Welcome back to Montessori Monday! Today we are going to discuss 3 Montessori must-have items in your child’s work area!
During this session of Montessori Mondays with Holly, we talked about MUST HAVE items in your child’s work area! Watch the show above and click here to join the Facebook group.
The very 1st item I always suggest people get when they are starting out with Montessori is the eye-level shelf! This is one of the most important items to start with.
The reason that Montessori uses the eye-level shelf is for the fact that we are building independence! Independence is a major part of Montessori! Them being able to reach their materials from ages 3months-3 years and beyond is going to be huge for helping your child becoming independent in your home.
If they have to constantly ask you to open a playroom door to get access to their toys or ask you to reach certain items this is going to be hindering the independence you want to be instilling in your child. Giving them the eye-level shelf will be instilling that independence. They don’t have to ask permission when they need something.
A lot of times when an infant age where they are still learning to walk or stand the shelf also becomes part of their movement experience as well. This is the reason why it’s so important to have one in your home. You do not have to go out and purchase a $300 shelf. You can look for coffee tables, shoe racks, cubes from Target. There are many affordable options!
Item number 2 that your child needs in their workspace is a mirror! This will also be an eye-level mirror. If your child is laying on their back for most of the time you want to have the mirror horizontally at eye level on the wall next to where their movement area will be. Put the baby on a play mat, blanket, foam mat, or even a towel for this time on the ground! Having the same visual every day on their movement mat will be important! They will know this is their play space! Don’t forget, play is the work of the child. Your child will be able to see themself moving, learning, and growing!
As your child grows older you can move the mirror! Once they are out of the crawling stage you can move the mirror up and add a shelf or pull-up bar underneath! They can now learn to pull up and stand. By doing this they will see how their body works in the mirror. Once they outgrow this stage you can change the mirror vertically! Your child can see themselves fully for things like getting dressed or even using certain materials. This is something that is often overlooked in homes, adults have mirrors but the children don’t!
Must have item number 3 is a dedicated workspace. As I mentioned for the infant this will just be a mat or a rug. As your child grows you can even incorporate a table and chair! You don’t have to add a table or chair you can do whatever works for your family! This will be a specific safe area that your child can go to every day to focus on a project, materials, or anything!
Having rugs instead of tables and chairs can work when you have more than one child. A rug is a visual boundary showing that this is their space and when they are working on a material that they don’t want to share and they don’t want to be interrupted. You can purchase your table and chairs or rugs for expensive or cheap! Again, whatever works for your family!
So if you are ready to learn more about a Montessori and learn more about how to master toy rotation I would love to invite you to join us for our 4 Days To A Montessori Home Challenge.
About this Challenge:
What you need to know:
Where are you in your Montessori journey? Are you just getting started or just looking to learn more? Tell us in the comment section.