Wonderland Montessori of Flower Mound

Researchers reviewed 32 studies and came back with a clear answer. If you've ever wondered whether Montessori is worth it, this one's for you!

New Meta Study: Montessori Education Leads to Positive Student Outcomes A recent meta-analysis of Montessori research may help put the debate to rest: Montessori does have a robust positive effect on students’ academic and non-academic outcomes.

Is your child playing alone? Good. Don't interrupt!

Independent play is one of the most valuable gifts you can give your child (and yourself!). When a child is deeply engaged, their brain is building focus, creativity, and problem-solving capacity.

Your job in those moments? Observe. Step back. Trust the process.

Encouraging Independent Play — Montessori in Real Life Promoting independence is a key component of Montessori, in large part, because it allows the child to feel respected, capable, and content. One of the best ways to encourage independence is through play. If toddlers can feel comfortable and confident playing on their own, they will also feel capabl

Happy World Book Day!

The best thing you can do for your child's literacy? Read to them. Every single day.

World Book Day is a reminder that a love of reading begins long before a child can decode words. It begins with being read to, hearing language, seeing pages turn, and feeling the warmth of a lap and a voice.

Booklist for Children - Montessori Education Dozens of great books for children, ages 0-6+, vetted by experienced Montessori teachers and Montessori parents

Happy Earth Day! 🌍💚

Today, we celebrate our beautiful planet and how it dances through space!

In the Montessori elementary classroom, a simple yarn ball on a string and a styrofoam ball on a dowel become powerful teaching tools as children discover Earth's two magnificent movements:

🌀 ROTATION - Earth spinning on its axis (hello, day and night!)
🌀 REVOLUTION - Earth orbiting the sun in its elliptical path (hello, seasons!)

The real fun is when children take turns becoming the Earth, spinning on their axes as they walk in circles around the "sun." They experience the cosmic dance through their own bodies.

This is the Montessori approach. We help children feel, see, and embody abstract concepts.

Fortunately for us, our Earth never gets dizzy and keeps moving: rotating and revolving every day around our sun! 💫

This Earth Day, we honor our planet by helping children truly understand and appreciate the magnificent movements that make life possible.

Meltdowns are as inevitable as sleepless nights, but practicing co-regulation skills can help you get through them.

Here’s how one mom turns a 3-year-old’s tantrum into a valuable lesson on emotional regulation.

How to manage your child’s emotions during tantrums This gentle parenting trick is a powerful lesson in emotional regulation — it’s all about staying calm.

Better academics. Stronger social skills. Greater creativity. The science on Montessori keeps growing, and the findings might surprise you!

What Does Research Tell Us About Montessori? | Montessori Foundation | Montessori Family Alliance What Does Research Tell Us About Montessori? by Ann Epstein Ph.D | MFA, Research, TC December 2023 ‹ Previous Highlighting Your School: Pensacola Montessori Next › 2023 Graduation Reflections Related Posts How to Create Closeness: Tips to Connect with Your Family During the Holidays A Letter fro...

The safest thing you can do for your child might be to stop keeping them quite so safe.

This weekend, try removing some bubble wrap!

Remove the Bubble Wrap Remove the Bubble Wrap

You know those moments when you pick your children up from school and immediately know they are upset?

In order to respond effectively, it helps know the difference between rudeness, mean behavior, and bullying. Here's a therapist’s guide to the difference.

Teaching kids how to identify bullying vs. other behaviors A therapist explains the difference between rudeness, mean behavior and bullying and gives guidance for how to respond and when to intervene.

✨ Materials Spotlight: Sound Cylinders ✨

Shhh... listen! 👂✨

This material has two sets of wooden cylinders: red-topped and blue-topped. Except for the top, the cylinders look identical, but inside? Each holds a secret sound!

Children shake each cylinder (one brisk up-down motion at the ear) and listen carefully. The contents create a gradation from loud to soft, and each red cylinder has a matching blue partner with the exact same sound.

Children learn how to pair matching sounds from both sets, then eventually they grade all six from loudest to softest

The control of error? When the last two don't match, or when both graded sets don't align!

This elegant material refines the auditory sense at its most foundational level as children learn to discriminate volume with precision. 🎵

In a world full of noise, Montessori teaches children to truly listen.

Parenting is a tough job!

Be sure to take care of yourself.

