How to Create an Outdoor Montessori Toddler Environment

We want any space in our home to be beautifully prepared to meet the needs of the child(ren) who will play and work there. We do not need to contain our Montessori homes within the walls of our house. Any outdoor space we have available should be an extension of the indoor environment and used with as much frequency as possible. It is easy to create an outdoor Montessori toddler environment and I’m going to share with you some things to consider when preparing this space and how to prepare it.

Benefits of Playing Outside

First, we will consider some of the benefits of spending time outdoors and why you would want to prepare an outdoor environment that encourages outdoor play. In an article by Killingsworth Environmental, they talk about the benefits and reasons why children need fresh air. Children who spend time outside will develop a sharper mind. Don’t we all want that for our children? I know I do! There is much to explore, observe, and be creative with while outdoors. Individuals who spend more time outside are shown to have improved health. These are just a few of the many benefits of playing outside!

Characteristics of a Montessori Outdoor Space

When preparing an outdoor Montessori environment, we want to consider a few things: freedom of movement, freedom of choice, as well as boundaries and limits for the space.

Freedoms

Outdoor time should be unstructured time for the child to do and play as they would like. We can prepare a few different activities for them to choose from as well as offer open space to move and play as they desire. We don’t need to direct every activity, lead games, or tell them how to spend their time. If we have the tools and activities available to them, there will be so much they can explore in this space.

On nice days I like to leave our windows and doors open to get fresh air throughout the house. I wanted our patio space to be freely accessible to my boys. I purchased a magnetic screen door that will allow them to come and go easily but keep out any bugs. In my classroom, I used one of these from our indoor classroom environment to the outside garden area. We have a large window in our kitchen area that looks right out onto our patio. It will be perfect for them to come and go. They can play outside if I am right inside washing dishes. In the next section, I’ll share my plans for keeping it safe to allow for this kind of freedom.

Boundaries and Limits

Montessori environments also have limits and boundaries, it is not a free-for-all. Especially when considering an outdoor space, we need to prioritize safety. Young children will need clear physical boundaries, especially if there are any hazards close to the outdoor play environment.

For example, we have a very small yard with direct access to the street, we don’t have a backyard, but we do have this small patio area off our front door. At the time of preparing this outdoor environment, my twins are only 17 months old. I am using a small fence that I can roll out and take down as I need. This will create a physical boundary to allow more freedom within that space. I need it to be something I can take down and put back up every day because we are part of an HOA, and we have specific guidelines we need to follow for our yard.

I want my twins to be able to come and go from inside to outside when the weather allows. This boundary will provide them total freedom within the limits I have set. I won’t be constantly telling them “no” to going into the street or over to our neighbor’s house. I also don’t need to worry that one goes in one direction and the other twin another way. For this season in life, this is what was needed. However, the larger open space they have available to play the better. Thankfully, we are growing a garden at my in-laws home a few minutes up the road. They have tons of open space so that my boys will be able to run around and play more freely!

Water Play

During certain times of the year when the temperatures are warmer, water play is a great opportunity for children. Water play can look so many different ways. You may have a small pool, a water table, a sprinkler, a splash pad, or just a few containers, scoops, and water! You can offer some containers that your child can scoop and pour with. I’m excited about the water table we got for our twins, it has so many amazing ways to explore with water!

Open Ended Activities

We can offer open-ended outdoor play activities like sidewalk chalk, bubbles, balance bikes, balls, and drawing. If you have an outdoor shelf, you could set up some of these activities on plastic trays to keep a similar feel to the indoor environment. I just used this wooden crate turned on its’ side that I had lying in the garage.

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Practical Life Materials

Practical life is such an important and powerful tool when raising toddlers. We can offer so many practical life exercises in an outdoor space. Here is a list of some tools and materials that will allow your toddler to engage with their outdoor environment. Think through what of these things will be accessible at all times and which objects may only be available at specific times, such as the bird seed and scoop for refilling the bird feeder.

• Broom
• Shovel
• Rake
• Watering can
• Bird feeder with seed bucket and scoop
• Spray bottle
• Plastic or stainless steel bowl and scrub brush

How to Add Elements of Beauty

To create a beautiful and welcoming environment, we can add touches of beauty. In our outdoor space, the way we have brought in some beauty is by adding some colorful child-size chairs. I picked up these plastic Adirondack chairs from Wal-Mart for a few dollars. We got an outdoor rug for the patio. I wanted to get this because I knew I wanted my boys to be able to come out here and feel comfortable without shoes on. I added flowers and herbs to my planter boxes on our privacy wall and in my front garden door planter. Having a few plants in your outdoor environment will allow your child to practice watering plants.

If we had more space available, I would have loved to add an outdoor child-sized table for having a snack. We will just need to bring our weaning table outside for short periods when we want to have an outdoor meal. We love our Sprout Weaning table, use my code “TWINMAMA10” for 10% off your next order!

Ways to Protect Against the Elements

In the summer it can get very hot and we want to make sure we are protecting ourselves from the sun. I got a large umbrella to help shade this outdoor space. This was essential if we were going to spend any time out here in the afternoon. Get your child a sun hat and maybe even a pair of sunglasses!