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Montessori For The Home
Incorporating Montessori into your home can undoubtedly bring more calm, togetherness, and peace to your household – no matter the temperament or interests of your toddler.
Watching a child in a Montessori environment, with adults who follow a Montessori approach, will have you questioning everything you’ve heard about messy, fussy, loud, crazy, can’t-focus, not-able, always-tantruming, needy toddlers.
It’s like magic… Some parents describe watching their child in a Montessori setting as their child being under a ‘peaceful spell’, others describe it as extraordinary, while some call it completely ‘life-changing’.
It reminds me of the quote by Alexander Den Heijer that goes, “when a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower”
What I love about this quote, in this context, is that it shifts our focus from just the child, to instead, the environment they are in as a whole, as what contributes to their behaviors and outcomes.
To step away from traditional parenting, and step into more of a Montessori approach, there are key beliefs and specific setting shifts that need to happen. Let’s take a look at what they are, piece by piece, room by room…
As the owner of a Montessori-inspired Playschool (in my home), who has been using Montessori practices for almost a decade with babies and toddlers, as well as my own twins, I am going to break down how you can quickly and easily rearrange your home and approach, to reap the benefits of Montessori.
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Beginning at an early age, Montessori nurtures order, concentration, and independence. Intentional classroom design, materials, and daily routines support the student’s emerging “self-regulation” (the ability to educate one’s self, and to think about what one is learning), in toddlers through adolescents. –amshq.org
In one preschool study done in 2017 by Frontiers In Psychology, researchers tested approximately 140 students at the start of the preschool and found that both the Montessori and non-Montessori kids began at age three with similar achievement scores. The 70 students who went to the Montessori schools advanced more rapidly on math and literacy tests over the next three years. At the end of kindergarten, when this study ended, the Montessori kids had significantly higher achievement. –usnews.com
And, this description from Montessori Downtown, so eloquently describes what makes Montessori so special and different:
- Montessori preschools focus on child-centered learning. By emphasizing the development of the child’s intellectual, physical, moral, social and emotional development, Montessori schools help children become independent thinkers with a lifelong love of learning. Because the classes are child-led, children develop confidence through achievement.
- Small classes, facilitated by highly trained teachers, mean quality individualized attention for each child. Montessori teachers are more educated than teachers at an average preschool. They act as guides and consultants, helping each child along his or her individual path of learning. They don’t interrupt a child’s work unnecessarily, instead quietly observing and keeping records, or making themselves available as a consultant.
- A calm and orderly environment allows children to learn without distraction. In a Montessori classroom, there is an atmosphere of respect. Teachers respect the children, children respect each other and the teachers and are taught to treat materials with respect as well. While there are certainly times set aside for messy explorative play, there is an overall calm that comes from a well-organized, structured environment.
- A love of learning is nurtured, and self-esteem is fostered through accomplishment, rather than external approval. Montessori schools foster a child’s natural drive towards independence through practical experience that stimulates them socially and interactively. Children become actively involved in their own education, have more autonomy to choose their own activities, and are given time to finish what they start, without arbitrary time constraints. This allows them to correct their mistakes themselves, and successfully completing tasks raises their self-esteem and self-reliance.
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Creating A Prepared Montessori Environment At Home
The first time I experienced the effects of a prepared Montessori setting, it was as if I was with completely different toddlers. It was mind-blowing. Unbelievable.
The calm, the order, the independence, the sense of fulfillment and joy on their faces, the ease of transitions, the cooperation…
I was made very aware of how much a setting could change the flow of the day and the outcomes of the child.
The difference a Montessori setting and Montessori-inspired adult-child interactions can make is truly monumental – it can make for a different child completely, and a different parenting experience, like 90% of the time!
Here are 6 key things to do at home to create a prepared Montessori environment:
- Make their everyday things (not just toys) toddler-height accessible for comfortability and independence, such as: hooks for jackets, mirror and hair brushes, shoes and socks, cups and straws, snacks, step stools for sinks and light switches, and child-size chairs and tables.
In Montessori, it’s all about respecting and supporting the growing and able toddler’s abilities and independence.
Helping them comfortably, freely, and safely live in their space, and do things themselves, is key. They try to reach the light and want to turn it on and off themselves? We keep a step stool there so they can reach it.
The goal is to include your toddler as an active part of the family and their day to day – rather than having everything happen to them, done by you or your partner.
