be 55cm x 50cm. Important to remember the two flaps must be equal in width. Shown below are the pieces marked and labelled. Use the scissors to cut along the lines. Now we add the tape onto the back of the pieces and as per the display below. The key is that the side flaps and the bottom flap must be able to fold. The tape is the “hinge”. Ask your child to pick a shirt they wish to use for the folding board. Place the item on the folding board. Fold one flap and the shirt over then fold the other and shirt over (see picture below). Bring the flaps (without the shirt) back flat. Fold up the bottom flap and shirt. Bring the bottom flap back down without the shirt. Then watch as your child is proud of their effort at folding his or her shirt. 4. Sorting and Organisation of Clothes Doesn’t it feel like children outgrow their clothes with amazing speed? This is a good time to empty closets of clothing they have outgrown, as well as sorting through and organising them so that children can become more independent and take care of their belongings on their own. Children as young as 2 years old can begin to learn sorting. Have your child help match and sort out socks, or they can sort their clothing by colour. Not only does this build math skills and help them identify colours, but it can become a fun game for them as well! For older children, guide them to fold or hang the clothing up. Model how you want them to do it and try not to expect perfection immediately. Practice makes perfect! Important Tips to Remember Freedom of Choice: Encourage your child to choose an activity based on their interests. One Activity at a
4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour Helping children with self-awareness and confidence Developing self-confidence and self-awareness enables children to develop relationships, express their emotions and desires and become resilient, self-confident learners. It is good to know this is something that can be nurtured from birth. At House on the Hill, we play a role in supporting children to have a strong sense of self and be in touch with their emotions and bodies. “Making friends and having respect are important skills that should be encouraged to support children’s social interactions”, said Marilyn Ow, Principal of Mount Sophia School. “At House on the Hill, we focus on how to increase self-esteem and self-belief in children under five, as well as help children to make friends and form relationships with their peers and educators,” she said. “If children have a strong sense of self they are less likely to experience negative social interactions and more likely to have positive relationships.” Children use relationships with their caregivers to form their “sense of self” and it is through positive caregiver relationships that children learn that they are valued and important in this world. Children with a stronger sense of self have: Improved self-esteem. Decreased stress and anxiety. Decreased depression. Increased persistence, particularly for challenging tasks. Improved problem-solving skills. Teachers and Educators are in the perfect position to support children with their emerging social interactions, improving their self-esteem and helping them connect with the world. Making and keeping friends may sound easy for us adults, but for young children, this may be something new and difficult. Just like supporting a child to walk or to learn to write, our role at House on the Hill is that of behaviour coach to support the child to learn the steps involved in making and keeping friends. By promoting and teaching social skills to young children, this will positively impact their behaviour, learning and health outcomes. House on the Hill has a strong focus on teaching children emotional regulation and confidence through a mindfulness program that supports children to connect with themselves. Teaching children to be more aware of their physical reactions and able to link them to their behaviours is helping them develop the confidence they need to deal with challenging social situations in later years. “When children are more in sync with their behaviour and reactions, they are more confident and more likely to stand up for themselves if they experience something they don’t like,” she said. For example, if two children want to play with the same toy and one of the children snatches the toy away, an educator will talk the children through the experience as it is happening. “Often a common and immediate reaction to this scenario is for the other child to push or snatch the toy, so an educator will narrate the experience and explain to both children what has just happened. By giving them the words, the children can express themselves and it also models a way of managing the situation,” she said. This helps the children to connect their emotions to the event that occurred and the language that describes that event: Acknowledge the feelings – “You must have felt really sad and hurt that Tom snatched your toy away.” Describe the situation – “I can see that you are missing one car from your park. Tom is also trying to line his cars at the traffic light” Provide the solution – “Let’s try showing Tom what you are trying to do with all your cars first. Then he can have your car when you’re finished with it.” What can you do to support your child at home? Parents can try this approach at home when they get frustrated or angry. Children then see and hear adults they trust in similar situations, helping them to understand that it happens to everyone and even people they care about. They also learn from adults about how to respond to these situations. Boost your child’s self-esteem by being a positive role model at home. Help children learn to complete tasks themselves, giving them a sense of achievement and pride. Acknowledge effort and refrain from giving harsh criticism. By helping build your child’s self-esteem, you let them know how valued and important they are. Talking about strengths and challenges can help children gain self-awareness. Getting children involved in something they like and are good at can raise self-awareness and confidence. By allowing your child to make decisions about how to behave in social situations you are giving them the understanding that they have responsibility for their interactions. It is also helpful to provide opportunities for choices during routines and play.
