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!
