When I decided to implement the Montessori philosophy with my son, I knew that setting up my home according to the Montessori principles would be crucial. The Prepared Environment is the foundation of the Montessori method and I soon learned that it was well worth the effort.
7 Principles to help you set up a Montessori environment at home
Montessori is so much more than swoon-worthy wooden materials arranged neatly on shelves. The immense value lies in the philosophy and how that impacts a child’s development. Once you understand these principles, setting up your home accordingly will come naturally to you. You will instinctively know what to do because the principles will resonate with you and will help you change the way you think.
So before we tackle the ‘how to’ portion of setting up your home, let’s first delve into the why by discussing the principles and philosophies that inspire us to do this in the first place.
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1/ Make each room accessible to your child
It’s easy to forget what it was like as a tiny person and what the world looked and felt like. It’s therefore easy to not take this into consideration when we design, plan, and layout our homes. Our goal is to make our homes cozy and welcoming to ourselves and guests but tend to overlook our most cherished family members. We want them to feel welcome and at home too. But it’s hard to feel like that if everything is off limits or out of reach to you.
The ultimate aim is for your child to be able to live in the house and not feel like a guest. They should feel included and experience a sense of autonomy and independence with regards to basic human wants and needs. They should not be forced to rely on an adult to meet their every need.
The first way we can address this issue is by making sure our child feels included and thought of in every space we plan. It’s always helpful to ask yourself a couple of questions when looking at each room in the house.
- How does my child need to use this room/space?
- What do I do in this space and are there any portion of those activities my child could possibly do independently?
- What would frustrate me if I was their size?
- What would make me feel confident about using this space if I was in their shoes?
- How can I make [fill in the blank] more accessible?
Accessibility can be achieved by providing your child with appropriately sized furniture. This is probably the aspect that can have the greatest impact on your child’s sense of autonomy and feel respected. Having a bed you can get in and out of by yourself or a chair that allows your feet to touch the ground is invaluable.
We can also look at accessibility in terms of toys and play objects. How accessible are their books, blocks, and other toys that they play with every day? We don’t have to make ALL the toys accessible but the ones we have selected based on their appropriateness (after doing proper observation
). We then employ toy rotation to keep things fresh and prevent overwhelm and chaos.
Take into consideration what your child’s daily basic needs are and make sure you make those activities more accessible to them. These activities could include the following:
- Using the toilet
- Washing hands
- Getting dressed
- Quenching your thirst
- Having a snack
- Putting on shoes
- Wiping/blowing your nose
- Eating
- Bathing
- Brushing teeth
2/ Provide an enriched learning environment
From birth until 6 years old, children’s minds act like sponges. This was what Maria Montessori referred to as the Absorbent Mind. They absorb everything they hear and see on a daily basis. This is why it is so important to take a close look at your environment and how you can add as much enrichment to it. They do not filter the information as we do – only allowing the useful stuff in while discarding the background noise. This is what allows them to learn so fast and retain so much information.
This goes beyond fancy educational materials and expensive toys. In fact, no amount of toys can provide an enriching experience if the environment is not properly prepared.
Adding the following elements to your home will enrich your child’s development.
Diverse range of music
Think about including a variety of different musical elements in your child’s daily life as well as different types of music. Don’t feel like you are forced to play Baa baa black sheep 24 hours a day (heavily requested in our home at the moment…). Look for music from other cultures or sung in another language. Play different genres and just enjoy the exploration of different expressions of music with your child.
You can do this by playing a musical instrument or just playing songs through a speaker. It is helpful to include instrumental music (especially where one instrument is isolated) as much as possible because it is less overwhelming but anything really goes. Dance with your child while listening to the music or sing along.
You can also include child-sized musical instruments for them to make their own music.
Expose them to live music so they can see how instruments are played. Take them to see an orchestra or visit a friend who can play the piano or guitar.
Picture rich books and images
Keep in mind that babies and young toddlers are like aliens that just arrived on a strange planet where they are learning the language and customs. They want to know how the world works and what is inside their world first. Help them learn by showing them realistic images so they know what to expect. There’s no point in showing someone fantasy animals and then sending them into the jungle. They are going to be ill-prepared and very confused.
Books are extremely expensive but think out of the box. Collect magazines and buy secondhand books or visit the library. Try to avoid screens as much as possible and here are 5 Scientific Reasons.
Rich language
We have to make a concerted effort to speak properly when we have babies and toddlers. Remember the alien comment and the fact that they are sponges. Speak kindly, correctly, and use descriptive language when communicating with your child – even if they are newborns. This will take some getting used to and you will feel like an idiot at the beginning but soon it will be second nature and your child’s vocabulary will be evident of your efforts.
You should also read to them as often as possible from birth. The more words they hear the better.
Art and nature
I discuss this in much more detail in Principles 4 & 7 but I must mention that including these two elements in your home is the easiest way to enrich a child’s environment. We are beings that require both to be healthy and happy.
Sensory experiences
We learn through our senses full stop. If you are not exposed to different sensory stimuli – your development will be seriously stunted.
