Definition: The learning tower is a tool that is part of the Montessori method. It is generally a small wooden tower, which is used to help the child reach a certain height. It consists of two or three steps and a guardrail to ensure the safety of the baby. The latter is mainly used to prevent him from falling.
The little story of the Montessori learning tower
The Montessori learning tower takes its name from its inventor, the Italian doctor and pedagogue, Maria Montessori. Towards the end of the 19th century, after graduating, she worked in the psychiatric clinic of the University of Rome. During this time Maria Montessori gained a great deal of experience working with handicapped children. Thus, around the beginning of the 20th century, she opened her first school. She began to develop and teach her educational methods to make a baby independent as soon as possible.
This method is mainly based on awakening the child by stimulating his curiosity and creativity. The goal of this approach is to encourage him to become independent. To achieve this, it is important to arrange the environment in such a way that the child can access a number of things that his size does not yet allow him to reach. This is how the Montessori learning tower was born.
The characteristics of the Montessori learning tower:
- A learning tower should have several steps for the child to climb up. It should be high enough to allow the child to reach a table, a sink, or a kitchen counter.
- It must also be stable to prevent the child from tipping over while climbing on it. It must weigh enough, but not too much. Indeed, for the method to make sense, the child must be able to move it himself.
- A stool of learning must obligatorily comprise a guardrail for the safety of the child. This guardrail is used to avoid any risk of falling.
When should it be used?
The learning tower is used in the learning process for toddlers, from the age of one (01) to one and a half years. This is the age when the child starts to walk and become curious. However, they have not yet acquired enough balance and can wobble and fall at any time. The Montessori Learning Tower is designed to prevent this from happening. An older child can of course use a simple stool to reach a high object and keep his or her balance, but this is not the case for toddlers. A baby can use a Montessori observation tower until he or she is six years old.
What is the use of the Montessori learning tower?
The usefulness of the Montessori Tower has been proven since its creation and has been a huge success throughout the world.
In the Kitchen
One of the things that intrigue a child the most is how the meal that falls on his plate is prepared. They not only want to watch how mom and dad do it, but they also want to participate. Placed at the height of the kitchen work table, he will be able to observe his parents' gestures and learn to reproduce them. When he's old enough, he'll know what to do.
You can also use the Montessori learning stool as a replacement for a high chair when you sit down to eat. Whether it is to eat or to play a game with your family, your little one will be able to be close to you and share moments of complicity.
In the bathroom
The bathroom is also a place specifically designed for adults. Children have a hard time reaching the sink, but cleanliness is one of the most important things they have to learn. With the Montessori tower, they can reach the sink and see themselves in the mirror. You can teach your children to wash their face and brush their teeth by themselves.
The real strength of the Montessori Tower is that it allows the child to learn by observing adults. This allows the child to be introduced to the activities of daily life such as cooking, washing dishes, cleaning or even washing in the bathroom. The kitchen and bathroom are the places where the Montessori Tower is most used.
The Montessori learning tower is a very practical tool to introduce the child to family life from a very early age. It helps the child to acquire independence more quickly, and this is in his own interest and also in the interest of the father and mother.
