December 15, 2007 10:46 AM
Christmas, clementines, independence and pincer grasp
'Tis the season -
for clementines! Which are not only delicious, but a great opportunity to encourage your little ones' independence and pincer grasp.
From my archives:
Montessori at home #11
This morning I was reminded how important it is for us moms to always be looking for ways to challenge our kids and how we can limit their potential by automatically doing things for them. The reason I started writing in the first place was to pass on some foundational Montessori ideas that would help moms help their kids reach their potential by giving them the opportunities they need to grow in independence, concentration, self-control, and order.
You know how I'm always talking about pincer grasp - how important it is for writing skills and how to develop it early on before the child ever picks up a pencil. I wrote about it recently here.
Well, this time of year gives you a wonderful opportunity to challenge your child, encouraging his independence, concentration and pincer grasp all at once.
For the past few years, our stores have been selling clementines. They are a wonderful improvement over tangerines as they don't have seeds and the sections come apart very easily. For children who are still not able to peel oranges, peeling clementines could be a good transition (much as when you want your child to learn to put on socks, you can start with a larger pair to give her practice and confidence).
I had thought clementines were a development of tangerines, but researching this morning I found they are really related to the mandarin orange. They really are more enjoyable than tangerines, in my opinion.
Anyway, watching Justin (my #12) peel his clementine this morning, I thought I'd remind you to seize every opportunity you can to help your child take care of his own needs. Motherhood is a job we need to be working ourselves out of each day - at least the waiting on your child part. After all, you don't want to be doing their science projects later on.
When they're young, children are eager to learn to do these little things. It's what Maria Montessori called the "sensitive period." When we encourage them and give them opportunities and make difficult things possible for them - like sweeping the floor - we are building character in our children that will be expressed later on as a willingness to take responsibility and serve others.
Little things always mean a lot!
By the way - the clementines reminded me this morning to sing Oh, My Darlin' Clementine for my kids. You can find the music and lyrics here. Yes, they are a bit morbid, but typical of that genre of music generated by settlers moving across America. I think it's an important part of our American heritage and worth passing on to kids.
I also discovered a resource of music and lyrics at NIEHS Kids' Pages - Sing-a-Long Songs.
Enjoy!
PS For more, type "Montessori at Home" into my personal Google on the right sidebar.
Posted in Christmas, Montessori, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink
Comments
My 13 month old loves her clementines. She doesn't eat much of them, but carries them around the house, taking breaks to pick off bits of peel and squeeze the juice out (it just amazes her that there's watery stuff in her nice orange ball).
Posted by: Mrs.C | December 15, 2007 4:35 PM
"Orange" you glad to know that each time I hand my small kids a clementine, I think of you?!? :)
Posted by: Stretch Mark Mama | December 15, 2007 4:50 PM
What a sweetie! He's precious.
Posted by: Kathy Cassel | December 17, 2007 12:05 PM
