Bringing Joy Back into our Children’s Lives

We are entering a joyous time of celebration. We need to bring the joys of childhood back and let our children be children, full of hope and excited expectations. It is time to put away the worry and fear that this year has brought to so many families.

Now is the time to reconnect with families and friends, perhaps in a new way, while keeping the goal of celebrations and traditions alive within your family. This is vitally important even if it needs to be modified this year. Traditions and routines bring comfort to children. This order allows children to understand and trust their world. This can also be a time to make wonderful new memories.

Family traditions, however small, can make a big difference in our children’s lives.  Reading stories about the season, baking family special cookies, and decorating the home with memorable objects are just a few simple ideas to help reconnect. It doesn’t take much to bring smiles to children’s faces. These times of celebrations may be exactly what our families need and have either relied upon or have missed over the years.

Then, how do we help our children reconnect outside of our nuclear families?

One way is through a Montessori school community. It is often thought of as a small extended family. Found within these classrooms are a variety of ages, cultures, and personalities. They offer children a stimulating and relaxed environment, intriguing and safe for exploration. 

Thinking, problem solving and forming trusting relationships are all possible when a child is freed from stress. They can relax and discover without screen time. Children learn their best through hands-on activities and interactions within the classroom. Nothing can replace an environment designed just for their needs. 

The Montessori classroom lets children be children — reconnecting with friends and teachers, and the acquisition of knowledge that they are driven to achieve.

Another way to reconnect children is through experiences in the outdoors, and all of nature.  This reconnection brings peace to the innermost being of the child. Time outside connects children to the world in a way that technology cannot.  Nothing can replace the sense of wonder a child experiences in the world around him. 

In our classrooms’ rich outdoor environments, children start to form bases for scientific discoveries. They will find plants and animals living together; that plants need water, sun, and care. The tree of life interdependence has begun in the child’s mind. Having responsibility to care for the environment gives children the satisfaction that they can participate, creating a connection to our beautiful world. 

To quote Maria Montessori., “Such an environment is necessary for peace and happiness.”  

The Montessori community wishes your family a happy and joyous season as we reconnect one and all.

Cynthia Thomas founded her first Montessori school in Brevard County in 1983. She now operates five schools throughout Florida. She received her masters in education specializing in Montessori.

Montessori Educator Theresa Trawick has a  B.S. in agricultural education,  A.M.S.Montessori Elementary Certification 6-9, FCC&EP Director and National Early Childhood Credential.

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