What does freedom within limits mean in a Montessori classroom?

Freedom, broadly speaking, is the capacity of consciousness to think and act according to one’s own will. Discipline comes through freedom, as these two are sides of the same coin. If we give a child the freedom of choice following their internal order, they will reach self-discipline.

In a Montessori environment, a child has the freedom to:

• Follow their interests.
• Move around the environment.
• Communicate with others.
• Observe the work of others.
• Show their work to others.
• Help one another.
• Eat and drink when needed.

A Montessori classroom is carefully designed to encourage children to move freely around the environment and choose their own work, always within appropriate limits. These limits are the basic rules of the classroom that allow the child to exercise their own will, ensuring that their decisions are respectful both to others and to themselves.

These norms or limits are the rules of the environment and provide balance for discipline; they must fulfill a dual purpose: to aid the individual and the group.

The general characteristics of limits in a Montessori classroom are:

• They must be necessary to promote personal development and group harmony.
• They must have an educational purpose, responding to the needs of the child, fostering their independence and not the interest of the adult.
• They must be clear and direct, avoiding giving multiple instructions at once.
• They must provide security to the child.
• They must be consistent, giving the child a sense of security and support. This is key to achieving discipline. The limit is always applied, it does not change at the will of the adult because it is part of the environment.
• They must be congruent with the consequences; the child must be responsible for their actions.
• They should be presented positively, avoiding the use of “NO”, proposing, for example, “you can walk” instead of “don’t run”.
• They are temporary, as they change according to the child’s developmental stage.
• We must not change the personality of the children; therefore, limits should be expressed firmly but serenely, so that the child does not perceive aggression.

Freedom goes hand in hand with limits. The freedom of action, movement, and expression helps children achieve independence.