They grab their little plate and fork for meals (things like this are HUGELY helpful with avoiding/changing picky eating btw!). They have a hook specifically for their jacket and backpack, that they can reach and grab on the way out, just like everyone else in the family.
Toddlers essentially, are programmed to be curious, to test and practice their skills, and to do things independently. With a Montessori prepared environment, you will be nurturing these instinctual needs and helping them master their day to day tasks.
Think about their daily routine and make as many things as possible child-accessible, so they can move through their day more easily. (Ie: low bed to easily get in and out of on their own, step stool to reach their toothbrush on their own, baby-safe mirror by the door so they can see themselves after dressing, kitchen drawer with their snacks in them, bottle filled with water so they can pour themselves a drink when they’re thirsty…)
You’ll notice they will get into their own little routine and have much smoother behaviors each day.
I have parents who tell me regularly, how different their child’s behavior is once they make these Montessori prepared setting tweaks to their home.
- Have a place for everything and encourage your toddler to ‘use/play and put away’.
Montessori is all about simple, organized, and intentional.
Maintaining order in your home will help your child focus more, learn habits about caring for their things, and minimize overwhelm from lots of things piled everywhere. Normalizing everyone working together and helping keep things orderly from early toddlerhood will create lifelong habits.
- Create, remind, and follow through on house rules, lovingly and firmly.
In Montessori, order and enforcing fair rules is routine.
Chat and agree with your partner on some key house rules that can be lovingly and routinely enforced like mantras, such as: ‘after meals, we all take our plates to the sink’, ‘before bed everyone helps reset the living room for tomorrow’, ‘when we come in the house, we place our shoes on the rack and our jackets on a hook’, ‘we don’t take things from someone’s hands – we wait or ask’.
- Observe your toddler to recognize where they shine naturally, what they are interested in, habits, and struggles they have.
Observing each individual child in their day-to-day is a key part of Montessori.
When you actually sit back and observe your child’s habits, struggles, interests, and so forth, you really learn how to communicate with them better, how to guide them better, things you never realized about their ever-changing abilities and much more!
Once you know this, you are able to tweak your approach, routine, and toys selection to really allows your toddler to thrive and be more calm and content.
- Be selective with toy sets, set 8-10 out on trays (less is more), and rotate monthly.
In Montessori, there are no buckets of random toys, stacks of noisy toys, or bins filled to the brim with shiny toys designed to ‘entertain’.
Instead, toys are intentional, engaging, laid out to be attractive and enticing, and usually focus on helping the child master one specific skill at a time. And they are set out on a shelf, in a tray, with all the materials needed for the activity in the tray.
You can see my full list of Montessori-inspired toys for 3 year olds here, and another list of Montessori-inspired toys for 1 year olds here.
For trays, you can find those here.
The toddler can grab the tray, place it on the floor and get to work on their own. Then, when they are done, they put it in the tray and easily replace on the shelf.
So, for example, you might have a collection of puzzles. In Montessori, you would set one puzzle out in a tray – puzzle board on one side, puzzle pieces on the other, on a shelf, for them to complete independently when they are interested in it, unless they ask for help, of course.
This type of activity set up is intentional, allows your toddler to focus, concentrate and master!
Activity tip: Show your child how to do things and then invite them to try on their own. Following and respecting your child is a vital part of Montessori.
- Have beautiful plants and art at the child’s level to enjoy and help maintain.
Understanding The Absorbent Mind & Toddler Capabilities
Understanding The Absorbent Mind & Toddler Capabilities
The Absorbent Mind is a concept developed by doctor and educator Maria Montessori to describe the way young children learn.
It proposes that children have a special capacity to absorb their environment and learn from it without conscious effort.
This natural learning process is most powerful during the first six years of life, when the brain is rapidly developing. This is the building of their forever-foundation.
During this period, children are believed to take in and store information from their environment without conscious effort, like a sponge absorbing water.
This process allows children to learn language, motor skills, and fundamental concepts without explicit instruction, which is why we are able to follow their lead and simply show them then invite them to try.
The Absorbent Mind also emphasizes the importance of allowing children to explore their environment in order to cultivate their natural curiosity, creativity, and independence. Being in tune with themselves and having intrinsic motivation will set our children up to have far more peaceful, aligned, and content lives.
