Valentine’s Day is a perfect day for celebrating friendships in a Montessori classroom. In fact, a lot of classrooms choose to call February 14th, “Friendship Day.”
Montessori philosophy embodies all that it means to be a good friend… speaking kindly to one another, respecting one another’s differences, taking care of our community by helping out when needed, keeping the environment peaceful and beautiful for everyone to enjoy, sharing, waiting our turn, and using our peaceful voice to resolve conflicts. Grace and Courtesy is a keystone of the Montessori classroom.
On this Valentine’s Day, in a world where we need to see the fruits of peace and friendship more than ever, consider allowing your child to create handmade friendship cards, pictures, bead bracelets or collage for their friends. The children feel intrinsically rewarded when their gift happens organically. Hearing a child say, ”look what __ made for me!” and seeing the smile on the faces of the giver and recipient, is priceless. It may not be the “traditional” products we have all grown so used to seeing this time of year, however, allowing your child to express their love for their friends in their own way is what Friendship Day is all about.
“Because the teacher respects each child… the children treat one another with the same respect and kindness”.
–Maria Montessori
Read about Preschool Valentine Practical Life Activities here:
https://montessorifromtheheart.com/2020/02/14/preschool-valentine-practical-life-activities/
