Montessori Materials, The Montessori Method

How to set up a Montessori play area at home (from birth to 3 years)

What are the reasons for using Montessori education at home?

1.Our absolute main goal is to support the child’s mental and physical development. First we are aware of what the child’s needs are, and then we prepare the space for them, so that they can follow their natural path of development with everything in their environment is available to them to use to meet each developmental need. 

2. Understanding the child also makes parenting them more peaceful and more joyous because it takes away our struggles and frustration of every-day tasks like getting dressed, going off to sleep, etc 

3. At home, you are often able to allow your child to have more control over their learning than they have at school. When children have more control over their learning, they are able to face challenges, grow their creativity, and become more resilient. They have to be self-aware, resourceful, and confident in their capabilities in order to solve their own problems. 

4. Finally, Montessori is an education for life and gives children a love for learning so that they can succeed in every other area of their life. 

Parts of the Montessori 0-3 Environment

When we talk about the home environment from 0-3, we are looking at 4 general zones of the child’s space. They are the sleep, care, food, and movement areas. In this blogpost, we are going  to focus mostly on the movement area because that’s usually what people think about when we talk about Montessori and the other areas can be different for every family.

The toddler (5m-walking) play area includes…

· low, light-weight table and chairsprovides a comfortable place where the child can focus on their work
· cleaning suppliesteaches responsibility and allows child to do practical life work
· toddler shelf with 6-10 materials organises the toddler’s materials for most success
· easelprovides a comfortable place for artistic expression
· access to water sourceallows the toddler basic access to drinking water and water for practical life (just a small amount)
· plant with watering canteaches how to care for nature
· 3-8 books on a low Montessori bookshelf or basketchild can grow a love for reading
· wall art hung at eye levelbeautifies the space + gives visual information
· reading loungegives the child a comfortable place to enjoy their books

The baby (5m-walking) play area includes…

· larger movement mat or regular carpetallows Baby to move freely, easily, and safely
· mirror on the wall with pull-up barprovides motivations and opportunities to stand
· low shelf with 6-8 materials organises Baby’s materials for maximum success
· push wagonallows Baby to walk independently and practice balance
· tactile mobilestrains the grasp and supports concentration
· plant with small watering pitcherteaches how to care for nature
· 3 books on a low Montessori bookshelf or basketchild can grow a love for reading
· wall art hung near to floorbeautifies the space + gives visual information
· place to climbstairs, a Pikler triangle, or bridge offer a defined climbing area

The newborn (0-5m) play area includes…

· firm movement matallows Baby to move freely, easily, and safely
· low horizontal mirrorgives visual feedback on movements; allows Baby to see more of the environment
· low shelf with 3-6 materials or booksprovides motivation to crawl
· visual mobilesgives gentle stimulation and supports visual development
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· plantshares an appreciation for life and nature
· wall art hung near to floorbeautifies the space + gives visual information

I hope you found this helpful and interesting! I will go more into detail about materials and other zones of the environment in separate blogposts.

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