Maria Montessori wrote about the Montessori method and how it applies to her schools. In her time and era, elaborate playrooms like we have today didn’t exist. However there are Montessori principles that we can use in our playrooms and we can allow Montessori to guide us and to inspire us!
There are three tips I want to share. These tips are important to keep our playroom in check, keeping it organised, flowing and working. My three tips to Montessorify your playroom include:
1. Shelves
Shelves keep the work accessible to the child, and the child can see all of their work. It is all within easy reach. It is organised. The child knows where they can find their work and know where to put it back. They can keep their shelves organised and tidy. The child can feel reassured by knowing where all of their work is. It appeals to their sense of order.
Having a designated place for each piece of work establishes an expectation for the work to be returned after being used. If the child is unsure of where to put the materials, they are less likely to pack it away when finished.
2. Baskets and Trays
Baskets are trays are essential even for non Montessori work. They keep all the pieces of the work together. They allow the child to carry their work easily and independently even as a toddler. They make pack up really easy.
I also use baskets and trays to add to the aesthetics of a space. Beautiful baskets and natural trays can add beauty to a playroom.
3. Work Mat
A work mat allows the child to define their work area. It allows them to spread out their work without taking up the entire room. It gives them a boundary to walk around, to work within. It provides a soft and clean work surface. Being able to pack the work mat away allows the space to be used for other activities and also allows the child to keep the area organised. And rolling up the work mat is fun!
If you are new to Montessori, I hope you find these tips useful!
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
I save all your posts for future use- the first one I will get to use are the mystery baskets for older infants. Where’s the work mat from?
blogger / apricot / 250 posts
We are in the process of setting up a play area for my son (13 months old) and these tips are so helpful! I’m new to the Montessori method but my husband and I are interested in learning more.
pear / 1852 posts
We just changed to a toy organizer that allows her to see all her toys and hopefully be more organized. I guess that counts as Montessori? Never thought about it before.
olive / 58 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: We get our work mats from a store called Daiso, it’s a Japanese variety store.
olive / 58 posts
@Mrs. Ice Cream: Oh great to hear!
blogger / apricot / 431 posts
Maybe there is a post like this already out there from you, but I would love to find out more about great trays, baskets, mats, shelves, etc that you like for a Montessori room. Thanks for sharing theee simple pointers!
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
I like the work mat idea a lot. Might need to find one of those now