Montessori learning offers a unique and empowering approach to play. Centered around fostering independence, curiosity, and natural development, this method has captured the hearts of parents and educators worldwide.
Unlike conventional play, Montessori play emphasizes purpose, discovery, and the child’s own pace. If you’re new to Montessori, don’t worry—this guide will walk you through the ages and stages of Montessori play and offer practical ideas to help your child thrive.
Bringing Montessori Into Your Home
Have you ever sat down to look at ideas for a Montessori home and immediately got overwhelmed by the price tags and influencers’ “must-haves?” We’ve been there. It’s easy to get caught up in the Montessori “aesthetic,” but all your little one needs is a calm and kid-friendly space to grow in.
You don’t need to renovate your home completely, but changes, like a step stool or learning tower, will allow your child to reach countertops and other necessary spaces.
Consider incorporating one or a few of these small changes into your home to Montessori-fy your space:
- Low Shelves and Other Reachable Surfaces: Fostering independence is one of the hallmarks of Montessori philosophy. If it’s doable for you, consider finding low bookshelves or investing in a learning tower or step stool for kitchen help and bathroom tasks.
- Less is More: The less is more approach allows kids more space to create and play without getting overstimulated by “too much stuff.”
- Open-Ended Toys and Materials: Skip out on single-purpose toys and consider limiting your toy rotation to things like wooden blocks, stacking, or lacing toys.
- Involvement in Everyday Tasks: If they’ve never washed a dish or properly tidied up before, how are they supposed to know how to do it? Give your child a sense of
- Developmentally-Appropriate Toys and Play: It’s easy to buy into the hype of the “next biggest” toy but make sure you’re sticking to toys and activities that match your child’s skill level.
- Following Their Lead: Let your child explore their surroundings at their own pace and don’t rush them through what they’re doing. Celebrate their effort throughout rather than hurrying to the result.
Infancy (0-1 Year Old): Learning the Senses
Although your baby may not be old enough to navigate Montessori-style toys, you can still create a Montessori space for them in other ways.
A comfortable baby floor mat, free from any choking hazards, is a great place to start. Once you’ve established a safe area for your baby to be, you can add a few sensory-activating toys to make the most of their wake window.
A simple floor mirror and some high-contrast cards are plenty at this stage of development. During this time it’s important to remember their attention spans are still very short and wake windows don’t typically last long. If it doesn’t seem like they’re interested in playtime for long, that’s okay!
You can give them other sensory experiences beyond playtime as well. If your infant is old enough to eat, you can introduce them to different flavors and textures during mealtimes. Many parents also teach their infants how to use a fork and spoon and drink out of different cup types at this age.
Toddlerhood (1-3 Years Old): Building Independence
Have you ever met a toddler who HASN’T gone through the “I DO IT BY MYSELF” stage? Instead of hampering this attitude, challenge yourself to embrace their newfound independence.
Allow your toddler to try things by themself before stepping in to help.
The more you let your little one try things on their own, the more likely they are to let you help them when you truly need to step in. At this time, you may want to consider adding low bookshelves or a toddler-sized table to their space. This gives them a safe space to reach for the things they want or need without help.
Give them cups to pour water into or challenge them to sweep the kitchen with a kid-sized broom as meaningful ways to practice independence too. You may also choose to add a few Montessori wooden puzzles to your toddler’s toy rotation to challenge their brain during playtime. There are a wide variety of great Montessori toys for 2-year-olds that you can choose that can help enhance your toddler’s developmental skills.
Preschool-Age (3-6 Years Old): Honoring Curiosity and Creativity
As your child enters their preschool era, their desire to learn more about the world around them grows exponentially. With the never-ending “why” questions and constant boundary-pushing, this stage is the perfect time to introduce slightly more complex toys.
While an infant or toddler may not understand how to build towers out of blocks, preschoolers will race to see who can build the tallest one. This is also the perfect stage for introducing lacing toys, like this Montessori lacing set by Guidecraft.
Lacing toys, like this one, give preschoolers the perfect opportunity to practice their fine motor skills and build up their attention spans.
Elementary And Beyond (6-12 Years Old): Embracing Deeper Thinking
While most people associate the Montessori philosophy with early childhood development, the philosophy carries on beyond the early stages. Once your child reaches primary and secondary school, Montessori learning looks more like developing critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and honing in on their unique life experiences.
You can still keep a Montessori-style space for your child by giving them a cozy reading corner or adding more complex building sets to their toy rotation. This is also a good age to start introducing more complex home tasks like loading or unloading the dishwasher and mopping the floors.
Embracing the Montessori Way of Life
What better way to honor your little one’s natural curiosity than to incorporate Montessori philosophy into your home? Not to mention just how easy it is to create an ideal space catered just to your child’s needs.
Even the smallest of changes can make all the difference in the world to your child’s space. A safe and secure play area, an easy-to-reach bookshelf, open-ended building toys to foster creativity— with minor tweaks and the high-quality toys Alphabet Trains & toys has to offer, your Montessori child is sure to thrive.