We hear the terms less is more and Montessori a lot. But what does the term Montessori even mean? When it comes to your baby and toddler's development, Montessori Playrooms can be some of the most efficient spaces for promoting growth. So, what is a Montessori playroom, and how can you set one up for your baby?
What is Montessori?
Montessori, an educational approach named after its founder, Dr. Maria Montessori, is based on the idea that children learn by doing. A Montessori play area is a play area that has been carefully designed to encourage independence and concentration. It aims to promote engagement over entertainment.
When done effectively, these playrooms aid in teaching fine and gross motor skills, social cues, confidence, creativity, language, responsibility, and much more.
All from play!
And when we do these things early, they really pay off in the long run.
But how can I achieve this?
The good news is it is much simpler than you think.
Here are a few critical elements of a Montessori play area.
Less is more
A Montessori play area has limited toys. We all know how overwhelming and frustrating it can be when you have too many choices. Babies and children are just as bad. Having too many options makes it harder for babies to decide what they want to play with and even harder for them to stick with the toy once they have chosen it.
Therefore, the Montessori guidelines recommend having 8-10 activities in the playroom at a given time. If you have more than ten toys, you can create a toy rotation weekly to keep your little one engaged with all the activities. If they have a favourite toy, you can leave that one and rotate the other less-used toys. This will help them to focus on new things and master skills before jumping from toy to toy.
Open space to move
Allow open space in your child's play area for them to move. By allowing them enough room to move around in, climb and explore, they are developing essential gross motor skills. An ideal place for this space would be in the middle of their play area so they can use their activities in the same space. Don't have the space in your home to have a separate play area for your little one? No need to worry at all. The open space can be anywhere in your home as long as your little one has the opportunity to develop their gross motor skills.
Invest in toys that promote engagement rather than entertainment
Most Montessori playrooms almost exclusively use wooden toys. The benefits of using natural materials, such as wood or stone, over plastic are numerous. For one thing, it's environmentally friendly! But more importantly, these kinds of toys keep your child engaged.
Our Wooden Rainbow toy range is the perfect example of what Montessori-inspired toys could look like. Made from either solid Pine Wood or Beech, our wooden rainbows can be stacked and used as building blocks, small world play (houses, apartment blocks, roads and bridges, water, fence, doll cradle, etc.), endless ball runs, mazes and the list continues. The possibilities seem endless with these little wonders!
Creating a Montessori play space for your baby is a great way to encourage exploration and independent playtime! By following these simple tips, you can create a safe and functional space for your little ones to discover the world around them!
What do you think?
Do fewer, good-quality toys make for a better play space? Would you consider setting up a Montessori play area?