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Furnish a children’s room according to the Montessori philosophy
For Maria Montessori, “It is not a question of leaving a child to himself so that he does what he wants, but of preparing an environment for him where he can act freely”. An Italian doctor, she has devoted her whole life to the education of children, to their physical and spiritual development. For her, between birth and the age of six, a child would learn more than a young adult during his university life. It is for this reason that she insists on the child’s environment during the early years. Marie-Hélène Place, author of the book “60 Montessori activities for my baby”, speaks of “a prepared environment”. For example, by placing a bed on the floor, the child feels encouraged in his development to crawl, to get on all fours or to sit alone. In Montessori philosophy, displacement intellectually nourishes the child. Maria Montessori explained that “the hand is the tool of intelligence” for the child.
The Montessori version of the child’s bedroom: a fulfilling space
Arranging the room of his child is always a moment of joy for the parents. The Montessori method recommends making the bedroom a fulfilling space with simple arrangements but designed for the awakening of the child. For example, it is advisable to choose a quiet room, if possible, to provide a sense of security for the youngest. For Marie-Hélène Place, it is preferable to keep the same layout during the first year. She explains that the parent should settle down where the child will sleep, as if they were testing the room in some way. He should not hesitate to get on all fours or lie down in the place of the child’s bed to ensure that there is no direct light on his face, for example. Finally, the atmosphere of the bedroom must be calm and peaceful, the decoration refined and simple. The choice of objects is also very important. And above all, everything must be easy to store and within reach of the child (toys, accessories, etc.). He must be able to move, roll, lift his head on his own, in a suitable space, without obstacles in his path.
The goal is to make it as autumnal as possible in its living room, without too much intervention from the parent. He becomes an “actor of his environment”, specifies Marie-Hélène Place. Another tip: hang up photo frames with his portrait or that of his family so that he can learn to differentiate between the different members. As well as some specific games develop autonomy and motor skills.
The different spaces of a Montessori room
In the Montessori spirit, the child, from an early age, evolves in an environment that he recognizes as he forges his own experience. As soon as he wakes up, he finds the mobile he observed the day before, or he remembers that, a little further, on a shelf, there is an object with which he liked to play. On his own, he must be able to move towards what attracts and interests him.
The arrangement of the child’s room is done by creating four very different spaces: a space to sleep, to change it, to feed it, to make its toilet and later, to dress it.
If the room is not big enough, you can of course relocate the place to change it and to feed it.
-A low bed: futon-style, the bed is actually a simple mattress placed on the floor, with a rug next to it. So exit the crib. For toddlers, it is possible to put the cradle or bassinet on the bed. Then, you can put him to bed directly in this low bed after a few months. This way of putting the child to bed is specific to the Montessori spirit. It offers the child the possibility of moving as he grows up. The child will be able to move around by rolling or crawling directly on the carpet at the bottom of the bed, and move towards the shelf or the mirror placed in a place in his room that he remembers, without being hampered by the bars. This device encourages the child to develop his own autonomy and his ability to move around the elements of the room that interest him.
– A mirror : it is a classic of the arrangement of the Montessori living space. It promotes the learning of autonomy. Placed horizontally, on the lower part of the floor, the mirror allows a thousand fantasies to the child when he is small. He also develops the consciousness of the child, he will in fact gradually recognize himself and see a duplicate of him. Then the child crawls and starts playing with his image. When he grows up, the mirror can be tilted vertically, to help him dress on his own.
– A chair : most often, it is made of rattan or rocking, for a cozy and calm atmosphere. The main thing is that it is always positioned in the same place in the room so that the child has a reference point when the adult comes to spend a moment of relaxation with him. Very often, the chair is located near a book rack. The parent can thus settle down comfortably to be beside his child, attentive to his desires, to feed him, or quite simply to read a book.
– The book rack is also a typical element of the Montessori room. Books should be appropriate for the age of the child. For toddlers, nursery rhyme books are recommended. As time goes by, parents are invited to develop the book rack with albums on nature, for example. Note that the younger the child, the more the world described in the book must be real, according to Montessori pedagogy.
– Dresser : initially, it is used for changing the baby. Then, it becomes a piece of furniture where the child arranges his things himself.
What about the rest of the house?
For Marie-Hélène Place, the house must be entirely designed to allow the child to do as many things as possible on his own. Some areas of the house can be arranged simply so that your toddler can be independent. For example, in the hall, you can put a small extra chair so that the child can sit down and take off his shoes independently. Ditto for clothes, just install a coat rack at its height. Another possibility, in your living room, if you have the space, you can install a low shelf so that the child can easily store his books. In the bathroom, you can provide a basin on a small low cabinet, or let him use the bidet, so that he does his hair or washes his hands. If possible, plan a small shelf where he can put his toothbrush, brush and comb. Hang a mirror at its height for convenience. He will be happy to watch himself and take care of him, like you.
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