4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour Montessori at Home: Behavioural Strategies to Help Improve Your Child’s Sleep With Evelyn Bonney, Sleep Consultant Are you having trouble with your child at bedtime? You are not alone! It’s normal for children to want to be in control and push boundaries. It’s an important part of their cognitive development. So how do we as parents navigate this? It’s developmentally normal for children to test the boundaries. Our job as parents and caregivers is to create safe, healthy, predictable limits and boundaries for our children. When you keep to those limits, your children feel safer and more secure. You need to re-establish the balance of control which is key to getting your child to bed and sleeping through the night. House on the Hill engaged Evie, Founder of Evelyn Bonney Sleep Consulting to conduct a workshop with our parents. Evie is a registered nurse, founder of Evelyn Bonney Sleep Consulting, mum of 3 (including twins!) and a certified Sleep Sense™ Consultant. As a certified sleep consultant, with 20 years of nursing experience, she is able to support parents when they need it most. So how do we make it easier? Choices, Connection and Confidence The 3 C’s = help children to adapt to changes more easily and help to instil intrinsic motivation. Choices – Offer choices to your child at the appropriate times. This will allow them to feel in control of some situations and reduce overwhelm, while still giving you as parents, the space to implement strong boundaries. Connection – Acknowledge your child’s feelings using empathy, compassion, and a problem-solving process. This helps them feel validated, heard, and connected which = less bedtime boundary-pushing. Confidence – BE CONFIDENT and stay consistent. Top 4 Tips Below are the top four tips to ease bedtime battles. You can also use these strategies throughout the day to manage being overwhelmed and maintain boundaries. Give them time warnings. Transitioning from one task to the next is hard for many young children and it’s completely normal. Giving them time warnings can be a very effective way to get their brains ready to make the transition to the next activity before it happens. For example, “In 5 minutes we are going to start putting the Lego away and then go out”. “In 5 minutes we are going to go upstairs to get ready for bed”. The amount of time you specify doesn’t matter with younger children, but the warning itself is very useful when implemented with consistency to help them get mentally ready for what is coming next. Give them choices. Children LOVE being in control. Offering choices to your child at the appropriate times will allow them to feel in control of some situations and reduce overwhelm, while still giving you as parents, the space to implement strong boundaries. A proper choice has 2 equally positive choices. For example: Of these 2 pairs of pyjamas, which would you like to wear? Of these 4 stories, which 2 would you like to hear? Tell them exactly what is going to happen next. Not only does this help foster language development but it can also help to prevent overwhelm and emotional dysregulation. Give them specific details like “we are going to go out to the shop in the car”. When you then approach the car, there is less chance your child will become overwhelmed about having to get in, as it’s not a new piece of information for them to process. Be consistent and stick to your boundaries. Do the same bedtime routine every night! Don’t underestimate the importance of consistency. Being consistent and sticking to boundaries ultimately makes your child feel more safe and secure and less out of control of their situation. It is hard to say NO and stick to it when it leads to being overwhelmed but ultimately it ensures a secure bond between you as parents and your child. What is the approach at House on the Hill with sleep and quiet time in our schools? At House on the Hill, we understand the importance of consistency between the approach in school and at home. We share with parents the approach to children’s sleep and quiet time in school as the children work towards independent sleep patterns. Below are the steps our Teachers follow during sleep and quiet activities: Infants in our Nido room For our young infants in our Nido, our Teachers work with the parents to understand and follow their child’s sleep patterns. For the older infants, rest occurs in the middle of the day. The Teachers signal their sleep and quiet time by setting up the children’s cot/bed on the floor and laying their bedding down. Once the children are settled in their bed, the lights are turned off and the curtains are closed and the Teachers stay close to keep an eye out whilst the children sleep. Our Nido team works together with parents, considering each child’s unique needs, therefore creating a sleep environment that promotes children’s health and development. Playgroup to Kindergarten Children Sleep