Montessori Coaching
The idea behind the coaching
This year, I began taking on individual clients. I absolutely love teaching courses but I have been wanting to offer an extremely personalised service, that allows me to devote my full energies to one client and family so that we can make a deep and sustainable change.
I think of it as a close collaboration over a month or two, so finding a good fit is essential. I’ve since worked with a select few clients, and you know what they all have in common? Some are new to Montessori and some are well-versed, but they come from all walks of life, successfully juggle family, work, travel, life, value independence and creativity in children… and are ready to get their prepared environments from good to great.
I settled on the term “coaching”, rather than mentoring, as coaching implies a shorter-term process, that will have some results (whether it’s a change in your perspective, or a visible impact in your home). I ground my advice on my AMI Assistant training, selecting and digesting relevant concepts into bite-sized nuggets. But I also draw on my interior design hobby, professional background in teaching and education policy, and practical lived experience as a Montessori parent for the last 7 years and counting. And I can take you further along your Montessori journey than if you did it alone.
The coaching process
Once we agree to work together, I’ll send you an email questionnaire. The questionnaire gets you to reflect on your vision and priorities for your family. Your answers are also instrumental in helping me scope our in-person meeting!
Don’t take my word for it though. I’ve asked one of my esteemed clients, Shumei Winstanley, founder of Chapter Zero, to let you in on each step of the coaching process. Chapter Zero is a social enterprise that has reached thousands of parents in Singapore on respectful, mindful and evidence-based parenting.
In Shumei’s words: “Jasmine sent a questionnaire which was useful in helping me clarify the areas of our children’s lives where I required support and which areas I prioritised.”
During the in-person meeting, we’ll talk through any questions you’ve raised. In a cafe over a cup of tea/ coffee, I’ll share my experiences and Montessori concepts that may be useful for you. Popular topics requested by or that’ve helped clients include:
- sensitive period for order
- transitions and rhythms (new sibling/ new home/ new school)
- planning a space for siblings
- organisation, activity selection and rotation
- facilitating independence, choice and concentration
- Montessori with other caregivers/ connecting with children respectfully
- creativity and art
- supporting math/English/bilingualism at home
We start to co-create a Montessori Roadmap, that reflects your family’s vision and also your constraints. (Budget? Renting? Small space? Multi-generational? I see constraints as opportunities to make the home more unique, not less.)
In Shumei’s words: “I found Jasmine to be really approachable, warm and empathetic. She listened to my concerns and created a Roadmap for our family which met our needs, and addressed my concerns regarding child-led learning, bringing about peace in the environment, and my lack of time and emotional capacity to do regular planning.”
You also receive an independence kit, the contents of which vary depending on what I can source from local artisans and on my travels. I ship anywhere worldwide, and you can use it for your child right away. Previous kits have contained interchangeable photo frames, artwork or art materials, child-sized unpaper towels, flower tea, and hanging clips for drawing paper or a child’s apron… basically versatile items that add beauty and functionality to your home that you might not’ve thought of.
I then go back and prepare a Montessori Roadmap just for you. It is my own hybrid document of strategy map meets planner, and no two Roadmaps are the same. I recommend activities that might suit your child’s age and interests, make suggestions for your home environment, and also curate a custom list of toys, books and readings if you find such recommendations helpful.
This is when your part begins, as you begin to implement the Roadmap in your home. The Roadmap itself is extremely clear and easy to follow, as I favour practical, simple, beautiful solutions for honing independence and concentration. If you run into any issues, I’ll be there via email to lend you support and help you troubleshoot.
In Shumei’s words: “my children have been able to play and work for longer periods of time in their playroom, which provides more time for concentration for them, and more peace for me as a busy mum. Jasmine also reminded me of including beauty and nature in our environment for the children and how to exhibit this for children to appreciate the beauty in their surroundings. I’ve also learnt to “let go” of objects, activities and provocations which I’d hope would interest the children (even after rotations) by following their needs and interests, rather than my own agenda. The changes implemented in our kitchen and drawers have also allowed the children and us to maintain the organisation, as well as obtain the appropriate tools and utensils for usage. We now enjoy our time in our kitchen more by preparing meals together.”
After coaching
If you’ve enjoyed the process of working together, or find yourself wanting more, you may add on:
- more cafe meetings
- a sourcing trip where I show you where/ how I shop
- home visit to your home
- commission me to prepare the activities suggested in your Roadmap
Recently, I did a home visit for Shumei. She was familiar with Montessori, had already implemented parts of her Roadmap but needed help pulling it altogether in an inviting and organised way.
Shumei had many natural materials, art supplies, toys and (yay) baskets, so we didn’t need to purchase a single thing. Rather, it was about highlighting the best parts of her space, presenting materials beautifully and creating a system to keep them organised even after the novelty effect had worn off. Let’s be honest, the real magic doesn’t lie in how the place looks after a makeover; the real magic lies in whether your children continue to enjoy and respect the space, inviting concentration but also making it easy for them to restore order themselves.
In Shumei’s words:
“Though I was aware of some age-appropriate activities for my children, I felt inept and overwhelmed at the idea at providing a Montessori environment for the children. This was compounded by the many Montessori activities found on social media. Jasmine understood that, and provided a framework for me and our family which was actionable without being overwhelming; she also helped me start a rotation system of my materials by eliminating and sorting through the materials we had, so that it would be easy to maintain after she left our home. This allowed me to reduce and minimise items in their room, and maintain a similar level of objects as weeks went by. Thank you, Jasmine, for your attentive support to our needs.”
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I’ve received inquiries from new Montessori schools worldwide and would be delighted to hear from you and customise a coaching package that meets your needs. If you’re a parent who’s ready to elevate your space OR wanting to grow a Montessori Instagram presence with authenticity and style, you can find out more here or email me at hello@threeminutemontessori.com. I would be honoured to come alongside you and be your Montessori coach.