The Montessori Silence Game: What Does It Consist Of?

The Montessori silence game consists of being silent for a certain time. It can be played individually or in a group of children. Learn more.

The truth is that it’s quite difficult to get a child to concentrate and pay attention to details. For them, standing still is almost a form of torture. But staying calm is a behavior that can be taught. Would you like to know a method to help them? How about you try the Montessori silence game?

What is the Montessori silence game?

As its name suggests, the Montessori silence game consists of being silent for a certain amount of time. It can be played individually or in a group. It’s easy and only requires simple tools.

The children sit in a circle, on the floor or in a comfortable chair, and in a quiet environment. Game time may vary. For younger children, about 30 seconds will suffice, while older children can play for up to 5 minutes.

Tell the child that the idea is to find out what is heard in the silence. And to start and end the game time, you can use the soft sound of a bell or an instrument, such as the xylophone.

Some use a small lit candle that the child must blow out after playtime is over. An hourglass is also useful.

Once the stipulated time has elapsed, we proceed to comment on what the children heard while they were silent. The more sounds they catch, the more interested they’ll be in doing another round of play.

It’s important that this activity isn’t applied as a punishment or when the child misbehaves so that they don’t associate it with something negative.

How to apply the Montessori silence game to groups of children?

This game is a proven method of getting kids to stay calm for a while. Follow these instructions to play with more than one child at home or in class:

• Try to have a cord or ribbon and hold several chimes on it. The idea is that two children take the ribbon, one at each end, and move without ringing the bells.
• If you have several of the same ribbons, you can join them all at one end. Give each child an end to hold. Then, have them walk a bit with the same idea of not making any noise with the bells.
• A variant that includes blindfolding children and dropping an object can also be implemented. The children’s task will be to identify where the sound came from and guess what the object was.
• In a preschool classroom, the teacher may whisper each child’s name. Every time a child hears their name, they should get up, approach the teacher and she can congratulate them by whispering in their ear. The idea is that the children are attentive when their name is mentioned.

10 Benefits of the Montessori silence game in a child’s behavior

Take note of the advantages that this simple game provides to children:

• Allows the child to focus on a target and fix their attention
• Children learn to cultivate the virtue of patience while playing.
• It teaches them to be calm and collected.
• It’s a good technique for them to learn to walk carefully.
• The game allows them to enjoy moments of silence and calm.

• When played in groups, it teaches them to work as a team.
• They learn to listen carefully.
• Children come to know themselves.
• They learn to appreciate the details.
• It refines their senses, making them sharper.

The importance of the Montessori silence game

It’s more and more common for children to use electronic devices, which although they keep them quiet, in the end, what they do is paralyze other faculties that they need to develop to be mature adults.

The Montessori silence game is a good option to help your child develop a good personality. In addition, it allows them to learn other qualities such as tolerance and implement internal discipline, which is nothing more than self-control.

It’s definitely a game that every child should learn in order to become more self-sufficient.