or quiet activity time is crucial for children at House on the Hill. This period of rest gives your little one a chance to break away from constant stimulation and calms their mind and body. The Teachers start the routine to signal it is time for sleep and quiet activities. The children collect their bedding, set up their cot and lie down. Once the children are settled in their cot, the lights are turned off and the curtains are closed with soft music playing in the background. This approach is consistent with the idea of teaching the children self-independence. By allowing children to fall asleep on their own, they learn to self-soothe and regulate their emotions. This can lead to better sleep for both children and parents. With newly enrolled children in our schools,
4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour Keep Calm and Help Children Learn Calm and peaceful parenting is a distinctive positive approach in which the aim is to promote harmony and respect in a family’s daily life. This method places emphasis on less conflict and creating more cooperation by understanding the root cause of children’s behaviour. By teaching children to be calm, we need to role-model calmness ourselves. Most of what children learn about emotions comes from us. How we respond to our own worries, stress and frustrations will guide the children to learn to manage different everyday experiences and challenges. As you experience challenging emotions and situations, demonstrating how you bounce back will help your child relate better to respond to their own issues with optimism, calmness, and confidence. Calmness helps reduce children’s “alarm reaction” (fight-flight-freeze) and allows them to feel safe and secure enough to think rationally and learn a better way of behaving and coping while building trust. When your child is calm, they will have more focus and concentration to be more engaged in activities they are interested in. Consistency is also critical. It’s what sets the tone and will immediately put your child at ease in their environment. Children need to feel safe to learn Children need to be given the right environment for learning. Our Teachers at House on the Hill have adopted the approach of calm and consistent Montessori environments, recommending a balance between intentional and child-led learning, in an environment that is safe and predictable. Montessori environments are structured differently than classrooms in traditional preschools and childcare centres. The method integrates practices that lean into children’s natural tendencies, weaving classroom and behavioural management into regular, everyday practices. “To understand the children’s behaviour, we need to know the trigger or functional need of the child to feel and behave the way they do. We provide them with the safe environment to express their feelings and make them feel validated”. “By acknowledging their feelings, we help them to relate to their big emotions and let them feel connected with us. We continue to describe and talk about their situation to address their functional need and provide solutions for them to support them”. Ms Marilyn Ow, Founding Principal of House on the Hill Central to this approach is having a predictable and consistent environment that facilitates the development of your child. Helpful Tips For Keeping Calm Environments Importance of Calmness: Children learn by example: Adults need to model calmness to teach children how to manage their own emotions. Calmness promotes learning: When children feel calm, they are more receptive to learning and problem-solving. Calmness fosters trust and security: A calm environment helps children feel safe and secure, essential for learning and development. Montessori Approach: Balance between structured and child-led learning: This provides children with both opportunities for exploration and guidance. Predictable and consistent environment: Helps children feel safe and secure, allowing them to focus on learning. Modelling appropriate behaviour: Adults demonstrate how to interact effectively, manage emotions, and solve problems. Tips for Creating a Calm Environment: Stay calm yourself: Recognize your stress triggers and take steps to de-escalate. Establish routines: Consistency reduces anxiety and creates a sense of security. Practice self-regulation: Children learn to self-regulate by observing calm and consistent adults. Be patient and understanding: Respect children’s capabilities and avoid placing unrealistic expectations. Let go of small issues: Focus on what truly matters and avoid creating unnecessary tension. Teach children coping mechanisms: Help them understand and manage frustration in a healthy way. Open communication: Discuss emotions openly and help children learn to express themselves constructively. By incorporating these principles, parents and Teachers can create a calm and nurturing environment that fosters children’s emotional well-being and learning.
