TPP 364: A Montessori Approach to Raising Neurodivergent Children, with Simone Davies & Junnifa Uzodike

Montessori is often thought of as an educational philosophy, but my guests for today’s episode, Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike, are committed to bringing Montessori into the home and guiding parents through the principles of Montessori to enhance their children's development and foster respectful relationships with their families and the world.

Over the years, I’ve learned how much alignment there is in the strength-based parenting approach we subscribe to in our community, where we see and respect our children as the unique humans they are, with the core principles of Montessori, which prioritizes meeting our children where they are and being a guide for them as they navigate their childhood.

So I invited Simone and Junnifa to come on the show to talk about how we can apply these Montessori principles to parenting our neurodivergent kids and some of the other concepts they write about in their lovely new book, The Montessori Child: A Parent's Guide to Raising Capable Children with Creative Minds and Compassionate Hearts.

About Simone Davies

Simone Davies is the author of The Montessori Toddler and co-author of The Montessori Baby and The Montessori Child books, comprehensive guides to raising children in a Montessori way.Simone is an AMI Montessori educator based in Amsterdam. She also has a popular blog, instagram and podcast “The Montessori Notebook” and is mother to two young adults. Simone currently runs parent-child Montessori classes in Amsterdam at her school Jacaranda Tree Montessori.

About Junnifa Uzodike

Junnifa Uzodike is an AMI trained Montessori guide for the 0-3, 3-6 and 6-12 levels. She is the co-author of The Montessori Baby and The Montessori Child book with Simone Davies. She is also the founder and head of school at Fruitful Orchard Montessori in Abuja, Nigeria. Since discovering Montessori in 2011, Junnifa has continued to build her knowledge and experience in child development using Montessori principles. She has three children whom she has raised using Montessori principles from birth. Junnifa’s Montessori work includes guiding children at Fruitful Orchard, mentoring teachers and closest to her heart is supporting parents in implementing Montessori from birth. She inspires parents around the world to bring Montessori into their lives by sharing her Montessori journey and offering courses and other resources via her blog.

Things you'll learn:

• What the philosophy of Montessori is and the planes of development
• Why the Montessori approach to parenting can be a good fit for neurodivergent children
• How to raise children who have a strong moral compass
• The role of family agreements to reduce conflict and support healthy family dynamics
• What scaffolding looks like in Montessori when helping children expand their sense of capability and responsibility

Resources mentioned:

• Simone Davies’ website, The Montessori Notebook
• Junnifa Uzodike’s website, Nduoma Montessori
• The Montessori Child: A Parent's Guide to Raising Capable Children with Creative Minds and Compassionate Hearts by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike
• The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being by Simone Davies
• The Montessori Baby: A Parent's Guide to Nurturing Your Baby with Love, Respect, and Understanding by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike
• The Montessori Notebook on Instagram
• Nduoma Montessori on Instagram
• Simone Davis on Montessori and Differently Wired Children (Tilt Parenting Podcast)
• The Power of Empathy and Staying Calm in Difficult Situations (podcast episode with Simone Davies)
• Setting Up Your Home to Support Your Child’s Growth (podcast episode with Simone Davies)

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