Hello, beautiful toddler families!
We are so excited to share with you all a Montessori concept, give you some examples of how we see it in our classroom, how we approach it as teachers, and how you can identify it and use it to your advantage as a parent! I’m talking about the concept of HORME.
The Miriam-Webster dictionary defines Horme as: vital energy as an urge to purposive activity.
The word originates in Greek mythology. Horme is the Greek spirit personifying energetic activity, impulse or effort (to do a thing), eagerness, setting oneself in motion, and starting an action. In Jewish mystical thought this is referred to as a child’s Soul Energy.
For our purposes, Horme is a term used by Dr. Montessori to describe a quality of the child’s absorbent mind. The horme is within each child and is an “unconscious willpower” that drives them to develop and learn.
From age 0-3, children are in a stage that we call the unconscious absorbent mind. They are learning things at an incredible rate and are doing so without even trying to do so. Almost every action that a toddler performs is in an effort to learn more about the world around them. When we see a toddler climb on a table, dump out the whole basket of blocks, or pour water right on the floor we usually wonder, “Why in the world would they do that?”. These are all great examples of Horme at work.
In our classroom we noticed an increase in gross motor needs such as running, jumping, spinning, and climbing. To facilitate this need, we add a gross motor corner with a balance board, a small climber and a sit and spin during the winter months. When we notice children dumping out baskets of work, we may redirect them to our sensory bin where they can find appropriate materials to dump and pour. Water almost always appeals to a child’s sense of horme, so we can provide them opportunities to explore this through water pouring activities, baby washing, hand washing, and playing in the puddles outside!
The next time you find yourself wondering, “Why did they do that?” or perceiving it as oppositional or mischievous, try instead to ask yourself “What are they trying to learn from this?”. Then you can find an appropriate activity to meet that need. Here are a couple of examples:
You find your child “playing” with their food. They are likely seeking sensory input that can be attained by allowing your child to help with the preparation of their meals, making edible play-dough and paint and giving them opportunities to both eat with their fingers and use utensils. Using their hands to eat is an incredibly appropriate task at this age!
Your child is getting out of their bed repeatedly at bed time. This is a sign they are seeking ways to become more independent or that they need activities to help them wind down before bed. You can help them by providing clear boundaries, and also a small basket of soft toys and books that they can use only at bedtime.
Toddler behavior can be incredibly confusing at times, but when we start to change our perspective to look at what they are trying to learn and absorb, we can give them what they need without compromising their safety (or our sanity). We will continue to explore ways to encourage each child to respond to their own horme in the classroom and are always happy to answer any questions or "problem solve" with you for home!
This week we are beginning to introduce Pesach and will tell the story and put works on the shelves. We hope you had a beautiful time at the Purim carnival and look forward to seeing you for Parent Ed Night!
Good luck, and may Horme be with you and your beautiful little humans!
Morahs Megan, Sarah, and K
