Montessori Furniture You Need in Your Home
The Montessori method supports the development of a child with the use of child-sized furniture. Montessori furniture pieces support a child in their learning and their development. It offers opportunities for them to interact with their world significantly, just as you and I do each day. Here are a few ways to integrate child Montessori furniture into your home.
Montessori Furniture In the Kitchen
The kitchen is a great way to get a child involved, even from a young age when they start to eat solid food. We can create a Montessori kitchen by adding or creating a few adjustments to make it more accessible.
Learning Tower
A learning tower is my favorite way to get my twins involved in the kitchen. It brings them up to counter height and allows a child to participate in practical life skills like cutting vegetables or mixing up food. There are so many differnet learning towers on the market. I created a blog post outlining some of the best ones on the market with varying styles to meet your needs!
I love that the learning tower allows a child to see and be involved in the kitchen in a meaningful way. If I were to invest in one Montessori furniture piece, this would be the one! Since we got our learning tower, my life has improved so much! Tasks that were once frustrating to complete around my children ave been transformed because they can see and be involved in what I am doing in the kitchen.
Weaning Table
A Montessori weaning table is a low table and chair where a child can have meals, snacks, or complete activities. We have the Sprout weaning table and it is used every day! Since about 10 months old my twins have been using this weaning table for having meals, and snacks. The table and chairs are fully customizable with different length legs and an adjustable seat height. This piece of Montessori furniture aids a child in independence and self-directed learning. It allows a child to learn from a young age how to get in and out of a chair independently. This Montessori table is the perfect addition to a kitchen space! Use my code “TWINMAMA10” for 10% off your next Sprout order!
High Chair
As much as I want my children to have freedom of movement, we enjoy sitting down together for a family meal. We have found the perfect high chair that brings our twins right up to the table with us! When we were looking for a high chair, I wanted it to align with Maria Montessori’s principles of independence. We have the Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair and have loved it! I have a full review of this high chair here.
There are many other wonderful Montessori high chairs on the market that have the option to bring the child up directly to the table, have adjustable settings that grow and change with your child, and support independence with a design that a child could climb up into on their own at a certain age. If you are looking for other Montessori high chair options, check out this blog post where I dive into all the Montessori high chairs on the market, even those great for small spaces!
Accessible Kitchen Spaces
Montessori principles encourage us to give everything a place and have it in its place. The environment has a profound impact on the child’s level of independence. When it is prepared for them, they will be less dependent on an adult to help them with tasks. This is natural and good for some things, but a child could have a certain level of access to many aspects of our kitchen if it is prepared with their needs in mind.
Simple changes could be putting a water dispenser at a lower level with cups and dishes in a cabinet that they can reach. Snacks could be prepared in easy-to-access self-serve containers. We can limit the amount they have in a day by how much we fill these containers.
Consider using low cabinets and drawers to store items they could use and have access to. The kitchen is a great place to support a child’s independence even without any expensive furniture. Just by rearranging things and making them more accessible you can better meet your child’s needs.
Montessori Furniture in the Bedroom
A Montessori bedroom is a beautiful space that offers freedom of movement and choice by using a floor bed and a Montessori wardrobe allowing accessibility to a child.
Montessori Floor Bed
A Montessori floor bed is just like it sounds like, a bed on the floor. We have been using a floor bed with our twins since shortly after they were born. Check out our journey with sleep and twins here. There are many Montessori floor beds that you can purchase if you want a frame or you can do it on the cheap and just put a mattress on the floor. When you use a Montessori floor bed, you want the room to be baby-proofed, here is a blog post all about things to consider and how to baby-proof a Montessori bedroom. If you are planning to purchase a Montessori floor bed for your child’s space, check out this blog post where I dive into many of the different Montessori floor beds on the market, I even have a few discount codes for you!
Montessori Wardrobe
Montessori furniture nurtures a sense of independence. It shows the child that we see them as capable. We can prepare a Montessori wardrobe in many different ways. We started with a DIY IKEA shelf and changed into a larger wardrobe that we found second-hand and transformed into the perfect Montessori wardrobe for kids. You can buy Montessori wardrobes, check out this blog post for some of the ones on the market that I would recommend.
Finding the right Montessori furniture is important so it functions well in your home. There are also many ways to adopt the Montessori principles without going and purchasing something new. Additionally, consider how you could configure your child’s closet with low-hanging options, baskets, or hooks to allow for more independence in the dressing process.
Self-Care
Self-care is an important part of a child’s experiences. There are so many opportunities for them to care for themselves like brushing their teeth, combing their hair, and wiping their nose and face. We can prepare a self-care area in their bedroom or bathroom to help them focus on these tasks. Here is a more detailed look at our Montessori self-care area in the bedroom. Surely having a mirror, some baskets to hold a few objects, or a small shelf is perfect.
