Montessori Silence Game

Maria Montessori stumbled upon the power of silence one day after bringing an infant into the room. Impressed with the infant's silence, she challenged the other children to be just as quiet. As she worked more with the children and silence, she observed how spiritually rewarded the children felt while experiencing the silence. (So much so that candy was no longer a tempting treat to these children.)

"In ordinary schools, it is always thought that silence is to be obtained by command.

No thought is given to the meaning of the word. There is no realization that there is a need of immobility and, as it were, of a suspension of life for a moment of silence to be realized. Silence consists in the suspension of every movement and is not, as it is generally thought to be in schools, a suspension of the din added to the ordinary noises tolerated in an environment." ~Maria Montessori, The Discover of the Child

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Silence requires control: control of your hands, control of your feet, control of your mouth. Having control builds a sense of confidence and breeds independence. "I am so good, I can push in my chair without making a sound." they proudly announce before demonstrating this remarkable ability.

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As a group, we come together everyday and practice our silence with The Silence Game. Being silent while sitting next to your best friend is very difficult indeed. Yet we try everyday. Sometimes it is a competition (I was quiet longer than you!) and sometimes it is a time of celebration (That was the best silence game ever!) The Silence Game usually happens at the end of our line time. We talk about the good things that happened that day. Some days a child leads us into the silence game. Other days, I take the lead. We practice our silence. Each game ends with a deep refreshing breath and a smile. At the beginning of the school year, the silence games are brief and entirely guided by me. Towards the end of the year they get longer and more rewarding.

Silence brings us back into ourselves yet is also a profound connection to everyone else in the room at the same time. I can almost hear them thinking: We are doing the same thing together and we are good at it! It is like getting a psychic hug from mommy, letting us know that everything is OK. Silence is refreshing, giving our overloaded senses a break. When it is silent it is easier to notice how smooth the geometric solid is in our hands. It is easier to hear the gentle sound of a zipper, or notice the scent of fresh cut flowers.

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Silence happens. Sometimes engineered, sometimes spontaneous. Our daily practice ensures that there is some silence at least once a day. But those moments when it happens spontaneously are glorious! My soul sings with joy at the beauty of it all. However, these moments don't last forever and the class goes back about their usual business. Inevitably after such an occasion a child is heard to say "Wow - we were really quiet!"

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We sit on the line (a taped ellipse on our floor) lotus style (criss-cross applesauce as the kids know it), with our hands resting gently on our knees.

I start the process by saying, "My hands are on my knees, they are very, very still. They are hardly moving at all" I pause and wait to see that everyone is truly ready, and repeat if necessary. When ready, I proceed by saying:

"My toes are very, very still. They are hardly moving at all. My shoulders are very, very still. They are hardly moving at all. My head is very, very still. It is hardly moving at all. My lips are very, very still. They are hardly moving at all." I then close my eyes (just enough so that it appears to the children that they are closed, but open enough that I can see what is going on.) Then we wait. Our goal is to hear the ticking of the clock. When the children start getting restless, I open my eyes, take a deep breath and it release it audibly. I close by saying "Thank you for being here today."

Note: A good assistant will be watching the children during the Silence Game, ready to swoop down and redirect any child who is having a hard time. It is better for everyone that a child is isn't able or willing to participate in the activity to be redirected to different work. Constantly stopping and restarting the game is ineffective and defeats the purpose of practicing.

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