Easy *Daily* Habits of a Montessori Homemaker

The work we do in our homes is valuable. Regardless of your season in life, the Montessori principles can bring value to anyone at any stage of life. As a Montessori teacher, I have started to see that the Montessori philosophies go beyond the bead frames and grammar symbols. They become daily habits of how you function in your environment and the way you prepare an environment for those who live in it. Here are a few easy daily habits you can add to your day to become more of a Montessori homemaker.

Table of Contents

Twins standing in a learning tower with a mom standing next to them with text overlay that says "The Art of Montessori Homemaking"

Defining the Terms

When I looked up the definition of a homemaker, it was defined as, “a person who manages the household of their own family, especially as a principal occupation.” I would put myself in this category. Even if you have a full-time job or work outside the home, I believe everyone is a homemaker to some extent. Anyone who does laundry makes meals, or puts a room together is taking part in creating a home.

Montessori is an educational philosophy that takes into account the developmental needs of children and offers appropriate materials and spaces for them. Additionally, this very hands-on approach to learning focuses on helping children to help themselves. Montessori environments are beautiful and orderly, as this helps the children within the environment to function more independently. All of these elements of a Montessori classroom and educational model can be translated into our homes. Ultimately, that’s what I want to put together here—sharing how Montessori and homemaking can be one thing.

Restoring the Environment

A daily habit in our Montessori home is to restore our environment every night. Specifically, this means putting away all the toys, cleaning up the kitchen, consolidating laundry, wiping down countertops, sweeping the floor, and generally tidying up our spaces. I also restore the environment frequently throughout the day. I attempt to do this before we leave an area of our home, but that doesn’t always happen. Toddlers love to move things all around the house, especially twin toddlers!

When everything has a place in our homes, restoring it becomes much easier. Restoring order is something young children are capable of learning how to do. There is a difference between restoring order and creating order. If an area of our home is disorganized and things don’t have a place to go, our child(ren) won’t be able to put that space back into order if there was never order to be found in the beginning. I’ll share more on how to create this order in another section.

Involving my Children in the Work of the Home

Getting my children involved in the work of the home is another daily activity in our household. Even at 18 months old, my twins can contribute to the home economy. Things like putting their laundry in their dirty laundry hamper, pulling clothes out of the washing machine, throwing diapers away, and “sweeping”. They love using their learning tower to help in the kitchen. Here are 18 ways we have used our learning tower with our young toddlers.

In these moments, I have opportunities to slow down and offer meaningful work to my children. Helping around the home appears to be some of their most loved moments. As a Montessori homemaker, I find it beneficial to involve children in as many tasks as possible because they are so capable.

Mom standing by twins in a learning tower.

Practical Life for Everyone

No matter where we are in life, we can often find peace and enjoyment in practical activities. These activities can range from brushing teeth and washing hands to learning how to tie a shoelace or arranging flowers in a vase. Practical life applies to all ages and can so easily be adjusted to meet any need a child has.

A young child washing his hands at the sink.

Adding Beauty

I love beautiful things and creating beautiful spaces in my home. I think of Montessori homemaking as an art. It involves understanding the needs of the children in your home and using the available space to create an inviting and beautiful environment for everyone. Adding small details like a low picture or mirror for them to view. I love adding beautiful baskets to their open shelf to house their toys or activities. Thrift stores and garage sales are great places to find some of these little beautiful additions.

Check out this video of all my favorite Montessori thrift finds and this blog post on how to make a thrifted Montessori home. Beauty and order are really important components of a Montessori environment and it is what cultivates this love and care for the things around us, I write more about the importance of this in this blog post.

Beyond the Daily Needs

Day-to-day life is busy and full. It often requires our full attention to keep our families fed, clean, and happy. Beyond the daily habits of restoring our environment, getting our children involved in the work of the home through practical life, and adding beauty to the home we still need to find additional time to prepare our space properly. It takes time, energy, and thought to prepare your environment to meet the developmental needs of your children. It can be beneficial to carve out some time in an evening or a weekend when you can think through spaces in your home or do that needed toy rotation. Here are a few areas where Montessori homemaking goes beyond the daily needs of the household to ensure our home is functioning smoothly. Read more about each one in these blog posts!

A cube closet organizer with 2 clear bins in each section and a few toys in other sections and a basket of gift bags in another section

Preparing Your Home with Functional Spaces for Everyone

Here are some spaces in our home that I have transformed into functional Montessori spaces. Check them out for more information and inspiration for preparing your home with beautiful and practical Montessori spaces.