14th European Nienhuis Montessori Retreat 2026

Workshops

Paulien Barendrecht

P.E. teacher at the First Dutch Montessori School in The Hague, where she was also a student. Raised within Montessori education, she brings its values into her teaching. She is also a former professional handball player with experience as a youth coach.

Montessori Sports | Patrick Oudejans en Paulien Barendrecht

Designing for Creativity: A Constraints-Led Approach to Movement and Sport In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how creativity emerges when children engage with carefully designed constraints rather than open-ended freedom alone. Drawing from Montessori philosophy and contemporary sports science, participants will experience and design movement activities that encourage problem-solving, decision-making, collaboration, and innovation. Participants will: • Experience creativity-enhancing games firsthand. • Learn how constraints shape learning and exploration. • Design their own Montessori-inspired movement activities. • Discover how to balance freedom and structure to maximize creative development.

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