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Montessori Shelf
When we think of Montessori environments we often will see Montessori shelves that are low or the height of the child. One of the best ways to support a child’s independence is by preparing an environment where they can independently access and visually see their toys. The Montessori approach would limit the number of activities and toys available to a child by adopting a toy rotation system. Then we can display the toys and activities that are available on open shelves in a beautiful way. Indeed this can help a child make a choice more independently. If you are ready to invest in a Montessori shelf, check out this blog post where I share some of the different Montessori shelves on the market that would be perfect for your space!
A Montessori Entryway
A bench or chair that is the perfect size for a child to come and take off their shoes makes for a cozy entryway. A low hook to hang up their jacket and a small basket with additional outdoor gear. An entryway is a perfect place for a child-centric design, although it doesn’t need to take up much space at all.
We have loved our adjustable and lightweight chairs from Sprout. Sprout makes high-quality Montessori furniture and this chair adjusts, and can begin being used as young as 6 months old and will grow with a young child! Use my code “TWINMAMA10” for 10% off your next Sprout order! Additionally, you can keep your eye out at garage sales and thrift stores for small chairs or benches as you see here!
Montessori in the Bathroom
Montessori furniture in the bathroom will be minimal. You can add a step stool to make the faucet more accessible for hand washing and brushing teeth. We have a faucet extender to bring the water stream closer to our boy’s hands. There are various ways to foster more independence in the bathroom. As mentioned earlier, you could create a self-care area in the bathroom.
Related Blog Post: Authentic Montessori Step Stool for Your Home
Outside
There are great ways to continue the Montessori environment in an outdoor space. Consider a water table, mud kitchen, and some outdoor shelves prepared with open-ended activities or materials that will aid a child in their outdoor explorations! Check out this blog post for how we have prepared an outdoor space with minimal space available.
Create a Montessori Movement Area and Living Space
Throughout our homes, we can create areas for free movement and play. This is where you will see the more commonly known Montessori play items. Items like a Montessori climbing triangle, a forward-facing bookshelf, and beautiful Montessori baby mobiles. I will dive into a few of the different must-have Montessori furniture items. For each of these, I have a DIY or full blog post which goes into more detail with options and recommendations.
Montessori Climbing Triangle
A Montessori climbing triangle, commonly called a Pikler triangle has become a common Montessori piece of furniture. It is the perfect way to support gross motor skills indoors and helps motor skill development. It can be overwhelming to know what Montessori climbing triangle to choose. If you are looking to purchase one, check out this blog post for an overview of different Montessori triangles on the market and discount codes for a few of the climbing triangles!
Mobiles
Montessori materials can be used from birth with the Montessori baby mobiles. Starting with the Munari baby mobile (check out this DIY tutorial), we can capture an infant’s focus and attention with beautifully created mobiles that support cognitive development. There are commonly 5 Montessori visual baby mobiles, the Munari mobile, the octahedron mobile, the Gobi mobile, the dancer mobile, and the butterfly mobile. The Montessori furniture aspect of a mobile would be a potential mobile hanger. However, there are other ways to hang your mobile. A Montessori mobile can be part of a larger movement area for your baby. Here are the 3 things you need to create a beautiful movement area for your infant.
Related mobile blog posts:
How to Use the Montessori Baby Visual Mobiles
How to Create a Montessori Movement Area: 3 Essentials
Additional Montessori Climbing Structures
Many other climbing structures support open-ended play. Offering these structures can be a great way to support a child’s curiosity and need for movement. Check out this blog post for all the details on additional climbing toys for toddlers. Many of these structures would be fun and suitable for an older child as well.
Pull-up Bar
A Montessori pull-up bar can be a simple DIY or something you can purchase. It supports an infant learning how to pull to stand. Check out our Montessori pull-up bar DIY here, or purchase one here.
Platform and Ramp
A platform and ramp is a simple piece of Montessori furniture that will serve many purposes. For an infant, it offers a safe climbing structure. As that child moves into toddlerhood they can work on walking on an incline. It is also fun to explore rolling balls down the ramp. It can be inverted to use as a place to play with toys or a small elevated surface on which you can work on top. You can get your platform and ramp from RAD Children’s Furniture. Use the code “MONTESSORITWIN10” for a discount on your order!
Bookshelf
Offering many books at a young age is one of the best ways to foster a lifelong love of reading and learning. Montessori bookshelves vary slightly as they are often forward facing to allow a child to see the cover of the books to make a more independent choice. In this blog post, I share many different Montessori bookshelves you can purchase, each with unique aspects that best meet your needs.
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