A How-To Guide for creating ‘Montessori Learning and Play-time Environment’ for your baby
Babies love it when they have something to play and mess around with. They love to play with the things in the kitchen and lay the things in the drawers and cupboards to the ground and feel like they have conquered the world 🙃
But we as parents or caregivers don’t exactly love when our little one does something like that, even though they look adorable while doing those little escapades. Am I right?
While we might not love them throwing things, the babies do. And it is not because babies do it out of the blue. It is because it is such a sensory experience for them to play and mess around with things in an arranged space that provides, well, things to play with.
And if you are a regular reader of PSK’s Parent Guide then you might already know how sensory experiences are such an integral part of the early brain development of infants and toddlers.
So what can we do as parents or caregivers about this?
We can make a properly arranged play-time space just for them 🙌
Yes!
This ideology is a part of the well-received technique of raising kids.
If you think it is Montessori Learning then you are right!
Your little one would really love it to have a dedicated space of their own to play with things. So you can create a separate room with wooden shelves that ideally should have wooden toys and other things that you don’t use.
How does an ideal Montessori learning and play-time environment at Home look like?
Well, for starters, it is nothing fancy. So you can relax! All you have to make sure is that you follow these simple yet important Montessori rules.
A Montessori Learning and Play-time Environment should have :-
- a limited number of toys/activities
- everything displayed nicely at a kid’s level
- some open space
- wooden toys that promote engagement over entertainment
- has a set place for items to create order/routine
- mixes in a variety of activities/toys from time to time
- an ambiance of a cozy space to make the child comfortable
Let’s dive into each of those a little further!
The perfect Montessori playroom
Is a simple room that is ideally a cozy space!
This takes the child at ease and induces the will to participate and explore.
The perfect Montessori play space should have a limited number of toys/activities.
The Montessori philosophy behind this is that a limited number of toys/activities ensures that the child’s focus does not deviate and he/she masters or develops a way with those toys/activities. On the other hand, multiple toys/activities will deviate your child’s focus and attention will deviate from one activity to another compromising mastery on any of them.
A child should be able to see and access the Montessori playthings properly. Don’t take care of this, you would be naturally discouraging them from participating. Make it as easy for them to access as possible.
A Montessori play time space should have some open space
If your home allows it, you should have some space in the playroom or play space. Open space gives an opportunity to move around to train your little munchkin to climb, jump, or do any physical exercise with or without a toy for that matter.
Use wooden toys that promote engagement over entertainment
Now you have to choose wooden toys and there are two reasons for that.
#1 They provide a sensory experience. Kids love to hold something that has a smooth finish like wooden toys.
#2 Even if they put the toy in the mouth, they wouldn’t be ingesting any harmful chemicals.
#3 Plastic toys, especially that light up, sing, or move (like remote-operated cars) ‘Entertain’ your kid more rather than engaging their mind. Whereas, the wooden toys have a beautiful finish and they engage your child more in real-life practical activities.
Montessori spaces have everything in order at their set places
Nothing gives kids more delight than everything in order. Yes, it is true. A kid would naturally move towards a place that’s more organized rather than a place that has things scattered that is nothing but overwhelmingly filled with a lot of visual noise.
Plus this is also a great way to naturally inculcate the habit of re-arranging everything at their places after use and clean-up after yourself.
A good Montessori place has a timely mix in a variety of activities/toys from time to time
Now we can’t ignore the fact that repetition leads to mastery and mastering things can eventually lead to boredom. The same is the case with Montessori playrooms. Though we should limit the number of activities at a particular time in a Montessori playroom, we should also make sure that we keep introducing new challenges from time to time to keep the kid engaged and challenge them to get better every day!
Now we all know that things work when you believe in them and they don’t when you don’t believe in them.
Because our participation is deep-rooted to our subconscious will to do things!
If you apply these principles of Montessori Learning to create a good Montessori play space for your child then we can guarantee you’ll see the positive outcome that you desire and your child will also love the process.
Last but not the least, the Montessori teaching technique is not just limited to play spaces. If you’d like to learn more ways to practice Montessori in your home then check out the PSK ‘Raise a Prodigy Kid Program’ that enables parents and caregivers to, well, raise a prodigy kid 😃
Here is more that you should know about our Raise a Prodigy Kid program!
Our holistic ‘Learn-through-Play’ Baby Learning Framework and Programs are bundled with significantly purposeful and fun activities, learning materials, and curated experiences – a solution curated using design and technology, for Parents, their families and Guardians of babies. Our programs are missioned to help Parents and Guardians of babies build these various life these skills in their babies by simply utilizing the PSK online learning guides and learning materials for about 10-15 minutes per day with babies – Visual & Auditory memory, logical thinking, physical strength, reativity, imagination, pitch perfect music, math, concentration & coordination, early-reading, early Language, Communication, Speech & Vocabulary, and Fine & Gross Motor Skills, among other skills.
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This was brought to you by the brain behind PSK – Mr. Arjun Seth, and the PSK Learning Team, through the medium of ‘Herewith You’ – an informative platform specially designed for New Parents and Guardians, that they should definitely make “their thing”.