“Let us leave the life free to develop within the limits of the good, and let us observe this inner life developing.” – Maria Montessori
Babies and toddlers are programmed to take part in the world around them. They are built to be curious, and with time and practice, are highly capable.
In fact, toddlers are far more capable and understand more than most parents realize.
“Toddlers can clearly understand complex conversations long before most parents think they can.” – Dr. Gleason, Ph.D, a professor of psychology at Boston University and author of The Development of Language.
“Children recognize their name by 4.5 months. By as early as 14 months children are masters at reading social cues: when we get angry, our voice get louder, our movements jerkier, and our breathing more rapid. By contrast, when we’re happy, we tend to speak gently and softly and to move and breathe more slowly. In other words, no matter what you say, chances are your toddler gets the underlying message.” –Parents.com
In my experience, as someone who has worked with children 0-5 years for almost a decade, without and then with Montessori, I can tell you that the level of focus, concentration, calm, joy, independence and togetherness is night and day with Montessori. The parent-child relationship is better, as is the parent-parent relationship, and the parent-self relationship.
There is a level of balance and beauty that you would absolutely not experience without Montessori.
I personally cannot imagine working with young children without it!
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Discipline With montessori In Mind
There are many key differences between a Montessori discipline approach and a traditional “I’m big, you’re small/my way or the highway” discipline approach.
One of those key differences is that in Montessori, bribes, threats, and punishments are not used.
Did you know that the word ‘discipline’ comes from the Latin word ‘disciplina’ which means ‘to teach’? It does not mean to punish, or shame, or scold…
In Montessori, we don’t expect blind compliance – “yes mom, I listen to everything you say because you are my mom.”
Instead, we know and respect that our children are their own people, with their own thoughts, desires, and emotions, so we position ourselves and out words to gain cooperation and collaboration – “I know it’s not your favorite thing to help with dishes after dinner, but we all eat and we all help as a team. You can take a minute and then come back and help with the forks. After the forks, you can go watch a show before bed…”
“Children will listen to you after they feel listened to.” – Jane Nelsen
Validating your child’s feelings and then reiterating the rule or giving options to complete the necessary task, can bring you closer and gain far more cooperation than simply saying – “too bad! I’m tired too, you know the rules” or never having them help at all.
Remembering that we all have these same feelings – fear, excitement, annoyance, anger, disappointment… will help you find a place within you to empathize with your child, in those moments.
When we depend on extrinsic motivators like threats, bribes, and punishments, we often cause a wedge between ourselves and the child, lose respect, cultivate fear, distrust, and sneaky behaviors.
Our children aren’t learning and listening, they are figuring out how to avoid our temper, punishments, and threats.
We also are rarely facing the root causes, just putting bandaids on the behaviors stemming from the root cause.
To create more cooperation and collaboration, you want to involve your child in the process of getting to the solutions.
Here are 4 examples of a Montessori discipline approach:
- Siblings are fighting, you say: “I hear Landon saying stop. Make sure you are listening when someone tells you to stop doing something to their body.” (let them problem solve and reiterate a house rule on consent.)
- Your toddler dumped out all the shampoo on the bathroom floor, you say: “Whoa, this is going to be very slippery and dangerous. Shampoo is for washing hair. We keep it in the bottle. If you want to pour things, we can pour bubbles and water in the bath, yes? Yes.Grab a towel and help clean this up.” (explain why this is not safe, what the item is for, and have them help clean up.)
- Your toddler shouts “no! I don’t want to!” when it’s time to leave the park, you say: “I know you want to stay, you love it here. We will be back tomorrow! Right now we can go have a yogurt pop at home. Do you want to hold hands or mommy carry you to the car?” (validate their feelings, help them see outside of the moment and look forward to what’s next, give ideas of how they can get to the goal -of getting to the car-.)
- Siblings are arguing over the same toy, you say: There is only one toy. Sounds like you two need to make a plan you both agree on so you can play and have fun. Make a plan and let me know what you decide or I will put it away until you do.” (give them a reminder on how to take responsibility to problem solve and help them follow through by setting a fair consequence if the fighting continues.)
Another key thing we do in Montessori is we explain why we say things, so when we talk, it is not just a command. Our words have purpose, they have meaning and our children can understand the world around them better, safety, logic, decision making…
Our children, even young toddlers seek the ‘why’. Tell them!