Leading Montessori Infant Care in Balmoral From birth to age 3, your child’s brain is developing more rapidly than at any other time. Book A Tour A typical day in the life of our Nido children Our Nido, or ‘nest’ (in Italian) is the perfect nurturing environment for children aged 2-17 months. In these formative years, their mind is like a sponge, soaking up huge amounts of information from their environment. This is when children develop their sense of self and their sense of their place in the world. Our Teachers follow flexible routines that are created to allow your child to feel confident and safe while learning and having fun every day! These routines ensure a consistent and high-quality Montessori education that supports your child’s learning, development, and identity. So what does a day in the life look like for our Nido children? As parents and children arrive at our House on the Hill – Balmoral School, our Teachers welcome them and help with each child’s transition into the day. As you wave goodbye to your child, their Teacher will take them to the room to put their bag in the cubby hole with your child’s name on it. A nutritious snack is served at 8:30 am to kickstart the day to give them lots of energy! The morning is a time to explore new ideas together After a snack, the children participate in group sharing sessions and creative development. Group sessions add to children’s sense of belonging and typically feature a thematic topic (examples of Thematic topics include: sensory play, all about me and feelings). Children are then invited to explore a range of engaging, interest-based activities designed to build each child’s development. These activities are carefully planned by our experienced Teachers and often include creative arts, music and movement, and storytelling. After this session, the children move on to the next activity. For our children aged 2 to 12 months It’s tummy and gym time. Supervised tummy time is important because it helps to: Strengthen your baby’s neck, shoulder, and arm muscles so your baby can start to sit up, crawl, and eventually walk on their own. This will help improve your baby’s ability to move and control their muscles to complete various actions (sometimes called “motor skills”). We also make sure our children spend time in the outdoors exploration time too. For our children 13 to 17 months It’s movement, games, and outdoor exploration to develop their motor skills. This is an exciting time for our children and provides an opportunity to explore, discover and appreciate the natural world, as well as be active, strengthen fine and gross motor movement skills, test physical limits and get messy. Time spent in the outdoors is an important part of the daily program for all our children, including infants. The mid-morning, where everything is possible It’s time for their routine care with bottle feeding, creating a calm and relaxing environment for feeding. The Teachers will spend some time cuddling and bonding with your child after feeding. Next, it’s time to change your child’s diapers to freshen up your little one. While doing this, the Teachers will talk to your child and sing songs to keep them entertained during the diaper change. The rest of our morning is spent learning and exploring together! The Teachers begin the children’s Mandarin lesson where they talk to the children in Mandarin to build a solid foundation in their listening skills. We strive to instil a love of the language in each child by making it fun! Our teachers approach lessons with a sense of adventure, using animation, and lots of body movement to keep students engaged. Next, the children engage in Montessori activities which include: Practical life activities are at the core of the Montessori philosophy. They introduce children to the concept of education as an aid and a preparation for life and assist them in developing a sense of order, concentration, independence, and coordination. Examples of practical life activities include transferring, pouring, opening and closing bottle caps activities. Working with the Montessori learning materials such as the object, permanence box, imbucare box, ball tracker. In the middle of the day, time for lunch and a well-needed rest Respectful mealtimes are an important part of our day. Our bespoke menu plan was developed by a world-renowned nutritionist and is freshly cooked and nutritionally balanced. We often share a family-style meal where our Teachers take the opportunity to connect with the children and share thoughts and ideas. This is also an opportunity for older children to practice self-help skills. Children are encouraged to feed themselves with the assistance of our Teachers. Following lunch, the children have the chance to rest. After a stimulating and busy morning, rest time is an important opportunity to rest physically and unwind emotionally. For the older children rest occurs in the middle of the day, for younger children rest time varies depending on their needs. For children enrolled in the half-day session, the Teachers will get them ready for collection. The afternoon is an opportunity to learn and connect When children wake up from their sleep or finish their rest, some exciting new activities will be waiting for them. The afternoon is a time to transition back into learning and play. Teachers will set up new educational activities that will often follow on from what has been taught that morning, to create continuity of learning. We have some time to share afternoon tea before your child participates in group-sharing sessions and creative development. We have another group session where the children review the thematic topics learnt in the morning session and explore a range of engaging, interest-based activities including creative arts, music and movement, and storytelling. The next activity is outdoor playtime which is child-driven play in the outdoor playground and mud kitchen. Child-driven play is when your child will have the freedom of choice to choose the outdoor materials that they like to play with. Child-driven playtime helps improve
