From the experts at Studio Belize® - Design Studio for Children's Products:

Montessori education sees the child not as a passive being, but as an active personality with a natural aspiration for independence and self-determination. Montessori is a global educational movement that advocates respectful treatment of children and youth. Montessori's goal is to help children develop into self-determined and independent members of society.

Content

1. Room design according to Montessori: Space for development
2. Montessori furniture: Child-friendly design
3. Montessori toys: Playful learning
4. Examples of Montessori toys
5. Montessori Materials - Quality and Sustainability
6. Montessori School - Individuality and Inclusion
7. Conclusion

How do I implement the Montessori concept at home?

1. Room design according to Montessori: space for development

Montessori education attaches great importance to a room design that is suitable for children. The goal is for the child to be able to move freely, pursue a freely chosen task alone or together with others, and leave the room at any time.

The design of the room should also encourage the child's independence. For example, toys on Montessori shelves should be easily accessible and resting places should be designed to be as clear and simple as possible.

Montessori Kitchen

In a Montessori kitchen, utensils are accessible and neatly placed. Upstairs are bowls, plates for snacks, cups and glasses. On the middle level are juicers, funnels and apple dividers. Below that, there is a colander, a small bowl, a carafe and wooden boards. Plates and silverware are stored in shared drawers. This structured environment encourages children to prepare meals independently and actively participate in the cooking process.

The Montessori kitchen encourages independence and the joy of cooking and eating.

Montessori Children's Room

A child's room that follows the principles of Montessori education is characterized by clarity, free access and structure. To make sure your child can reach everything easily, step stools or ribbons can be placed on light switches and cabinet handles if they are too high. This allows the child to act independently and explore their surroundings on their own. In a Montessori nursery, the child's independence is the primary focus and is encouraged through appropriate room design and special Montessori furniture.

2. Montessori furniture: child-friendly design

An essential aspect of Montessori education is the design of the children's learning and living environment. Here, Montessori furniture plays a crucial role. These enable children to strengthen their independence and participate in everyday activities.

A Montessori learning tower is like a child's standing chair, allowing your toddler to operate at the same level as adults. Safely surrounded by a railing, your child can actively participate in common activities and everyday life. For example, your toddler can securely participate in meal preparations in the kitchen.

A Montessori reversible stool, also known as a "Montessori chair", enables an upright and safe sitting position due to its closed shape.

The Montessori mirror is an important tool in Montessori education. It is used before the children can recognize themselves in it. Initially, the focus is not on self-reflection, but rather on the perception of space. By observing movements in the mirror, children develop a better understanding of the surrounding space. The Montessori mirror is often combined with a mobile or play bow to provide children with a visual experience.

The Munari mobile: with its clear, geometric shapes and strong contrasts, it invites the baby to discover the world in a simple but profound way. It helps baby practice focusing the eyes and then allows him to follow moving objects with his gaze. The basic idea of the Munari Mobile is that early exposure to geometric shapes promotes preschool math skills. The Munari Mobile should be hung at a distance of 25 to 30 cm, as newborns can already see sharply in this range.

Another great piece of play furniture that is in line with Maria Montessori's pedagogy is the Pikler Triangle, which, although not part of the original Montessori inventory, is used in many Montessori kindergartens and helps to develop children's motor skills.

3. Montessori toys: learning through play.

Montessori toys are designed to take into account the child's stage of development and challenge them through play. It is mostly made of natural materials such as wood, fabric or felt and is characterized by simple and clear shapes and colors.

Montessori toys encourage children's intelligence and problem-solving skills. Montessori toys include various learning materials developed by Maria Montessori that help children develop in different areas, such as math, language or cosmic education.

4. examples of Montessori toys:

For babies (0-12 months):

• Montessori-inspired mobiles that encourage visual perception.
• Threading games with large wooden beads to train fine motor skills.
• Toys to explore shapes and colors, like a cheese mouse threading game

For toddlers ages 1 and up:

• Sorting and sticking games, like a sticking box set or a wooden puzzle, to encourage concentration and fine motor skills
• Natural materials like wooden beads to string to stimulate the senses
• Toys with simple number and letter elements to promote early math and language awareness

Maybe this article is also interesting? The way to a daycare place: instructions

For children 2 years and older:

• Bead materials and sticking games to develop fine motor skills, concentration, and problem-solving skills
• Creative wooden toys, such as a rainbow building set or a laying game, to encourage imagination and spatial thinking
• Toys for grasping and balancing to train dexterity

For children ages 3 and up:

• Mathematical play boxes with slide rules and number cards to deepen understanding of numbers and shapes
• Sorting games with wooden blocks to encourage logical thinking and social behavior
• Creative toys, such as a plug-in game with a drill and screwdriver, to strengthen imagination and hand-eye coordination

5. Montessori materials - quality and sustainability

Montessori materials are an essential part of the learning process in Montessori institutions. They are specifically designed to teach certain concepts or skills and to allow children to self-monitor their mistakes.

The quality of these materials is of high importance as it serves to keep children safe and contributes to the longevity of the material. For this reason, most Montessori materials are made of wood. They are sturdy, pleasant to touch and environmentally friendly.

Some of the most popular Montessori materials include the Pink Tower, the Golden Bead material, and the Sandpaper Letters. These materials are designed to engage children's senses and help them grasp concepts such as size, weight, shape, texture, and color.

The Pink Tower helps children understand the concept of size by stacking ten pink wooden blocks of different sizes in the correct order. The Golden Bead material is used to illustrate the numbers from 1 to 10,000 and practice basic arithmetic operations. The sandpaper letters help children feel and recognize the shape of the letters and connect them to the corresponding sounds.

6 Montessori School - Individuality and Inclusion

The schools, often private, state-approved substitute schools, allowstudents to take all state diplomas. Here, the central concern of the Montessori school is inclusion, whichallowsstudents ofdifferent ages, talents and temperaments tolearn together.

However, there is also criticism of Montessori schools. Some parents and education experts worry that students may have difficulty coping in more traditional educational settings or later in their careers due to the lack of pressure to perform, lack of structure, and individual learning speed. In addition, the often higher cost of Montessori schools compared to public schools is a barrier that may be insurmountable for many families.

7. conclusion

Montessori education is a holistic approach to education that aims to help children become independent, creative, and responsible individuals. It creates a learning environment that is tailored to children's individual needs and interests, helping them discover and develop their abilities and talents. Despite some criticisms, it has many supporters worldwide and is practiced in kindergartens and schools in many countries.

Looking for a 1st birthday gift? Read our blog article: The perfect gift for 1st year olds