Has your toddler ever asked you ‘why. why, why’? It’s because they don’t yet know. It is up to use to describe why things are the way they are and how we can navigate the world.
Here are 13 more tips for Montessori discipline:
- Get them to understand the outcome and agree to the direction: “It is quiet in the library. If we are noisy, they will ask us to leave. Do you want to leave? Then, we need to talk quietly while we are in here.”
- Get them to think of a few ideas themselves: “Ok, you want to do it yourself. How can you safely do that?”
- Ask them to explain to you why you tell them something, to see if they are understanding you correctly: “Why does mommy say you have to hold my hand or sit in the stroller when we are walking on the sidewalk?”
- Ask them why they struggle with following a direction or a rule (this will help you understand what you may not realize about your child and their reasoning for doing something. You can then, better problem solve, connect, and change behaviors long term): “Brushing your teeth seems very hard for you. You scream and cry. I want you to be comfortable and calm. What will help yo ube comfortable and calm for brushing? Can you tell mommy in words what you are feeling?”
- Get eye to eye as often as possible
- Get calm before approaching, take a minute to yourself first when heated
- Get into a leader, mentor mindset when disciplining
- Communicate instead of command
- Explain and show instead of shout
- Observe your child to understand and connect with them
- Respect their autonomy and their individuality
- Give them lots of opportunities to explore and express themselves in their own way, without any direction or critique
- Remember, they are still learning how to use their bodies, about the rules, about safety, about almost everything!
- Years 0-6 are about building the foundation in a safe, accepting, nurturing, and loving home, so your child can well balanced, content, with social and emotional skills
“One becomes a well-balanced adult only if one has fully been a child.” -Maria Montessori
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Becoming A Prepared Montessori Parent
I like to think that when we prepare our environment and use more Montessori-aligned language with our toddlers, we naturally grow into more and more of a Montessori parent.
The Montessori Toddler is a great book to refer to as you enter into Montessori for the home.
For me, I noticed the changes in our relationship, their behaviors, and how I felt overall, and wanted more. I started looking at ways I could create more of this magic, and I was naturally lead to learn more, question societal norms, and look within.
I’ve discovered so much about myself since then and continue to do this work with toddlers, year after year, and it has brought me so much purpose, peace, and healing. All thanks to Montessori.
For a lot of parents, it can be very foreign and confusing to flip everything they’ve known, seen, and heard on it’s head and do Montessori, especially if they were raised with the ‘my way or the highway’, ‘you will respect me because I’m older’, and ‘I know everything’ kind of parenting.
This is why I like to highlight the prepared environment first, because maybe after experiencing the differences, parents will want to seek out more about Montessori, as I did, even if it is so different.
Most parents seek solutions to their child’s behavior, not realizing that much of the work that needs to be done is within them, their beliefs, and their approaches. It can be a tough pill to swallow and a long road.
Dr. Montessori called the process of equipping ourselves as parents, preparation of the adult.
And honestly, just like college or training for a role in a job, preparing to guide the life of another human being makes complete sense!
Preparation of the adult is three-fold: physical, intellectual, and spiritual:
Spiritual: We must study and know ourselves so we can bring more peace to our space and nurture the budding life of a fresh, complex human with grace, patience, wonder, respect, and appreciation.
This is a piece that is missing for most parents, myself included early on.
Are we fulfilled? What are we struggling with? How do we handle emotions and manage our stress? What in our life is not aligned with who we are at our core and the type of person we want to be? Are we loving toward ourselves? Uplifting? Forgiving?
Reflecting.
Deep breathing.
Sitting with our feelings.
Being in nature.
Becoming highly self-aware.
Seeking internal peace.
Taking control over our brain and challenging the thoughts that keep us down.
We need to examine ourselves and weed out attitudes and behaviors toward children that are unhelpful and damaging to their spirit and be more conscious in our interactions.
Giving ourselves more love, patience, gratitude, forgiveness, and empathy will allow us to do the same for our children – and others in general. It’s a beautiful thing.
What am I so proud of about myself? What are 2 really beautiful things in my life? What am I so grateful for having in my life? What is something I absolutely love about my child/partner/myself?
It took me years to give myself the love, acceptance, celebration, and grace that I was able to give the children I worked with. It wasn’t until the pandemic and having my own twins, stepping into the mother relationship and the partner in parenting relationship, that I was called to look deeper within myself, my thoughts, conditioning, and behaviors.