Linking Numeracy to Everyday Life Mealtimes are a perfect opportunity to get a family together. Not only does it benefit the children with a sense of routine and security, but it’s also a great time to integrate numbers and math skills into everyday life for children of all ages. The preparation, serving and even eating can all play a part in a fun way to use counting and math skills in a way that a child can relate to. There are many ways to integrate numbers into meals. Some are as simple as just asking math questions while eating. Other numerical exercises could be in the exploration of making meals; timing how long things will cook, counting the number of items to put on a plate or how many plates or bowls there are. For babies, mealtimes are the perfect opportunity to talk about and show your baby basic ideas, like, more, empty, or full. You can also do some basic counting, “you’ve got two strawberries. One, two!” 4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour Cooking When your child helps in the kitchen, preparing food and getting ready to eat, they take ownership of the meal. When you eat the meal with your child, talk about their flavours, smells, and textures, increasing vocabulary with words such as “spicy” and “crunchy.” Ask your child to be an “assistant chef” and stir, pour, and wash. Following directions for measuring and counting will enhance their math and listening skills. And observing what happens to food as it cooks or cools is science! Measuring Weighing out ingredients on a set of kitchen scales and counting the numbers can be exciting. Firstly, by teaching your child the differences between how various substances are measured, you can create the foundation to move on to more advanced quantities. Secondly, ask your child to count the ingredients or count the number of cups and teaspoons when preparing. Here are the ingredients to make a Mini Healthy Carrot Zucchini Muffins. 1 cup white whole-wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey 1 large egg, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup finely grated zucchini 1/2 cup finely grated carrot 1/2 cup raisins To follow the recipe, click here. Setting the table Count the number of people going to eat. Choose and count the cutlery for each person. How many plates do we need? How many spoons do we need? Serving the food When teaching children maths skills through baking, try to frame your lessons by using scenarios. While it’s good to challenge your child’s arithmetic skills, throwing in a real-world scenario, will provide them with a better understanding of how these skills apply to later life. For example, Dad would like two muffins. Of the remaining muffins, split between me, you, and your sister, how many equal muffins will we each have? Using scenarios is a fantastic way to teach your child to think independently and apply their understanding of real-life mathematical problems. Let’s eat Slicing a pizza or pie is a way to introduce the concept of fractions. Halving or quartering bread and then putting the pieces back together is another good method of demonstrating division. Cleaning up Clearing away the dishes can be a great way of sorting various piles of utensils, pots and pans. How many spoons did we use? Who ate all their muffins? How many pieces of melon are left on the dish? TIPS By incorporating these tips, you can turn mealtimes into valuable learning opportunities that instil a love for math and cooking in your child! Adapt difficulty based on age and skill level. Start with simple counting and progress to more complex concepts like multiplication and division as children grow. Make it fun and engaging! Use games, songs, and storytelling to keep children motivated. Focus on the process, not just the answers. Allow children to explore and make mistakes, learning from the experience. Celebrate successes and encourage effort. Make mealtime math a positive learning experience. Babies (6 to 12 months): Introduce basic concepts like “more,” “empty,” and “full.” Count simple objects like fruit or utensils. Young Children (1 to 3 years): Help in the kitchen with age-appropriate tasks like stirring, pouring, and washing. Measure and count ingredients, discussing volume and units. Set the table, counting plates, utensils, and chairs. Older Children (3 to 6 years): Solve real-world math problems in cooking scenarios, like dividing cake slices or converting recipe quantities. Learn fractions by slicing pizza or pie. Practice sorting and counting while cleaning up. From learning maths skills through measuring and converting, to understanding scientific topics, the world of cooking presents the perfect opportunity for your child to explore, learn and grow. Start your journey of cooking and baking with your little one today!