And check out these Montessori-inspired ways to stay patient and positive!

Calm Parenting Techniques: Montessori-Inspired Ways to Stay Patient and Positive - Kids USA Montessori Parents everywhere want less stress and more peace at home. Discover calm parenting techniques that really work and see why.

Happy Week of the Young Child!

This week, NAEYC celebrates the Week of the Young Child, a reminder that the early years are when the brain is forming its most fundamental architecture. ��What children experience now shapes how they learn, relate, and regulate for life. Montessori understood this over a century ago.

If you are looking for fun activities this week, check out this link!

15 Activities to Celebrate NAEYC’S Week of the Young Child The National Association for the Education of Young Children is hosting its annual Week of the Young Child™ (WOYC) from April 8 to 12, 2019. WOYC spotlights the importance of childhood, early learn…

MATERIALS SPOTLIGHT: Elementary children are fascinated by the extraordinary. So we direct their attention to the often remarkable aspects of life. One of those wonders is how plants make their own food! We examine some leaves together and then use a chart we like to call "The Leaf as a Food Factory." This impressionist chart shows the inner workings of a leaf (in almost cartoon form): little worker cells take in and break up carbon dioxide and water molecules, then mix and bake the elements to create food for the plant. Younger elementary children absorb the essence of photosynthesis, and then in their later elementary years, we revisit this chart to explore the science behind photosynthesis, chemistry, chlorophyll, and chloroplasts.

Here is an alternative to chore charts. Give it a try!

Mom shares brilliant alternative to chore charts for kids As an alternative to chore charts, which may not work for every family, one mom describes the new technique to get kids to help with chores, all through the power of delegating.

What is cosmic education and why does it matter?

The Purpose of Montessori Cosmic Education Harmony and peace are the vision and purpose of Montessori Cosmic Education, and are as relevant today as they were when Montessori first developed them.

Spring is in the air! Here are 10 nature-based activities to do with children.

Our Favorite Nature-Based Spring Activities — Montessori in Real Life As soon as Spring emerges, I find it hard to stay inside for long. Especially since having children, I have a new appreciation for witnessing nature “come alive”. From the bright flowers to the tiny insects to puddles, there is always something to explore. It’s always a reminder for me to slow...

Children need to learn how to make choices for themselves. Here's how to help our youngest on this path to independence.

Making Choices Making Choices

MATERIALS SPOTLIGHT: A recent National Geographic report highlighted a decline in children's fine motor skills. In Montessori, our handwork activities ensure that even our youngest children master how to hold and use scissors, thread a needle, create running stitches, and even sew a button! Eventually, children learn additional handwork skills such as embroidery, crocheting, knitting, and more! In the process, children strengthen their fingers and hands, which helps them have the fine motor control needed for holding a pencil and writing!

Children's fine motor skills are in decline. Here's why and how to help!

Why kids' fine motor skills are declining and how to help Discover why fine motor skills are declining in kids and how modern childhood habits, like screen time and reduced outdoor play, are impacting their growth.

Is it tattling or telling? Here's a guide to help children learn when to report a broken rule.

Is It Tattling or Telling? - Child Mind Institute Kids are quick to report rule breaking by another child. How to teach them the difference between tattling and telling something adults should know.

Want to cultivate patience in your children? Here is a guided meditation to try!

Kids' Guided Meditation for Patience In this kids' guided meditation for patience, we follow a serene starfish as it connects with its peaceful surroundings.

A family finance expert shares how we can model important money concepts–like budgeting and saving–for our children.

Here’s how to practice ‘loud budgeting’ with your kids—from a family finance expert A family finance expert weighs in on the loud budgeting trend and offers insightful tips on how to teach kids about the value of money.

MATERIALS SPOTLIGHT: For practical life activities, we want our young children to learn how to notice what needs tending to and then have access to the materials to care for their environment. One activity we have available for our toddler and primary communities is window washing. We start by noticing a smudge on the glass and then introduce children to a child-sized set of materials for spraying, wiping, and drying the glass pane. Although our youngest children will repeat this process over and over whether or not the window actually needs cleaning, as they mature, children begin to use this kind of practical life activity to beautify their space. The key is having the appropriate materials for small hands, breaking down and introducing each step of the process, and observing how children interpret and interact with the materials and the process. This is a great activity to try at home, too!