It has been so healing and transformative.
I highly recommend reading The Conscious Parent by Dr. Shefali to dive deeper into this.
Intellectual: We must understand the brain and development of the child. Not as it unfolds in front of us, but something we actually researched and learned about beforehand – how the human brain work, how each stage might look, and why behaviors happen.
When we understand these things, we can parent from a more informed, peaceful, empathetic place, rather than a place of complete confusion and frustration with no context of the child’s brain and development.
We recognize the child in front of us, not how we were or how we expected them to be.
We celebrate the greatness in each child.
We understand the support, acceptance, and communication a child needs to thrive now and in the future.
I highly recommend The Whole Brain Child by Dr. Daniel Siegel for more reading on this.
Continued learning, and learning together with the child, are key parts of Montessori.
With learning, time, and practice, a Montessori approach becomes more and more natural. Until soon, you couldn’t imagine parenting without it.
Physical: Akin to self-care, physical preparation of the adult in Montessori is about being able to be fully present when with the children. And to do this, we must care for our needs, manage our time and our stressors, so that we can slow down and do so.
It’s about prioritizing ourselves, making time to fill our buckets, and maintaining our physical health, which will naturally support our mental health.
Some ways Montessori parents tend to their physical health is through:
- movement/exercise
- leisure time
- hobbies they love
- tending to appearance
When we tend to ourselves, we can tend to others. When we do not tend to ourselves, we are not able to give to others in an unemotional, truly present way.
I see this often, even in our own home, when we are rushed for a deadline or haven’t had time alone to do something for ourselves, in as little as a week’s time or even a couple of days, we are behaving in ways we would not behave if we just had some time to tend to ourselves.
It is crucial that we do.
We need to check in with ourselves.
We have to examine our schedules and make time for ourselves. And it will most likely look different than it did before having children.
No one else is going to re-arrange our schedule or routine for us.
It is up to us.
It is ongoing.
And although it will never be ‘perfect’, we can create a more aligned and peaceful flow for our families, which that alone, will change our experience as parents and theirs as our children.
I want to give an example of some things I do that help me daily with my physical preparations: I get up early in the morning, despite not being an early riser.
I’ve found that if I stay up later at night, I am exhausted through the day, but I am not exhausted when I get up early.
In the morning, I have 2-2.5 hours to myself where I usually make some tea or a vanilla goat milk latte, work on my blog, then rollerblade and listen to Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast.
When I do this, I feel so much more zest for the day, more calm, more peace.
On the weekends, I make it a point to be off with my family, do things areound the house, read, rest.
Once a week, I line up a time where my husband and I can go do something just as a couple.
A couple times a week, I take my twins to go do something, just us.
Every month, I try to arrange a 1:1 day, where each parent has quality time with one child.
A couple times a year, I plan a trip for just my husband and I.
Building out this schedule isn’t perfect or easy, but extremely important for balance and bonding in our family.
If you struggle with finding a quality sitter for your children, I recommend checking out Junecare.com. It’s a site of stay at home moms who can host your children for a play date or date night, or more! I recently discovered them and so far am very pleased with how they match me to moms and how moms can apply to my care-needing dates. They do background checks, reference checks, onboarding interviews, home screens, internet presence checks, and a parent check.
As a prepared Montessori parent, we use our home/space, our schedule, and our daily flow to help us. We focus on practical life, respect, collaboration, togetherness, independence, and a simple, clean home and schedule that is not too rushed nor unintentional.
What I love about Montessori is that it is so conscious and it truly wants what is best, most natural, most authentic for both the adult and the child, despite the noise from the noisy, mainstream world we live in.
A Montessori Entryway
Here is how you can make your home entryway more Montessori:
- Hang a toddler safe mirror (I use this gaffer tape to cover the edges), so they can see themselves before heading out.
- Have a drawer or basket of socks next to their shoes, so they can get their own and practice putting them on (our baskets are under our bench, next to their hooks).
- Hang low hooks for their jackets and bags, so they can hang and grab their own jackets and bags each day. (If you haven’t heard of it, check out the Montessori jacket flip. Toddlers as young as 14 months can put on their own jacket this way. It’s adorable, awesome, and they love it!)
- Have a drawer or basket for hats, mitten, and beanies, so they can complete getting ready on the way out each day.
- Have a shelf or designated spot for their boots, sandals, and shoes, so they can keep them there, know where they are, and put them on on their way out.