While reading Magda Gerber’s book Your Self-Confident Baby, I learned about Dr. Pikler (of the Pikler Triangle fame) and her account of the Loczy Institution. What it boils down to is that she was asked to help the children in this orphanage with developmental issues. These children were plagued by every developmental issue you can think of and the cause of most of this was due to the fact that they had been raised in an institution.
If you’ve ever been to a hospital or clinical place you’ll know that these places are basically devoid of natural sunlight, colors, textures, and human interaction. The children in this institution had limited sensory input and human contact and this caused serious developmental damage. Please do yourself a favor and read more about Dr. Emmi Pikler and her work with the Loczy Foundation.
So making sure you expose your child to as much sensory input is crucial to their development. I’m not talking about plastic bags with paint inside for them to squeeze. I’m talking about introducing them to the real world through the use of their senses. If in doubt just employ nature.
Playing with a mystery bag is very helpful for the stereognosis sense and sense of touch – I’ve written a how-to guide here about the subject.
3/ Create a calm and uncluttered space
Keeping a tidy home has more benefits than just looking presentable. Your young toddler is very sensitive to routines and our energy. If we feel all over the place – they will too. They feel easily overwhelmed and not knowing what goes where or where to find what they are looking for, can stir up feelings of being unsure and unstable.
Start practicing toy rotation with your child’s toys – this habit alone will make a massive difference to the level of mess in your home. It will also help your child play more intentionally with their toys and tidying up will be more manageable. This is particularly important when we want them to take part in the process of tidying up.
An uncluttered space also means less to manage for the parent. It consequently makes our lives easier because we have less work at the end of the day. It also helps us manage our frustration levels throughout the day because life is just easier when things are tidy and we know where to find them.
Seeing less stuff also has a calming effect on our brains. Have you ever noticed how calming a hotel room is? Why? Because there’s no stuff. Just purposely placed items of use and beauty to enhance the feel of the room. Our brains do not like the noise created by visual clutter. It causes a certain level of stress.
Your space will feel instantly calmer by just hiding most of the noise and only displaying items your eyes enjoy looking at like a painting or a vase of flowers. You can store (hide) items in boxes or inside cupboards and drawers but ideally, you just want less stuff in general so you have less to manage.
4/ Add elements of nature
This is a vital step. You can have the most organized and clean space but it won’t feel warm and inviting without natural elements or something ‘living’ like a plant or flowers. The easiest way I have also found to reduce the plastic in my house is to only buy household items that are made from metal, wood, or some other natural fibers. This has slowly changed what my house looks like and made it feel cozier.
If you are looking for inspiration, tips, and tricks for achieving a calm, organized, and natural home, I highly recommend getting the Remodelista book. I am totally obsessed with this book and refer to it often when I’m looking to solve an organizational issue or just get inspired to beautify my space.
5/ Make your home safe to explore
One of the key principles of the Montessori method is Freedom within Limits where children are encouraged to move freely through the classroom and choose their own activities. Movement is a very important theme in Montessori for multiple reasons but it boils down to improved cognitive development and enhanced learning.
While the freedom part points to the child being allowed and encouraged to engage with activities of their own choosing and the limits refer to the physical limits of the classroom and the options available. Limits could also refer to ground rules in a classroom.
This would be no different in your own home but a larger emphasis should be placed on making your home safe since there are more potential safety issues in a home than in a classroom. Apart from basic baby-proofing, it is so important to have a place in our homes where our child can be left to explore and play without our constant interference. Magda Gerber (founder of RIE) called these ‘Yes-spaces’.
6/ Create order & routine
The type of order and routine I’m referring to here is less military and more predictable rhythm and knowing where to find things. Your child will be in a sensitive period for order from birth to about 5 years. This means that they are especially sensitive to order in their environment and need things to stay the same. They tend to like repetitive actions and routines during this time and feel more at ease when they know exactly what happens next and where to find what they are looking for.
I like to always keep in mind that toddlers are going through so much change on a developmental level, that they need the world around them to be a little more stable to counteract this. Here’s a couple of ways we can create order and predictable routine.
- Have a designated spot for everything your child needs/wants to use on a daily basis.
- Eliminate clutter and minimise what is on display to make it easier to find things and put them away.
- Establish a consistent daily routine – start with meal times and bed times. Read this post where I share the 7 essential elements of a successful toddler routine.
- Always give your child a warning in advance before transitioning to the next activity on the agenda (two minutes until bath time is finished – then we will get out and put on your pj’s/we need to leave in 5 min to get in the car and go grocery shopping).
- Once you have crafted your perfect bed time routine (just an example) talk your way through the routine every night until your child is familiar with the stages and cues. You can start doing this with your baby.
7/ Add beauty to every space
We take so much time to consider what we need to provide to make sure our child has everything they need to develop cognitively but we rarely consider what their soul requires. Art and beauty have no function except to feed our souls and inspire us to create more of it in the world.
Children admire and appreciate beauty just as much as you do so make sure to hang artwork and display objects of beauty where they can see it (at their eye level).
