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The Playroom: Montessori Style

March 14, 2011 by 13 Comments
The physical set up of the home can help further develop a child’s sense of independence, order, concentration, and coordination. Some minor adjustments and activities can be added to aid your child’s development.  The best way to begin is to get as low to the floor as your the child(ren) and look all around the room, asking, ‘How is this room helping my child to be more independent?’ You may find that the simplest of changes can allow your child to do tasks for him or herself. It is best to observe the children in your family to understand what it is they may need or not need to be more independent in their everyday activities.    
 This Monday, I’d like to focus on the play space.  It may be the basement, the den, or even the child’s bedroom toy area in your home.  Sometimes it is a shared space serving both adults and children, so everyone’s needs have to be considered. 
For example, art hanging at all levels of the eye will allow tall and small family members to see them.  Adding puzzles, crafts, and board games encourages cooperation among family members and allows for practice in taking turns and sharing.  One of the classic tokens of Montessori is returning things to their place when finished.  In order for the children in the family to have success at this, they will need a place to keep it.  The best storage in our home is a hope chest, where the children keep their things.  It’s the perfect height for them to see what they want to do, and the perfect height to return things to their home.  I’ve seen the same done with coffee tables or side tables.  Bookshelves with baskets full of toys, art supplies, or materials will display the choices well, and is esthetically pleasing to the whole family.  As the adult, we can ensure that little ones can choose their own activities by keeping what is available neat and uncluttered. 

In our home, the playroom is a place for the children to work with their art, read books, and use the materials.  We spend a lot of time there, so it has to be attractive to all of us.  I love looking at the art made by the girls and they are very proud of their work, so I hung it all over the room.  Their big workbench provides table space for all of them, and a guest.  There’s a place to snuggle and read books, and plenty of floor space for yoga, work mats, and puzzles.  We love our Montessori-inspired playroom!

Jessie is a mother of three beautiful daughters (twin tots & a preschooler), an AMS trained Montessori teacher of 40 students, and a wife to one. Jessie has a background in dance, a yoga certification, and a Masters in Early Childhood Education. Jessie has a childhood education blog at http://educationofours.blogspot.com/. This post will be linked up to One Hook Wonder.

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Comments

  1. Deborah says:
    March 14, 2011 at 12:44 am

    That desk is gorgeous!

    Reply
  2. Discovering Montessori says:
    March 14, 2011 at 1:16 am

    Nice! Very inspiring to me!! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  3. tawna6988 says:
    March 14, 2011 at 3:08 am

    Blog hopping today and am your newest follower. I hope that 1 of my blogs interests you too.

    http://tawnasplan.blogspot.com
    http://btrbb.blogspot.com
    http://tawnassecret.blogspot.com

    I also do a weekend blog hop, you can link up your blog, twitter, FB, blog frog community etc on tawnasplan.blogspot.com open every Friday-Sunday!
    Thanks
    Tawna

    Reply
  4. Deb Chitwood says:
    March 14, 2011 at 4:00 am

    I LOVE your playroom, Jessie! It's the perfect combination of Montessori and snuggly family time! Deb @ LivingMontessoriNow.com

    Reply
  5. Amy says:
    March 14, 2011 at 1:37 pm

    I love this, it looks so cheery and friendly!

    Reply
  6. Krissy @ B.Inspired says:
    March 14, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    What an inspiring space! Actually, just this weekend, I took some inspiration from the montessori style to create a sort of learning shelf full of individual activities in our main living area. The kids are loving it so far. I will have to get a post about it on my blog. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  7. The Sunshine Crew says:
    March 14, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    Lovely playroom space. Thanks for sharing.
    Colleen

    Reply
  8. Lori says:
    March 14, 2011 at 4:31 pm

    Jessie! I love your playroom. I especially love the long work table with the stools. It's so kid friendly and well designed. Thank you for sharing it with us.

    Reply
  9. Steph says:
    March 14, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    those are the most beautiful alphabet cards I have ever seen. Can you tell us about them?

    Reply
  10. The Education Of Ours says:
    March 15, 2011 at 11:37 am

    The flower cards in the wall are by Eeboo, there are many varieties. I also love their nature matching game. The letters my girls left out on the table are Montessori Sandpaper Letters. Thanks everyone!

    Reply
  11. Katie Hurley, LCSW says:
    March 16, 2011 at 2:45 am

    Beautiful play space! I love having everything within reach for the kids. They feel so confident when they can get their own toys and put them away. Family puzzle time is one of our favorite activities! Great post!

    Reply
  12. Susana@MontessoriCandy says:
    April 10, 2011 at 10:04 am

    I love those Eeboo cards! I bought a set for my girls room and love it. I’ve seen those cards displayed at adult eye level elsewhere in the “blogoshpere” , and thought it was too bad that people weren’t placeing them at child level. I sometimes think that some adults may be decorating the rooms for themselves in a way, instead of thinking about the child and how they view the world. I don’t think they do it purposfuly, but it just ends up being that way. I loved this post, thank you for sharing!
    -Susana

    Reply
  13. Candace Jones says:
    July 13, 2011 at 2:48 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve been frustrated with the lack of organization and clutter in our home. I realize now that keeping our daughter in mind while decorating the entire home and not just her room, is part of the solution. These were wonderful pointers that will be put into practice asap! Where did you find the front display book holder and long desk with stools?
    Thank you again.
    Candace

    Reply

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