A Montessori Kitchen
Here is how you can make your kitchen more Montessori-friendly:
- Have a low drawer or cupboard filled with toddler-size cups, cutlery, plates, and bowls, so they can access themselves at mealtimes.
- Keep snacks and a filled water bottle in a drawer or cupboard, so they can pick out foods and fill their own cups at snack and mealtimes.
- Have a learning tower available so they can help with occasional meal prepping. I like this one because it folds and can be stored away when not in use. (Having your toddler help once a week at minimum, is best. Having them break broccoli, and asparagus, or rinse strawberries in a bowl of water is a great start. You can also bring food supplies to their small table/highchair instead of using a tower, so long as they are involved in the meal process in their home.)
- Childproof unsafe cabinets and any counter space they can access, to make sure they are always safe when using he area.
- Keep toddler-size cleaning supplies where they can reach them to help during family clean up times – a small dustpan set, a small broom, a duster, and hand towels are a great start.
- Having toddler-safe cutting tools is also key, so as they can safely practice and improve their cutting skills, to help with mealtimes.
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A Montessori Bedroom
A Montessori Bedroom 
Here is how you can make your toddler’s bedroom Montessori:
- Childproof the room for complete safety, making it theirs to fully explore and use.
- Have a floor bed or mattress that your child can get in and out of on their own.
- A small, open shelf or trays on the floor in a certain spot, with activities for them to do on their own, before or after sleeping.
- A small basket, shelf, or magazine holder with books.
- Drawers, baskets, and/or a hanging area with some clothes for them to choose from on their own.
- Hang a toddler safe mirror (I use this gaffer tape to cover the edges)
A Montessori Bathroom
Here is how you can make the bathroom more Montessori:
- Step stool for the sink area (I use the plastic stools with grip for the bathrooms, for slip safety and water spills)
- Pump or small bar soap they can reach while on the stool
- Mirror at their height
- Laundry basket
- Toothbrush, hairbrush and toothpaste they can reach
- Towel they can reach for drying face and hands
- A few fresh towels to replace old towel or clean up spills
- Small potty or show them how to move step stool from sink to toilet, as needed
- A faucet handle and spout extender for easier reach, if needed
- A basket or shelf with their diapers/pull ups, wipes, underwear, and a change of clothes, so they can do stand up changes as they get older if they’d like to
A Montessori Play Space
Here are some things you want to have in your play space to make it more Montessori:
- Clear, open space, free of clutter
- Intentional toys
- Trays with complete sets of activities your child can master
- An open shelf or designated space on the floor for trays with complete activites (ie: a tray with one puzzle on it, a tray with a cutting activity, a tray with a letter matching activity, a tray with a coloring activity…)
- 8-10 activities set out, rotated each month
- An art room or section dedicated to trays with art activities, their hanging/drying art, and projects they are working on
- A peace corner for big feelings, time away, a place to cozy up with a lovey, noise-cancelling headphones, a soft blanket and a book (read more about how to set up a great peace corner, here.)
- Natural light
- Real plants they can see, enjoy, and help maintain
- Artwork at their height that they can see and enjoy
- A spot for movement toys like a sensory swing, a balance board, a climber, music set, or a sit and spin
- If you have multiple children of different ages, you can set up different ‘stations’ around the house for them
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Montessori at home for Babies
Montessori can be introduced at any age. Parents can follow the philosophy with their children and reap the benefits from birth.
When it comes to setting up your home to be Montessori for your baby, here are some key things to do:
- Talking to your baby when they are awake: ‘look at how beautiful and sunny it is today, I love seeing your smiling face, are you feeling hungry?, mommy is going to sit for a little bit while I hold you…’
- Massaging their little feet, hands, back, or belly if gassy
- Using baby mobiles to foster concentration and image recognition
- Choosing non-overstimulating, intentional toys for them to engage with
- Open, uncluttered floor space
- A mirror at their level so they can see themselves
- Narrate as you change their diaper or clothes, when it’s time for sleep or eating
- Get out into nature for walks, sits, tummy time, picnics
- Read books with pictures of real animals, real people, real cars, etc
- Introduce solids with a child-led approach like baby led weaning
- Learn about how to use Montessori when your child grow into a toddler and beyond
Toilet Learning & Potty Training
In Montessori, it is called toilet learning.
