The Montessori approach, first originated by an Italian physician Maria Montessori, has at its core the belief that children are happiest and most prone to learn when given a chance to explore their surroundings and freely interact with what they are drawn to.
But the Montessori Method doesn’t only apply to education. It can also be used when designing your child’s bedroom. According to the Montessori approach, the environment needs to be designed to maximize the child’s independent learning and exploration.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to a perfect Montessori bedroom, understanding the main Montessori do’s and don’ts will help you create the optimal space for your little one.
In this guide to creating a Montessori bedroom for your child, we’ll go over its main principles and explain the reasoning behind them.
What Is a Montessori Bedroom?
A Montessori bedroom is a space that is both safe to roam and enjoyable for your kid. Most Montessori-style bedroom redesigns involve decluttering. Think simple, minimalistic spaces and functional furnishing. It’s all about balancing pleasant aesthetics while choosing safe, resistant furniture and decor your child can touch without feeling limited.
While it’s essential to hide sharp or fragile objects, safe toys, and furniture should always be within reach in a Montessori bedroom, and your little one should move around freely under your hands-off supervision.
8 Tips to Set Up a Montessori Bedroom for Your Child
Now that you have a general sense of what a Montessori bedroom is, let’s go over the main principles for creating such a space for your child.
1. Set up the sleeping area: the main element of a Montessori bedroom
When designing a Montessori bedroom, focus on the sleeping area first. This includes choosing the bed, lights, and accessories that promote your child’s independence.
Type of bed
While it may seem counterintuitive, the good ol’ crib isn’t part of the scenario in a Montessori-style bedroom. A crib limits your baby’s movements and doesn’t give them the freedom to get on and off their bed on their own.
This is why the Montessori bed consists of nothing but a floor bed. This way, you not only can stop worrying about your little one falling off the bed, but you will also optimize the space and promote your child’s independence.
Opt out of potentially messy top sheets in favor of fitted sheets and toddler-sized quilts that are cozier and more manageable for your child.
Light & accessories
The goal of a Montessori is to promote your child’s independence, and that involves the freedom of turning a light on whenever they need to.
The choice of lighting in the room also needs to be thought out. Bright lights can hurt your kid’s eyes and overstimulate their brain, disrupting sleep.
Instead, opt for dim lightbulbs and keep one bright lamp for the Montessori activities that require good lighting, such as reading and drawing. You can choose a lamp with a fun design your kid will love and put it on the bedside table with a water bottle to quench their midnight thirst.
2. Create a get-ready station
Setting up a get-ready station is a great way to help your child become more independent and develop practical life skills.
Doing this will set the bedroom in a way that encourages your child to start picking up on their daily routine. Choosing a wardrobe and hanging a mirror at the child’s level will encourage them to get dressed on their own while having fun choosing their clothes.
Also, providing them with a laundry basket to toss their dirty clothes in will encourage good habits early on.
3. Set the decoration & ambiance
Involve your child in the process of picking out their bedroom decor. Remember that it’s your child’s room - not yours - and being there needs to bring them joy.
By adapting the bedroom decor to your kid’s preferences, you’ll not only make them happy every time they look at their Spiderman poster on the wall or a giraffe-patterned wallpaper, but you’ll also teach them to make decisions on their own.
Make the room as personalized to your kid’s taste as possible without going overboard with bright, disruptive colors. It’s best to choose neutral tones that bring a sense of calm.
4. Keep it simple and uncluttered
The Montessori way of thinking is all about simplicity. For this reason, the motto for your child’s bedroom is “less is more.” This means no unnecessary furniture, toys your little one has outgrown, or general clutter.
In a Montessori bedroom, everything is easily accessible and readily available for your child to pick up and play with. Encourage your child to put their toys away and keep everything in its place. This will teach them organization and help them become tidy when they grow up.
5. Keep everything at your child’s level
The entire bedroom design should revolve around your little one and their needs and preferences. And what’s more important than ensuring everything is kept well in sight and is easy to access and interact with?
An ideal Montessori bedroom is a space where your child can play and sleep unsupervised. Everything in the room should be safe for them to use. So, keep safe toys at your child’s level, but put all hazardous and fragile items out of reach. These toys should only be pulled out when it’s appropriate.
6. Create a friendly & functional workspace
In Montessori philosophy, everything in a child’s space is meant specifically for them. So, when creating a workspace, choose a desk and chair that are adequate for your kid’s size and that they can move on their own.
A workstation is essential to the Montessori bedroom as it helps unleash your child’s creativity through drawing, writing, reading, etc. If you’re creating a small Montessori bedroom and have no space for a workstation, you can create one in a different area of the house, such as a Montessori playroom or even a Montessori kitchen.
7. Think about a reading nook
Data shows a link between early-age reading and academic success later in life. This shows the importance of providing your child with a dedicated space to practice reading that can encourage learning and set them up for success in the future.
Your kid’s reading nook should be cozy and comfortable enough for them to enjoy spending time with a book. Consider acquiring comfortable floor cushions or a child-sized chair or sofa. These are best positioned by a low bookcase displaying forward-facing books.
8. Toys and Montessori bedroom ideas
Naturally, the bedroom is a place for rest. Avoid filling this space with over-stimulating toys and activities, or you might end up dealing with a sleepless child. High-energy activities are best left to the day areas of the house or for outdoor play.
Check out more Montessori furniture ideas in our Ultimate Guide to a Montessori Playroom.
