The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
With Nino Mondo, we are now able to address the challenge that parents face on ‘how do I keep my baby busy in a purposeful way?’ by providing educational toys that provide an early understanding of STEM concepts, gross and fine motor development and developing life skills like patience, resilience, focus and concentration. We understand that many parents struggle when it comes to playing with their own children and find it easy to put a screen in front of them. It’s because there is a lot on their plate, and they are exhausted. So, when it comes to playing with their kids, they either don’t get time or just don’t know how. We have now been able to educate parents that Montessori at home is easy. And anybody can do it with just Nino Mondo Toys. That it is well worth the investment rather than buying lots of plastic, noisy department toys or giving them screen time. There have been aha moments for a lot of our customers to see their children stay focused for long stretches of time playing with a toy till they mastered it, which is unlike other toys or one-time activities that require set up and clean up. We have been able to bust the myth that Montessori is hard, and that only the elite kids can afford Montessori learning. All kids play with toys so why not give them toys that transform playtime into learning time?
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
I used to be switched on all the time. Even while I was sleeping, I constantly had a head full of buzzing ideas and things to do. I couldn’t wait to go back to working on my business. That makes me a distracted mum at times, but I am evolving. I have carved out times in my day when I just shut down my laptop, switch off work mode, take a deep breath and go into Mom mode so I can be more present with my daughters and my family and friends.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
1 in five 5 Australian kids turn up to their first day of school developmentally delayed. This is a statistic that I want to work towards bringing down to zero. I know it may not be possible for every child to attend a Montessori early learning school, but it is possible to do Montessori at home. Nino Mondo Montessori toys are all about getting the fundamentals right to develop an applied mind in every child. When the foundation is firm and right, current and future learning is easy and enjoyable. And I want to democratise Montessori learning. My dream is for every child newborn up until pre-school years, irrespective of their economic background, to have access to Montessori toys and learning that arm them with the skills that make them life ready.
Visit the Nino Mondo website to find out more and to browse their products. You can also connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter.
