This month Jonathan and I have focused on the character trait of being attentive-- listening with your ears, eyes and heart. To help reinforce the habit of being attentive to mommy's voice, we played The Silence Game.
Dr. Maria Montessori invented this game while working with children who were partially deaf. She would stand at the back of the classroom and the children would be sitting facing the front of the classroom. Dr. Montessori would quietly call the name of one child at a time. The children were expected to quietly come over to Dr. Montessori when they heard their name called. You can read more information about the Silence Game at Living Montessori Now.
We modified this game a little bit to focus on the habit of attentiveness. I moved to a spot of the room where Jonathan couldn't see me and then I would whisper his name. His job was to listen and if he heard his name, he was to respond "Yes, Mama?" If he correctly heard me say his name, he got a chocolate chip! If I had not said his name, I got the chocolate chip. At first, he was saying "Yes, Mama?" a lot- whether or not I said his name. But as we continued to play, he started to understand the importance of listening and being attentive to Mama's voice.
This has been a great tool to help reinforce and develop a good habit. If Jonathan is able to be attentive to his parents' voices, we hope that this will teach him to be attentive to the voice of God.
I'm linking this post up to Montessori Monday over at Living Montessori Now and One Hook Wonder. Head on over there to see more Montessori ideas. And don't forget to enter our giveaways which end this Saturday!
When I need a moment of silence, we play "The quiet Game". We are all silent and then clap once we have heard 5 (or 7 or 10) distinct sounds. The person who claps get to name all the sounds they heard. Great for developing awareness and listening skills. Not to mention for Mama to have a moment of peace.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous idea! I'll have to try that- I like that there's a definite ending point so little ones can know what to expect. We read "The Listening Walk" by Paul Showers and that book is good at pointing out all the different things one can hear!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite games to play with the children. I tink it is one of their favorite games too. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love the Silence Game (and the Listening Walk!). By your comment on the "habit of attentiveness" I wonder if you have done some Charlotte Mason reading on habit formation?
ReplyDeleteI found your post through Montessori Monday link up and I think you may be interested in a new blog I am getting started up- WorkPlayRead.com It is focused on family shared literacy. We have reviews by kids for kids, family activities, art extensions, information on reading research, and lots more. We are still new so there isn't a lot of post volume yet, but we have 3 dedicated authors and there will be lots of good things to come!
I love the silence game! It's great for both home or school, and you can adapt it to keep the interest up. Great idea to combine it with your focus on attentiveness. Thanks so much for linking up with Montessori Monday and for linking to me in your post! I featured your post at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/LivingMontessoriNow
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I need to do this with my daughter.
ReplyDeletethis is a wonderful idea. I will have to try it - we have a bit of an issue with listening to mommy's voice around here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to the Sunday Showcase & hope to see you again this week!
Bern
http://momto2poshlildivas.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Showcase