Montessori @ Home: In a Nutshell
Many parents assume that Montessori is a difficult methodology to understand and practice, but in reality you can get started today with items that you have at home. Incorporating the Montessori method does not mean purchasing fancy tools and materials but recognizing that children are eager to learn, naturally curious, and willing to be autonomous. The five life skills that underpin education and learning at HPM are:
Independence: The child initiates her own activity, ends her own activity, and shows a sense of self-help.
Sense of Order: The child returns her work to the shelf and cares for the environment and materials in the classroom.
Concentration: The child works at her own speed and for as long as her attention lasts (10 minutes is considered good concentration for a 3-year-old). She is able to tune out some background noise while working.
Coordination: The child practices small muscle dexterity in handling objects, pouring, using pencils, etc. She shows large muscle dexterity when walking, carrying trays, scrubbing, etc.
Socialization: The child has respect for other’s work and person, and she participates in work and play with her peers and adults.
In this guide we walk you through the basics of setting up your family’s Montessori space. Happy learning!
Key Terms
Work: Purposeful materials that are set out on the shelf for children to choose from. This can look like flashcards set out in a basket or items grouped closely together for a project.
Practical Life: These are purposeful works and activities that mirror our everyday lives. This includes self care, grace and courtesy, and care for the environment.
Prepared Environment: The space prepared by an adult that has been set up to meet the current developmental needs of the child.
Marie Kondo the Space
What items bring your children joy? Is the craft drawer filled with dried markers and stickers? Dust on the bongos? Before setting up your workstation and shelves, clean out your child’s space. Cleaning is also a great time to take stock of the items you already own before purchasing more to build out a works library. For example, a practical life work found in our Schoolhouse classrooms is the ‘Open/Close’ lesson. HPM has a collection of containers that open and close in different ways that were once were a jam jar or hand cream container. We recommend dividing belongings into three categories:
Giveaway: Items you know your children no longer play with or have outgrown developmentally. No matter your child’s age, we suggest holding onto things like wooden blocks, scarves, animals, and people to be used in rotation.
Keep: Items that your children use frequently and enjoy both for regular play and their Montessori shelves. When sorting household items to repurpose for your Montessori shelves, consider keeping things like trays and baskets, jars with lids, small dishes, and storage containers with lids.
Store for rotation: Items that you know your children use, but who’s novelty wears off quickly. These would be things like puzzles, games, instruments, etc.
Set Up the Prepared Environment
Give your child a space for work, a space for storing works, and a space for keeping cleaning supplies. You will also need to budget space for rotation storage. Everything should be child-sized (and friendly) so that your child can feel confident and capable when using items. The key to the prepared environment is giving your child as much independence as possible.
Work Station: A table like the Latt from Ikea is perfect for children to use as a workstation. Having a small rug or mat available for floor work is a good idea as well. When not in use, your child should keep it rolled up. Any art or mirrors in this space should be at their eye level as well.
Works Shelf: A one or two-level shelf will work well here. The key is to have enough space for a variety of works that are easily accessible for your child. That also means that the shelves should not have doors or coverings.
Cleaning Station: Integrate cleaning and material care into your child's routine. In the classroom, we have dustpans, brooms, and cleaning rags available for the children to use. Montessori Services has some excellent options for brooms, dustpans, and accessories that are child-sized.
What does your kitchen space look like from a child's POV?
Here are some easy suggestions for encouraging independence in the kitchen:
Set out a pitcher of water so that your child can refill their water bottle as needed.
Have snacks prepared and stored in the fridge where they can access them in the morning.
Designate a shelf or cupboard for your child's plates, utensils, and a cup. They should be able to get out and put away these items when eating a meal.
Introducing Works
Don’t be intimidated by introducing works to your shelves! The shelves should include familiar items that your child already enjoys along with practical life and Montessori works. The important thing to remember is that you don’t want to crowd the space and overwhelm your child with choice. Below you’ll find a brief explanation of each category you’d find in a classroom along with a couple of ideas to get you started.
Practical Life: These works are the ones of daily life. Ideas include cleaning tools (a broom, dust pan, and some cleaning cloths), a watering can and cloth for plant care, and a small mirror with a container of cotton balls for self care.
Self Expression: Expression can take on many different forms! Activities with clay, sewing, woodworking, and scrapbooking are wonderful ways to incorporate art into the space. Present a small amount of materials for these works. Instead of putting out a large bottle of glue for students to use, we decant them into smaller, more manageable, bottles.
Sensorial/Sensory Motor: Hands-on manipulatives make up the foundation of the Montessori method and naturally encourage children to explore learning through the senses. Some great DIY sensorial works include spice smelling jars, instruments, and a box of blocks of various sizes.
Language: Montessori Language Guide has a wonderfully thorough introduction to language learning in Montessori. Two simple ways to incorporate language into your space include a basket of 4-6 books that rotate and language/object cards.
Math: Nature and math make excellent companions. We suggest setting up a loose objects counting work with some stones, leaves, or nuts from outside. Print out cards with 0 to 9 printed and space for your child to place the natural counters. Another excellent math work is a 0-9 puzzle, like this one from Melissa & Doug.
Social Studies/Geography: Geography is always a favorite in the classroom. We recommend starting with physical geography before introducing cultural geography. To easily incorporate it into your space at home we recommend hanging a world map at your child’s eye level.
We hope you've learned a thing or two from this broad overview of Montessori. If you have any questions on the Montessori method and Hyde Park Montessori, feel free to reach out!
Recommended Reading
The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies
Montessori in 5 Minutes by Child of the Redwoods
Age Appropriate Chores for Children from the Montessori Notebook
Setting Up Shelves from the Montessori Method