What you need to set up each room the Montessori way
Some important thoughts to keep in mind while setting up your home:
The purpose of setting up our homes to accommodate our children is to help them learn important skills to gain independence while showing them that they are important so they feel respected.
There is no right or wrong way because every child is different
It’s a journey and things will continuously evolve – keep observing and adjust accordingly.
Shop in your own home first before buying new things – this does not have to be an expensive exercise.
Pay attention to what your child asks you to help them with on a daily basis – this will give you a clue as to where you can improve the environment.
The Bedroom
The bedroom is an important place to start implementing the Montessori principles because it is a room specifically for them. They get to take ownership of this space and enjoy having a place of their own to retreat to.
Keep in mind that a bedroom should be for sleeping and getting dressed and should not be primarily for playing. You can have a small selection of books and toys on a shelf but try to keep the majority of the playing in another room.
The foundation of this room is the same for babies and toddlers but you would include extra items if this is a nursery. You might want to read How To Set Up A Montessori Nursery (that transitions effortlessly into toddlerhood).
Essential elements:
- Floor bed
- Accessible wardrobe
- Accessible light
- Full length mirror
- Small shelf for toys/books
- Low hooks on the wall/door
The Bathroom
Self-care skills are essential for our toddlers to learn and they need a space where this learning is supported. They need to learn how to use the toilet, wash their hands and brush their teeth. Make sure it’s safe in there and remember it will be trial and error but you have to start somewhere.
Essential elements:
- Low table/shelf/cabinet to keep self care items
- Mirror
- Two step step-stool to reach sink/bowel for water
- Hooks for towel and wash cloth
- Non-slip mat(s)
- Potty
- Small step or chair to sit when undressing (to use the potty)
- Laundry basket for wet/soiled clothing
- Basket with clean underwear
- Liquid soap in small pump bottle/small bar of soap in a soap dish
The Kitchen
This is an area that can vary greatly and will depend completely on the layout of your home and the design of your kitchen. You will have to decide what will be the best way to incorporate the principles here. The main takeaway should be that your child can take part in food preparation activities while you cook as well as have a space where they can prepare their own snacks at mealtimes.
My kitchen is long and narrow and does not accommodate a table or space for my son to prepare his snacks so I moved that into the dining room. All his kitchen tools are in a cupboard near his table where he eats. We use a learning tower when we cook together in the kitchen and I also keep most of his crockery and glassware on a trolley in the kitchen where he can reach them.
Essential elements:
- Low shelf/cupboard/drawer for their crockery, glassware and cutlery
- A stable work surface
- A learning tower/kitchen helper to reach the kitchen counter
- Access to their kitchen tools (here’s a handy checklist to download)
- Access to drinking water
- A place to wash hands and eventually dishes (this could also be a learning tower at the kitchen sink)
The Dining room
It is important for children to experience mealtimes as enjoyable and to have autonomy around the subject of eating. Having an area in your home dedicated to their mealtimes is so beneficial and will greatly reduce the struggles we experience with toddlers around food and eating. Make sure you select a pleasant spot for your toddler to dine – perhaps next to a window or in a sunny spot near the kitchen.
Essential elements:
- A weaning table & chair
- Child-sized dishes, glassware and cutlery
- A table cloth
- A place mat with markings indicating where what goes
- A small vase for flowers
The Play Area
You don’t have to have a dedicated room for a play area but it helps to have a small space in your home where you can set up a small shelf, table, and bookcase. You can expand and build this out based on how much space you have.
Essential elements:
- A shelf to display materials and activities (Read my post about how to find the perfect Montessori shelf)
- A front-facing book shelf
- A thick rug
- A table and chairs
- An arts & crafts ‘area’ (Read my post explaining how to start arts and crafts with a toddler)
The Entrance
Having your entrance area set up for your child could dramatically reduce the mess and the time it takes to get ready to leave the house. Keep everything your child will need to leave the house in a spot near the door. Hang as much as you can since they will be able to do the same. Hanging items also clears the floor space.
Essential elements:
- Low table/shelf to display items like sunscreen/tissues/sunglasses
- A chair where they can sit to put their shoes on or take them off
- A basket or shelf to place shoes
- Wall hooks to hang everything from jackets, backpacks, hats, and scarves, to umbrellas and raincoats.
- A mirror (full length is ideal)
- A basket with tissues, hairbrush and other self-care items
Outside spaces
There are two things to consider when setting up outside areas – the first is to provide your child with opportunities to take part in the cleaning and gardening activities that take place at your home. The second should be setting the space up to encourage movement and sensory play.
This will again depend greatly on you and where you live and your amount and type of outside space, but everyone can incorporate gardening, cleaning, laundry, and movement activities in their homes. If space is an issue, get creative!
Essential elements:
- Hooks/shelf/rack for gardening equipment (child-sized spade and watering can)
- Swing/climber/monkey bars
- Laundry rack/washing line with pegs & basket
- Sand pit/sensory table/mud kitchen
Enjoy the process!