If you are thinking to make your home more Montessori friendly this post is for you!

But wait, what is a Montessori home?

A Montessori home is a home which has been created with the child’s needs in mind.

It is important to have size-appropriate furniture and encourage the child from a young age to start helping and do things around the house, that’s why a prepared environment for your children will encourage independence.

Now a couple of ideas room by room:

Kitchen

Children can learn to prepare food by showing them how to chop vegetables and fruits, set up the table, load/unload the dishwasher.

I love the shelf under the table for storing kitchen items but a simple table and chair will do great too.

We like this one  and this one because they are sturdy, easy to assemble and to clean.

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“These experiences form healthy habits of contributing to the household. They are excellent for developing muscle strength and coordination, visual and spatial awareness, independence, and responsibility. Young children love doing these activities right alongside you. Children seek out and work toward independence whether we help them or not. By involving your child in these regular home activities, you can help create your child’s self-image to be that of a competent, confident person.”  John Bowman

Everything that you set up for them around the house should be very accessible so they can easily reach it so they can work independently.

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You can also purchase a small toddler kitchen. We use this one and my little one enjoys preparing vegetables while I make dinner. I found that these knives cut fruits, vegetables, cheese but not their little fingers. He feels included in the activity, and I don’t have to use the tv as a way to distract him.

Bathroom

Use platform stool to help them reach the toilet and sink. Hung towels low and make the toothbrush/toothpaste and soap easy for them to access.

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We found that implementing these simple things it was a massive transformation in my little one’s behaviour. He started to love brushing his teeth and comb his hair. Before I used to dread these task as they became such a power struggle, but now, the first thing that he says when he wakes up is “let’s brush our teeth mummy”.

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Bedroom

For the bedroom, you might want to consider a floor bed or a bed which is the right height for the child so he can easily in and out.

Things to consider would also be to baby proof the room and add child-size furniture.

This room is absolutely beautiful and feels very warm and cosy

A floor bed and low shelves are ideal for a child to move freely around the house.

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Living room

Low shelves are essential in a Montessori environment. This article goes into great details about how to set them up and ideas of what to include.

Table and chairs would be a great addition to the living room where your little one can use the space for eating as well as for doing different activities.

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We rotate different themes on our shelves every couple of days depending on what my little one is interested in. I try to include things from practical life, sensorial, language, math and culture.

This website has beautiful prints that you can download free. My little one finds them really engaging. Best printed on a cardstock paper and laminate them so you can reuse them.

Overall I believe that helping your child to master the skills of daily life is one of the most important things we can teach them.

Learning to do things by themselves encourages them to become responsible.

One more thing