Beautiful Montessori Shelf Work from 5 to 7 Months

One part of Montessori that I absolutely love is preparing our home environment with beautiful objects, toys, and materials for our twin boys to explore. There is something so peaceful about a thoughtfully prepared space — and there is also something incredibly powerful about it.

If you’ve read my post on the importance of beauty in a Montessori environment, you know that beauty isn’t just aesthetic. It communicates respect. It tells our babies: You belong here. This space was prepared just for you.

From birth onward, our babies are taking in everything around them. Dr. Maria Montessori described this stage as the Absorbent Mind — a time when children effortlessly soak up their environment. The objects we choose, the order we create, and the freedom we offer all shape their development.

Between 5 and 7 months, this becomes even more exciting because movement begins to unfold in a whole new way.

For a full list of Montessori-friendly baby toys, browse my Amazon List.

What is Montessori shelf work?

In a Montessori home, we place materials on a low, open shelf so the child can see and access them independently.

Typically, we offer 4–6 materials at a time. A helpful guideline when they are very young is to offer roughly as many toys as they are months old. We may have more toys stored elsewhere, but we rotate them based on observation.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing Montessori shelf work for a baby!

• Open shelving (toys visible, not hidden in bins)
• Uncluttered layout
• Space between objects
• Natural, beautiful materials
• Intentional rotation

Visual order matters. Even before our babies can crawl, they are absorbing everything within their environment. You can set up your Montessori infant shelf in a prepared movement area with some beautiful Montessori baby mobiles. Placing materials on a low shelf allowed them to begin making choices.

Developmental Needs from 5 to 7 Months

This stage has been full of movement.

Here’s what our twins were doing from 5 to 7 months:

• Grasping intentionally
• Rolling across the room
• Scooting toward objects
• Getting up on all fours
• Sitting with decreasing support
• Spending long stretches on their tummy (so many baby planks!)

I started to notice my boy’s sensitive period for movement and refinement of the hand during these months. You can almost see the determination in their faces as they work to coordinate their bodies.

Here is how I observed them working with their shelf work:

• Reaching
• Transferring objects between hands
• Knocking things down
• Mouthing objects for sensory exploration
• Experimenting with cause and effect

Now let’s get into what was actually on our low shelves from 5 to 7 months old.

Great Montessori-Friendly Toys from 5 to 7 Months Old

Here are some of my favorite Montessori-friendly toys for the 5 to 7-month-old range!

Basket of Balls

They loved the Oball for quite some time. This is a great ball when they are first starting to grasp onto things because it is so easy for them to hold onto. They could squeeze it, mouth it, transfer it between hands, and roll it. Offering balls also supports movement. As they roll away, the baby is motivated to move.

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Silicone Stacking Cups

The boys love to knock down towers we build with the stacking cups. At this stage, it is less about stacking and more about knocking down towers, grasping, mouthing, and exploring the different weights and sizes.

For a full list of Montessori-friendly baby toys, browse my Amazon List.

Textured Basket with Various Objects

Keep a basket with different objects to have your baby explore. To my surprise, this has been one of their favorite things on their shelf! I have kept this basket out for months and will swap out different objects. Most of the time, I find they are more interested in the basket and the lid than they are in the toys within it!

Favorite Objects for Young Babies:

• Wooden Teething Ring
• Small grasping wooden car
• Natural Teething ball
• Ribbon
• Whisk
• Bell

Spinning Drum

I introduced the spinning drum closer to 7 months and immediately wished I had offered it sooner. It is wonderful for strengthening arm movements, cause and effect, and visual tracking.

Skwish Rattle and Teether

The Skwish is a fun one! It is easy for them to grasp, and when they shake it then it will rattle slightly. This toy became more interesting around 6 months.

Ball Cylinder

The ball cylinder encourages crawling and scooting because it rolls when they touch it. This toy is a little heavier as well, so I found my boys were more interested in this around the 6 or 7-month mark.

Wooden Rainbow Car

Simple wooden toys that move slightly and are engaging are perfect for shelf work from 5 to 7 months. This wooden car from Plan Toys was well-loved at this age.

Different Shelf Layouts

A budget-friendly shelf for Montessori toy layouts is the KALLAX shelf from Ikea. We used the 2 by 2 cube KALLAX shelving unit to make a DIY Montessori Wardrobe!

Finding beautiful and functional Montessori open shelves doesn’t have to be hard. I’ve written this blog post with some of the best Montessori shelves that fit within any budget. One of the best for this age would be the Birch Montessori Infant Shelf from Sprout Kids. Use my code “TWINMAMA10” for 10% off your next order!

Observation Ideas

It is so important to observe children so we can learn more about what things are meeting their needs, what things may be obstacles to their development, or what things don’t interest them anymore.

Things you could observe in Your baby:

• Observe their hands. How do they grasp objects?
• How are they moving? Do they use their feet? Hands? Knees? Do they push off or do they pull themselves forward? Do they slither?
• After grasping an object, what do they do with it?
• When you leave and return, have they moved across the room?

Observation helps us know:

• What to rotate out
• What to keep on the shelf
• What might be too advanced
• What may be under-stimulating

It also helps us recognize when a child is moving through a sensitive period for movement, coordination, or order.

For a full list of Montessori-friendly baby toys, browse my Amazon List.

Include Your Baby in Daily Life

Montessori at this age is not just about toys, there is something else that is more impactful than what toys we offer to our babies. What we do and what they see us doing is some of the best things we can give our babies.

Allow your baby to see you:

• Fold laundry
• Prepare meals
• Wash dishes
• Water plants
• Clean the house

Have them in their high chair or in a baby carrier while you cook. Let them observe. Tell them what you are doing. Their absorbent mind is always working — even when they appear to just be watching. The richest Montessori “material” is simply real life.