Montessori Space At Home

I'd like to show you how we set up our Montessori room and around our home. I still have a lot of work to do and things I'd like to add to our space. I'm sure once those things are in place I'll update. Hopefully, you'll get some ideas and be able to set up a Montessori mini space or classroom of your own.

I purchased this shelf from amazon. I love the natural looking wood and the fact that it has wheels for easy mobility. On this shelf I have my practical life trays and baskets. You can purchase these trays  and baskets from Montessori Services or hitting up local yard sales and thrift stores. I have grasping, sorting, pouring, scooping and tonging exercises. These exercises should be arranged on the shelf from easy to more difficult beginning left to right. I trade these works out about every 2 weeks and after an initial lesson Ava is allowed to take the work off the shelf as she desires. A typical work cycle is two and a half to three hours before there is a break for outdoor play. Beside this shelf I have care of the environment materials that are from Melissa and Doug which includes a broom, mop, duster, dust-pan and hand brush. This allows Ava to clean up spills and to dust around the house as need be.

This is a picture of the other side of our Montessori room. A child should have a place to do their work. This table and chairs was purchased from Kid Kraft and they are the perfect height and lightweight. For materials that are larger and need more space a floor rug defines their workspace and allows them the opportunity to learn the Montessori principle "freedom within limits." A rug holder is  ideal but you could easily use a tall basket to hold your rugs. I am on the hunt for mine. 

We have an easel purchased from Ikea which is Ava's favorite area in the room. I have child-size aprons to use when she is painting. The 10 drawer organizer beside it has art materials such as markers, crayons, color pencils, chalk, scissors, glue, stickers, paint brushes, paper and coloring books.

This kitchen set isn't necessarily "Montessori" but Ava enjoys playing "kitchen." I purchased this wood stove set from Target. I store all of her "play food" in plastic containers. 

This next shelf I purchased from target and it holds our sensorial, language, math, and cultural materials. 

In our living room Ava enjoys her rocking chair given to her by her titi Maricsa. 

Ava sleeps in a toddler bed which is smaller than a twin size bed. She is able to get on and off without any assistance. She can make up her bed because it's at the perfect height. 

Ava has a reading chair and a bin of books which I switch out periodically.

In our kitchen we have a cabinet dedicated to just Ava and Lucy's food-preparation utensils and dishes. I purchased the bins from Walmart and Big Lots. This allows Ava to get what she needs for snack, lunch and dinner. 

If you would like to make your own Montessori space start with a mini space. You could start with one shelf and rotate materials. Here is a video with a sample mini space. Here are a few pictures to give you some other ideas on creating your Montessori space. Shelving should be at your child's eye level. A Montessori room should be light and airy without too many distractions. Anything hanging on the wall should be at your child's eye level.

Love this space from Counting Coconuts.

Great space from Imagine Our Life.

From The Kavanaugh Report.

Here are a few ideas for snack preparation and storage. Snacks should be easily accessible and open for whenever a child feels the need to eat. All cups and bowls should be made out of glass or porcelain. This allows the child to practice carrying things that are breakable carefully. Some fresh flowers on the snack table allows your child to enjoy his/her beautiful environment.  

From C Joy Reed.

From How We Montessori.

From Natural Beach Living.

From Ever Clever Mom.

Ideas for a bedroom. Many families start their child off with a floor bed like the one in this picture.  The idea behind a floor bed is to align with Montessori principles: a child should have freedom of movement, and should be able to move independently around his childproofed room. A toddler bed or a crib that converts into a toddler bed is the next best thing. Toys should be limited and displayed at the child's level and not thrown into a trunk or some other toy storage container. Any wall hangings should be at a child's eye level. 

From Sew Liberated.

Here are some ideas for a reading corner. Books should be displayed in such a way that is easily accessible. Allowing the cover to be shown makes it easier for a child to choose which book he/she wants. You should only place a few out at a time and rotate them out. 

From The Free Child.

From Sew Liberated.

From Social Cafe Mag.