A Successful Work Cycle.

Uninterrupted work time is fundamental to the Montessori philosophy. Consider this — how does it feel when you’re in your groove (working, reading a book, making dinner, paying bills) and you suddenly get interrupted and called away? It doesn’t feel great. It’s actually pretty annoying and frustrating. When you return to whatever you were previously doing — the moment has passed, the thought is gone, the drive has disappeared. Your child feels these same reactions, too. This is why it’s important to allow a child time to be, to play, to work — without interruption. So, no one calling them away. No one starting up conversations. No one suggesting they “do” this instead of that. No one critiquing their time spent. This is called a work cycle.

If you’re just starting out you might be thinking: but my child talks to me or my child wants me to play with her or my child doesn’t want to be alone or I have more than one child and they talk to and distract each other.

If that sounds familiar — good! It should. Those are all very normal situations. At the same time, if you’re interested in trying something new: keep reading. 

A successful work cycle:

Giving your child, or children, a successful work cycle means you’ve done a few things:

You’ve observed your child: Watch for a few days. What is their energy level throughout the day? Do they spiral when they become hungry? Does the weather affect their mood? When they play with a certain toy does it make them happy, frustrated, eager? What do they talk about? Are they interested in the why or the what of things? How do they prefer to be redirected? How do they handle “no”? What are their interests and where do they struggle? All these things, matter. They are important because you’re going to base the environment you prepare, the daily rhythm you begin, and the ground rules and expectations you set — on your observations of your child. 

You’ve prepared the environment: This means setting up the space to allow for the most amount of independence and learning. When you put out an activity, think about how your child will work with it from the beginning to the end — and consider anything they will need along the way and what interests and curiosities might be sparked. For instance, if you put out crayons. Do they have access to paper? What if they want to cut? Do they have scissors? Do they have access to a glue stick? Do they have a drawing mat to protect the table from the crayons and glue stick? What about a pencil to write their name on their artwork? If they are doing a pouring work — do they have a towel in case of spills? 

If you put out something new, have you given them a lesson? Have you demonstrated how it works? Even toys come with directions and how-to manuals. Don’t think just because it’s a toy that it needs no introduction. If they are completing a puzzle or building with legos or playing with loose parts — do they know how to problem solve? To think critically? To try again and again? To imagine? Do they know to put everything away on the shelf when they are finished? Many people assume these are known abilities or common sense but all of these skills need to be shown and taught, practiced and mastered. Independence doesn’t happen overnight but it will happen with guidance, consistency and trust.

You’ve established a daily rhythm: Don’t get tied down to a minute-by-minute schedule. It’s extremely tricky especially if you’re home all day. You’ll most likely complete your entire day, look at the clock and it’ll be 11AM. But find your rhythm. I like to think of our day in 3-hour increments. So 6-9AM is for waking, breakfast and getting ready for the day. 9AM-noon is the first work cycle and maybe includes things like outdoor time, snack, and some shelf work. Noon-3PM includes some lunch and quiet down time or nap. 3-6PM is a second work cycle and includes snack, stories, and independent play.

You’ve established ground rules and expectations: This is the tie in for everything else: the observations, the prepared environment and the daily rhythm. Ground rules and expectations are so important. Our ground rules are that we agree to be safe, gentle and kind; safe with our bodies, gentle with our things, and kind to each other. You can make up your own ground rules but be sure to include your child in making them so that they have some say in it.

Expectations are a bit more detailed. But we talk about them frequently and the kids are reminded of them throughout the day especially when they are nearing a boundary or a limit. For example, the expectation is we run outside, we jump on the trampoline, we’re quiet when someone is sleeping, we sit when we’re eating, etc. You probably have some of these same expectations. 

But another thing we do is that we have specific ground rules and expectations for our work cycle. We:

– take out only one thing at a time

– try first before asking for help

– ask before we touch someone else’s work

– we wait if someone is working

And the main thing I do to put some separation between me and the kids and grow their independence is that I work, too. I’m working, or observing, or reading, or folding laundry, even in our work room. So if I’m having a day, or a moment or need a break or I’m giving a lesson to one child and another is at my side — anything I’m doing is my work and when I’m working, I tell them. “I’m doing my work and you need to do yours”. Simple, easy. 

They begin talking to you when you want to grow their independence? “I’m doing my work and you need to do yours”. They are distracting a sibling? “He’s doing his work and you need to do yours”. They invite you to play at every moment? “I’m doing my work and you need to do yours”. Assuming you’re giving them plenty of time and attention and you’re filling up their bucket at other moments in the day — this kind phrase will be met with understanding. With practice and repetition, they’ll get that independence. And they’ll learn to respect you, and each other and the work cycle you complete together.