🧠 ABA Meets Montessori at Home:

Taysiah Lawson
Jun 25
3 min read

Rethinking Learning and Behavior through a Parent-Led Lens

By Taysiah Lawson | Founder of Turning Parents into Teachers, Building Green Blocks Inc.

A mother gently guides her child through a home-based learning activity using Montessori materials and a visual schedule—an everyday example of how ABA and Montessori can work hand-in-hand to support independence, structure, and joyful learning at home.

In today's world of early intervention and individualized learning, the question is no longer “which method is better?”—but “how can we bridge the best of both worlds to serve the whole child?”

At Building Green Blocks, we’ve spent years answering that question through Turning Parents into Teachers, a program that sits at the intersection of two powerful models: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Montessori education. At first glance, these philosophies seem like opposites. One is data-driven and structured; the other is child-led and exploratory. But when used together in the home, they offer something revolutionary: a way to support not just a child’s academic and behavioral growth—but a family’s transformation.

💡 The Myth: ABA and Montessori Don’t Mix

Critics often argue that ABA’s structure could clash with Montessori’s philosophy of freedom within limits. But the truth is: children need both. They need freedom—and they need feedback. They need choice—and they need consistency. ABA provides a science-backed framework for reinforcing positive behaviors and reducing barriers to learning. Montessori provides the environment where those behaviors can blossom into independence, curiosity, and purpose.

In our program, we’ve seen that when parents are equipped with both sets of tools, they begin to observe more, react less, and create a calm, respectful home environment that mirrors what we all want for our children: dignity, learning, and peace.

What it Looks Like in Real Life

Here’s how ABA and Montessori show up together in our families’ homes:

Grace & Courtesy Meets Positive Reinforcement: When a child spills water and instinctively gets a towel, Montessori teaches grace; ABA ensures the behavior is reinforced so it repeats.
Choice Boards + Work Trays: ABA uses visual schedules and token boards. Montessori offers self-correcting materials and hands-on learning trays. Together? Children know what to expect and get to choose how to engage.
Sensory Needs + Sensorial Materials: ABA therapists often build sensory breaks into sessions. Montessori classrooms are already sensory-rich. So at home, parents use texture-based materials and quiet corners to meet behavioral and developmental needs.
Behavior Plans + Practical Life: Instead of focusing only on reducing tantrums, we guide parents to build replacement behaviors through Montessori practical life: washing dishes, sweeping, cooking. The result? Children feel responsible, seen, and calm.

🧩 Parents Are the Missing Piece

Behavior doesn’t only show up in classrooms or therapy sessions—it shows up in kitchens, during bedtime routines, and while folding laundry. That’s why we built Turning Parents into Teachers: to help caregivers become active participants in their child’s behavioral and academic development. With training rooted in ABA principles and Montessori philosophy, parents are no longer bystanders—they become co-guides and co-regulators.

🌱 What We’ve Learned

Behavior is communication. So is freedom.
Children want to do well. So do their parents.
Montessori builds the environment. ABA supports the behavior. Parents anchor it all.

🔁 What’s Next

We’re developing curriculum kits, parent coaching cohorts, and community-based workshops for families of color, neurodiverse children, and underserved communities. We believe that when home becomes the first classroom, behavior becomes more than something to manage—it becomes something to understand.

Because at the end of the day, we’re not just blending two educational systems. We’re building a movement.

🔗 Learn more at www.buildinggreenblocks.org