According to the Montessori method, a child has to be the major focus of the entire education system. A global mistake is made at this stage because many parents are concentrating on the ideal image of American magazines and movies without thinking about the comfort of the child.
An expensive and wonderful design is not always the best for the harmonious and gradual development of the little one. Maria Montessori says that the child's room has to be equipped according to the child's needs and not to the parents' preferences.
The parent’s task is to create an environment for the most complete all-around development. The environment is formed based on the individual characteristics of the child as his personal preferences, interests, age, and development level.
At the same time, it does not matter at all where this environment is located - in the house, in a kindergarten, in a school office. Adults only show how to use specially prepared materials that make up the environment. Then the children do everything themselves.
Rules for choosing furniture for a children's room
Maria Montessori's pedagogy is impossible without correctly selected furniture, plumbing fixtures, and tools: suitable in size and other physical characteristics, mainly from natural materials. The child should be able to independently use all their belongings and necessary areas both at home and in the children's center.
The educational value of furniture
The principles of the Maria Montessori method do not allow the presence of closed boxes and doors in the children's room. Everything a child needs, they must see and easily reach without the help of adults. For example, small baskets or open boxes are perfect for small children, which can be placed directly on the floor, in the baby's field of vision - next to a bed or other sleeping place. A sufficient number of hooks and hangers for baby clothes, as well as a small dressing table with a mirror, must be placed in the changing area. All this is necessary for the upbringing of an independent and self-sufficient person who can dispose of space.
Selection of quality materials
According to the principles of the Montessori system, there should be no synthetic heavy curtains in the children's room, all materials that surround the child should be exclusively natural: cotton, wool, linen, natural wood. It is highly recommended to decorate the room with creative wallpaper and cover the surfaces with varnishes and paints that do not contain toxic substances and other components that can emit fumes that are harmful to health.
Furniture size
Furniture for a children's room should correspond to the height of the children in it, their age. Children should freely get and remove things from cabinets, independently move chairs to the table or the right place. At the same time, the weight of the chairs should be light so that kids can move them without the help of adults.
Safety of use
Modern parents strive to create all possible conditions for their children to develop normally and fully, and, at the same time, try to take full care of their safety and health. Therefore, a children's room created according to the Montessori method should not have any fragile, breakable, sharp, or heavy objects. Since many children often like to sit on the floor for their games or activities, the room will need soft but dense rugs, lightweight and comfortable, in which there will be no accumulation of dust. The size and weight of these rugs should allow the child to move them independently.
How to choose a Montessori children's chair
The Montessori chair is a piece of furniture that develops with the growth and free movement needs of infants and children. It is a 3-position chair that we can progressively adapt in height for use by a baby or a 1, 2, or 3-year-old boy or girl.
It is a square chair in the shape of a cube, inspired by Montessori Pedagogy, made of wood, with a seat in two positions, one lower and one higher (depending on how we place it). The chair also has a backrest and sides that add security and is very useful for the child to hold onto, climb, and maintain posture.
The Montessori chair is a material that promotes autonomy in the movement of babies and children safely. It is an element in the purest Montessori style, which gives prominence to the baby in its motor development. This one should also be crafted with sound quality fir wood, resistant to humidity, and with a natural oil varnish that protects it.
Stokke Tripp Trapp
The SproutKids tables and chairs as well as the ones made by WoodandHearts, are designed carefully for your kids. Items from both companies will be an excellent solution in terms of price/quality ratio. The furniture is of high-quality workmanship and materials. The chair is made of natural wood grown in ecologically safe areas, which will be harmless to children's health. The entire design of the weaning chair and table set is thought out in such a way as to be as safe as possible for the child.
How to choose a weaning table
The Montessori weaning scheme system recommends the use of a weaning table. It is used from 6 months old with or instead of a weaning chair. It is a supplement for the first solid food eaten by a child.
The most important thing is to choose the natural wood table that is the right size for children of different ages. The first independent meal has to be comfortable and not cause extra stress, that's why you have to be responsible when choosing the table.
SproutKids Adjustable Montessori Weaning Chair & Table Set
The SproutKids tables and chairs as well as the ones made by WoodandHearts, are designed carefully for your kids. Items from both companies will be an excellent solution in terms of price/quality ratio. The furniture is of high-quality workmanship and materials. The chair is made of natural wood grown in ecologically safe areas, which will be harmless to children's health. The entire design of the weaning chair and table set is thought out in such a way as to be as safe as possible for the child.
What is a learning tower
We can call the learning tower the most useful piece of furniture for a child. This type of chair is a unique opportunity to experience everything that adults do. The kid can participate in the process of cleaning, washing, cooking, or rinsing fruits or vegetables. The most important is that the child can freely observe what mom or dad are doing. It makes the life of parents easier, and the life of a child is more interesting, more accessible, teaches independence and self-confidence. Children always try to be in the process. Especially where their mom is involved.
Pickler's triangle and its purpose
The Montessori (Pickler's) Triangle is a special ladder for children. Its main characteristic and advantage is its low height, as well as the angle of inclination, which allows the child to hold on with confidence and not be afraid to take new steps. The triangle is suitable for children from one to eight years old. It can be used not only for its intended purpose but also as a house or a tunnel for the game.
Montessori floor bed
Following Montessori recommendations, cribs are increasingly being replaced by mattresses located directly on the floor or on a low stand. They allow children to move on their own without worrying about painful falls. The beds with removable crossbars or frames, which also allow babies to go freely out and back into the house, can also be chosen.
Toy and bookshelves
The method of the early development of children from the world's most famous teacher suggests that all things that are present in the play life of children should be in their field of vision and reach. In particular, this applies to children's shelves for books and toys by Montessori.
An important piece of furniture for the children’s room will be bookshelves suspended at the height of the baby's eyesight. You have to visualize: colored covers will encourage the child and their thirst for knowledge.
According to the methodology, neither Montessori toy racks nor bookshelves should have doors. Firstly, it is dangerous, because the baby can easily be injured. Secondly, everything that can be useful to a child in his play life should be freely accessible both visually and physically. Therefore, open storage, or storage in containers, is the best solution for a child's room in general, and in particular for the formation of a Montessori environment.