Here are some key aspects to Montessori toilet training (aka potty training):
- It is natural and gradual, not forced, bribed, or punished
- The parent is there to guide, observe, assist, and remind, as needed, not to control and be overly emotion about the child’s pace nor uninvolved when their child is able and willing
- The bathroom is set up in a prepared environment, just as the home is
- Accidents are teaching reminder opportunities and the toddler helps clean up
- Using great books and potty routine visuals can help
Montessori Supplies
We’ve covered a handful of Montessori supplies in this article. You can also refer to these articles and resources for more:
- You can also browse my Amazon shop, which has many of the Montessori-inspired items I use and recommend for a balanced day of in and outdoor play that meets the child’s physical, emotional, and educational needs.
What age is best to start montessori?
It is never too late to adopt Montessori as your guiding light in parenting.
Because of the developing brain from ages 0-6, and how those years become our foundation to things like – how we cope, how we communicate, what we expect and seek in relationships, and so forth, the sooner the better.
For many parents, this way of parenting will take practice, patience, learning, and support.
My greatest hope for all parents who are seeking to parent differently and discover Montessori, is that they truly get to witness and experience the night and day difference this way of parenting can bring to their lives, their children’s lives, and the generations after that.
It is truly like magic.
No matter what age you start to incorporate Montessori in your home, you can find lots of resources via books on Amazon, accounts on Instagram, and blog posts, from passionate and loyal followers like myself.
What type of child thrives in Montessori?
In my experience, when done authentically, all types of children can thrive in Montessori.
The level of respect for their own inner being, at their core, to lead in their curiosity, learn at their own pace, not be compared or judged, have patient, nurturing adults who are there to guide them to themselves and hone their natural skills, Montessori is truly a gift I believe, that every person deserves in this life.
The balance of all the subjects, including movement, music, art, math, language, science, and so on is so special.
The whole person is considered, not just one part of them.
Montessori brings out what is within the person, doesn’t seek to form or mold the person to be some societal expectation.
I believe if more people experienced Montessori, the world would be a far happier, more content, more peaceful place.
Children who are especially overwhelmed by noise, busy, crowded, chaotic settings can find solace in Montessori, and thrive more rather than struggle.
So many parents of children with sensory challenges, find that Montessori is so soothing and supportive, and helps with difficult feelings and behaviors that other settings can create or exacerbate.
In a more formal Montessori classroom, children are grouped together by 3 grades, rather than just one. So there is more age, skill, and maturity diversity, which means the children the learning from one another and the teamwork, is unique.
Get your Child A Positive Affirmations Coloring Book That Will Uplift & Solidify Their sense Of Self
Do Montessori Kids Do Better In Life?
In a study done by Frontiers in Psychology, they concluded that Montessori education in childhood can lead to happier adulthood. The study found that adults who attended Montessori schools as children experienced higher personal well-being levels than those who attended conventional schools.
And from what I’ve seen personally, I have to believe the answer is yes.
So many adults today are healing from childhood trauma – whether it was an emotionally unavailable parent, a parent who forced them into a job they hate, a parent who constantly compared them to a sibling, a parent who regularly punished them… The list goes on.
This does not exist in Montessori. While yes, Montessori parents aren’t perfect, they are aware, they repair with their children, they forgive, the apologize, they seek to listen and understand and nurture who their child is at their core. This is missing in much of traditional parenting because of societal pressure, fear, self-hate, so many reasons, many of which are generational.
Here are some famous people who did Montessori as a child:
- Mark Zuckerberg
- Bill Gates
- Julia Child
- Helen Keller
- Yo Yo Ma
- Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia)
- Sergey Brin & Larry Page (co-founders of Google)
- George Clooney
Conclusion
Practicing Montessori in your home is very different than practicing mainstream parenting.
Research has shown that Montessori in a young human’s life makes them happier in adulthood.
Toddlers’ behaviors are very different in a Montessori setting, ie: less tantrums, less frustrations, less power struggles, less picky eating…
Families who practice Montessori will tell you what a life-changing impact it’s guidance has had on them and their child.
While it will take time to learn Montessori, unlearn old ways, practice and set up your home, it’s undeniable that the potential benefits for your family are remarkable and extremely important for everyone’s well-being and therefore, success.
I hope you decide to test out some things you’ve learned in this article and give Montessori a chance, at home with your family.