Celebrating the Lunar New Year is a wonderful time to introduce children to the vibrant world of Chinese culture. And what better way to do that than through a hands-on, interactive activity that brings the beloved Chinese zodiac animals to life? Bringing the Chinese zodiac animals to life for children is a wonderful way to share this fascinating culture and its traditions. This matching card game is a simple yet powerful tool for supporting your child’s cognitive development and will help contribute to building a strong foundation for memory, perception, thinking, and attention skills. Start your DIY print-and-play matching card game with your child now! Click the image for our DIY printable Materials: Paper or cardstock: Choose sturdy paper or cardstock for your cards. Thicker material will make the game more durable. Printer: You’ll need a printer to print out your card designs. Scissors or paper cutter: For cutting out the cards. Optional: Laminator (for extra durability), glue stick (for attaching backing paper), markers or crayons (for personalizing the cards). Click here to download your House on the Hill Chinese Zodiac Animals Matching Card Game Instructions 1. Prepare for the game Print your cards on your chosen paper or cardstock. Carefully cut out the individual cards using scissors or a paper cutter. Optional steps: Laminate: Laminating your cards will make them waterproof and more durable, especially if you’ll be playing with young children. Add backing paper: If your cardstock is thin, you can glue a piece of plain paper to the back of each card to make it sturdier. 2. Play the game There are several ways to play this game: Matching: Shuffle the cards and matching pieces and lay them face down on the table. Players take turns flipping over two cards at a time, trying to find a match. The player with the most matches at the end wins. Memory game: Lay all the cards face down on the table. Players take turns flipping over two cards at a time, trying to remember where the matching card is. The player who finds the most pairs wins. Sorting: Sort the cards and matching pieces into groups based on the animals. This is a good way for younger children to learn the names of the zodiac animals. Montessori-inspired learning outcomes By playing the matching card game, your child will learn the following outcomes: Open-ended play: The game can be played in different ways, allowing for different levels of challenge and engagement. Sensorial development: The different textures and materials of the cards and matching pieces can stimulate children’s senses. Concentration and memory: The matching and memory game variations help children develop their concentration and memory skills. Fine motor skills: Cutting, drawing, and manipulating the cards and matching pieces help children develop their fine motor skills. Additional tips: Bilingual families are encouraged to play in both English and Mandarin Make the game more challenging by adding more than one matching piece per card. For younger children, start with just a few animals and gradually add more as they become familiar with them. We hope this activity helps you and your little ones explore the captivating world of the Chinese zodiac in a fun and meaningful way! Happy Lunar New Year!
4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour Little children use behaviours like crying or running away to communicate with the bigger people in their lives. Behaviour is all about communication, and it’s our job as adults to learn what children are trying to tell us through their behaviours. Thinking of children’s behaviours as a form of communication helps us to create environments where children feel safe, understood, secure and supported. We know that in those environments, children learn to interact with others with care, empathy and respect, skills that prepare them for school and life. How can co-regulation and self-regulation support your child? Co-regulation is you and your child working together to achieve a calm regulated state. Self-regulation is when your child can regulate their behaviour. Here’s our three top tips for understanding children’s behaviours and how to help them co-regulate. 1. How to interact with your child We need to understand that crying and other behaviours are children’s ways of communicating with us and asking us for help. Many of us were brought up in a time when parents would say ‘don’t cry’ or ‘you’re okay’, or ‘they’re just being silly’, and they would dismiss our emotions. So, it can be hard for us to interact with our children differently when that’s what we’ve been taught. For example, drop off and pick up at preschool can be hard for children, especially when they first start. When you leave your child instead of saying ‘you’re ok’ try saying, ‘I understand you’re sad.’ 2. Support your child to build relationships As humans, we are hardwired to be in relationships with others – children are trying to build relationships with others in their lives, but they may not know the best way to communicate or negotiate. Some of the behaviours you might see when a child is having difficulty communicating include: Crying and yelling Hitting, kicking, pushing Throwing or breaking things Running away Blank face – no connection/expression Silent sobbing – deep quick breaths When you see these behaviours, your child is not attention seeking – they are connection seeking. They are telling you they need you, but they don’t have the skills to communicate so they act out instead. It’s our job to decode their behaviours and emotions and support children to develop the skills and strategies they need to self-regulate. Try taking a moment to consider what’s happening in their environment, what they might have experienced that day, or what they might be asking for. For example, could your child be hungry, tired, or anxious? Could they be sad to leave their friends at the end of the day? In these moments, approach your child calmly and help guide them through explaining to you how they’re feeling. 