This post is all about how to create a Montessori toddler room.
How To Create A Montessori Toddler Room
Education starts at home. It can be very beneficial to create a learning environment that supports and is in line with your values and parenting style.
From the play area, through the closet to the sleeping area, foster your child’s independence & freedom with a Montessori-inspired toddler room.
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Since you’re thinking about creating a Montessori toddler room you’re probably familiar with the Montessori principals. Hence, I won’t be going into much detail about it in this post. Besides, I’m not an expert and there are various approaches anyway. There is actually no such thing as a “Montessori bed” and so on, so we’ll be talking about a “Montessori-inspired” toddler room.
In short, the Montessori approach puts emphasis on, inter alia, freedom (within logical limits), creativity, and independence.
We want our kids to be self-sufficient, be able to follow their curiosity and interest, and be involved in our family life.
Kids learn best through doing and mimicking what others do. With the Montessori method, we give them the opportunity to learn through authentic experiences.
All that comes so naturally to most kids.
Toddlers want to be involved, they want to take charge and do as good as everything by themselves anyway. So we want to make sure we create an environment for them where that’s possible, rather them telling them off and doing things for them because “they’re too small”. Most kids will love to try to get dressed by themselves, brush their hair, wipe down their desks if they spill water, and so on.
Whenever I vacuum or use a broom my toddler comes running to me wanting to help and I must admit I wasn’t ready for it. I do want him to have a child-sized broom so he can participate. I think it’s so beautiful to support what comes naturally to our kids. It will help them be self-sufficient and independent without us having to push them or force them to do certain things.
One of the key principles of the Montessori method is a prepared environment. Hence, a Montessori toddler room absolutely makes sense and can be very beneficial to our little one.
How To Create A Montessori Toddler Room
We want to keep things simple, easily accessible, organized, and at our kids’ eye level.
What characterizes a Montessori-inspired environment are:
- child-sized furniture and tools
- everyday objects, real-world tools
- natural materials
- functional furniture
- as little distractions as possible
You can create various areas in your toddler’s room depending on the space available, their interests, and your personal preferences. Just remember that less is more.
Sleeping Area
You want to give your kiddo to be able to safely go in and out of bed without your assistance, hence floor beds are the go-to choice when it comes to a Montessori-inspired toddler room. Opt for a clean, simple design, made from natural materials. Here are some great options:
A house playpen bed, handmade from alder wood and birch plywood. Perfect for the little ones! You can easily decorate it to your liking, for instance with fairy lights or add a canopy.
A simple floor bed with slats, made from aspen and alder wood.
Wardrobe
When it comes to the wardrobe, you want to give your child the opportunity to choose their own clothes and learn to get dressed herself/himself. So you can’t have a big closet full of clothes but rather opt for a simple clothing rack with hangers and shelves/drawers that your child will be able to reach without your help.
This beautiful, simple wardrobe makes it super easy to stay organized thanks to the clear signs on the drawers. One is for tops, one for buttoms, and one for socks. How cute is that!
You can’t go wrong with this sturdy, simple, yet stylish Montessori-inspired wardrobe.
Play Area
Whether you have the space for a separate playroom or you want to create a play area in your toddler’s bedroom, you can follow the same principles.
A few things to keep in mind when creating a Montessori-inspired play area:
- less is more (plus I highly recommend toy rotation)
- as much as possible should be displayed and easily accessible for your child
- look for shelving units designed for young children
- make sure the toys and tools reflect your child’s current interests
- choose furniture and toys made from natural materials
- opt for open-ended toys
- make it cozy yet keep it simple
- place artwork at your child’s eye level
- leave the space open to encourage movement
Toy Storage/ Shelving
A climbing set that will help your child work on their gross motor skills, space awareness, balance, and coordination, plus it’s simply a lot of fun!
Toys
A busy board/ sensory board:
- helps your child explore different textures
- stimulates their senses
- helps them develop their fine motor skills
- helps them practice useful skills such as opening and closing locks, using a zipper, etc.
Personalized Busy Board – View On Etsy
perfect for a gift!
Reading Area
A cozy reading corner can be a great addition to any toddler room. Like with toys, make sure there are not too many books out at once. Choose the ones that reflect your toddler’s current interest. You can rotate books and always display a certain amount at a time.
A Montessori-inspired bookshelf will allow you to nicely display a rather small amount of items at a time and make them easily accessible for your toddler.
Art & Music Corner
In a Montessori environment kids are encouraged to express their creativity and their feelings. Hence, providing them with a space to create art and make music is very beneficial. You don’t have to go overboard, simply observe your child and with time you’ll see what they show most interest in. You can add an art easel, a set of musical instruments, or simply a bin with crayons, paints, and other art supplies. Find some inspo below.
Functional Decor, Cleaning Supplies & More
There are various other things you can add to a Montessori toddler room. It all depends on the space available and whether you want certain things to be in your toddler’s room or other parts of the house. That goes for instance for toddler-sized cleaning supplies, such as a little broom or tray with cleaning cloths.
When it comes to decor, make sure to hang artwork at your child’s eye level so they can learn to appreciate it. You can also decorate the room with teaching materials such as a wooden calendar.
Another wonderful item for toddlers is a sensory table as it offers endless learning and playing opportunities.
You can definitely add plants to your toddler’s room. Once again, make sure it’s at your child’s height so they can admire it and help water it.
This post was all about creating a Montessori toddler room.
