Most children are taught how to speak. Very few are taught how to listen.
The ability to listen is an essential skill. Maria Montessori, who developed the game known as “Silence”, understood the need to slow down, to listen carefully, and to pause. She worked with children who had hearing impairments and first used this practice with them. She would stand at the back of the classroom and quietly say the name of one child, then another. When a child heard their name, they were asked to walk towards the teacher. For children who were almost deaf, this was an extremely challenging exercise.
Later, Montessori introduced the Silence game in a classroom of typically developing children. She met a mother with a baby and asked for her help. The mother agreed. Montessori brought the infant into the room and showed the baby to the children.
“Look how calmly the baby is lying,” she said. “Can you stay just as calm?”
To her surprise, the children became quiet almost immediately. She noticed how much they enjoyed playing Silence. From that moment on, Silence became an essential part of the Montessori kindergarten program.
Why is this game valuable for children?
The game develops a child’s listening skills and their linguistic intelligence. It supports self-regulation and calm attention. Children learn to notice and distinguish sounds, to regulate the volume of their own voice, and to practise self-control. When Silence is experienced together, it also creates a shared sense of connection. Montessori believed that the Silence game supported children’s spiritual development.
If you would like to explore Montessori theory and other key educational theories in more depth, you can find them explained clearly in my theory pack here:
How to play
Invite the children to sit on the floor. Suggest that they keep still and play a quiet game together. Silence does not need to be enforced; it settles on its own. Explain that when we sit calmly and remain quiet, we can hear things that are impossible to notice when we are shouting or talking.
For example, the sound of cars, leaves rustling, an aeroplane engine, the wind, neighbours’ voices, or a washing machine running.
Stay in silence for one minute. Then, in a whisper, ask the children what they heard. Which sounds caught their attention? Were they loud or quiet? Pleasant or irritating?