3. Support positive behaviours The environments we create at home and in schools are crucial to driving positive behaviours in children. As adults, we can do this by: It is okay to let your child release their emotions. Allow your child to release the tears in a supportive environment. It doesn’t matter why they are crying, or where they are crying, or how hard they are crying – it’s okay to just allow it and support it. Creating calm, structured, and predictable environments. Example: Create a cosy or calming corner for your child to go to. Building a responsive and reciprocal warm relationship with your child is important, to build their trust. Developing strategies to assist in hard times – it is important to let children have a say and let them have choices. Co-regulation is a wonderful way to assist your child to understand and regulate their emotions and help you manage challenging situations. They have to name it to tame it. Help your child to identify big feelings by labelling your child’s emotions. For example, ‘It seems like that really frustrates you’ or ‘I can see you’re sad when’. Breathe together – Calmly take breaths so your child can see you practising self-calming. Or you can hold your child while you breathe deeply so your child can feel the rhythm of breathing. Body calming – slowly and rhythmically rub your child’s back or feet. Connecting like this lets them know that you will be there when they are ready to talk. Backstories – Tell your child a story while drawing on the top half of your child’s back. For example, draw a circle with rays for the sun. Then switch places and let your child tell a story on your back. Music – sing or play relaxing songs. Model how to sing/dance/play an instrument. Your child will learn to use music as an active calming tool. Sensory activities – Creating a soothing environment can reduce stress. Try lowering lights and turning off noisy toys. Support If you need support in understanding your child’s behaviours and what they’re trying to tell you, reach out to their Educators and Teachers at House on the Hill, who will be able to use their expertise to help you navigate these moments.
4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour The holidays are a time for magic, fun, and spending quality time with loved ones. Here are 5 exciting activities you can do with your child during this festive season and create lasting memories together. Write a letter to Santa (or the grandparents) While writing a letter in 2023 might not be a daily activity, it is still a life skill and an engaging activity for children of all ages! Writing a letter can be as fun as receiving one. Help your child write a letter to Santa, a grandparent, friend, or even their teacher at school. Ask your child to write about their accomplishments at school, the kind things they have done for your family and friends, and how well they have listened to their parents.Click here for tips on how to get started. Make some Christmas truffles House on the Hill founder Jing, and her sons Kai and Hans show us how to make some delicious Christmas truffles at home. We must warn you that these are always a hit and disappear the minute they’re ready to be eaten! Click here for the recipe and some Montessori at Home tips. Craft a D.I.Y Paper Bag Reindeer Christmas crafts are a great way to bond and entertain your little ones while letting them be creative. This activity will help to develop your child’s creativity and get them to work on their fine motor skills. It also encourages them to be resourceful in using the materials around them to create a meaningful craft. Click here for instructions. Prepare some healthy Santa Claus Fruit Skewers Whilst you are in the kitchen planning your festive menus, it’s a good time to involve your child in the planning, shopping and preparation for the feasting to come. Here’s a healthy and delicious Christmas-themed cookery Montessori at Home activity for you to make with them. Click here for the recipe and tips. Countdown to the new year with a Frosty the Snowman Craft Countdown It’s an exciting time of year and children everywhere are counting down till the new year. This festive season craft has many benefits. Firstly it’s fun and reinforces number recognition and counting skills. It is also a great way to encourage children to write with pleasure and joy. Get directions for how to create this craft here. Remember, the most important thing is to spend quality time with your child and create lasting memories. Be flexible, embrace the mess, and most importantly, have fun! Share Your Moments with Us We’d love to see your fun festive moments. Don’t forget to tag us @houseonthehillsg on Facebook and Instagram!
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