How to Make a Montessori Prepared Environment in Your Home

Just imagine everything having a place and it being in its place. A carefully prepared space allows freedom of movement and choice while also setting clear limits and boundaries. Imagine a space made just your size or with step stools accessible allowing you to reach what you need. What if we could prepare a space that meets our child’s needs both physically, emotionally, and mentally? We can do just that and more in our homes by understanding the importance and value of a Montessori prepared environment for a child, especially a young child.

Table of Contents

Why is it called a “Prepared Environment”?

The definition of the word ‘environment‘, according to Merriam Webster, is “the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded: the factors and influences that affect the growth, health, progress, functioning, etc., of someone or something” Then if we look at the word ‘prepare‘ it means “to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity” Thus, a prepared environment is a space we surround ourself with that we make ready beforehand for an individual. This environment will affect the overall functioning of a person, so it is best to prepare this environment to match and support the characteristics of the individual people who live or function in this space.

For this blog post, I will speak specifically of how we can prepare our homes to be a prepared environment. However, I will touch briefly on how a Montessori home and a Montessori school differ and how they are similar.

A child opens a drawer in an entryway cabinet.

The Purpose of a Prepared Environment

When we look at the definitions of both words ‘prepare‘ and ‘environment‘, it makes total sense that we would make ready a space before its’ intended use so that it can be ready for the individual who will spend time in this environment learning, growing, and progressing in life.

Now that we understand what a prepared environment is, let’s look at how to create one in our homes. First, let’s get a little advice from the expert herself, Dr. Maria Montessori. She writes:

“The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult. ”

Maria Montessori
The Secret of Childhood, p. 267

When we consider how to prepare our home environment, we consider the needs of the growing child and ask ourselves how we can support their development and help them become independent of the adult in various ways. This is not to say that we are trying to make the child grow up faster or that we are somehow relinquishing our role as parents and caregivers. It is instead to acknowledge the true purposes and desires of a young child, who is capable of self-construction.

With this understanding of the children, we can then see that any help on our part that is not necessary is actaully a hindrance to their ultimate success. Our role is to love, prepare, and guide them on their journey of this satisfying and necessary work of self-construction. A Montessori prepared environment, ultimately is what supports both the child and us on this endevor.

A Montessori Home vs. A Montessori School

After completing my Montessori training at the elementary level, I went on to spend 5 years teaching in a lower elementary (1st – 3rd grade) classroom. Once I found out I was pregnant with twins, we decided it was best to transition to life at home, raising our twins. Doing Montessori in a school setting versus your home is very different, while many of the same principles apply.

There are a lot of ways they are different. A Montessori teacher fully prepares the classroom to meet the physical, intellectual, social, and emotional needs of a child at different ages. Our homes also aim to do this, but we may have children in our family of multiple different ages, financial constraints, space limitations, and many more limitations.

However, there is no set standard of what must be included in a Montessori home in the same way that there is in a Montessori school. We simply need to look at the development of the child, and their needs. Then we can prepare a Montessori environment that will support them in meeting those needs in the most independent ways possible. So let’s move our focus to some of the characteristics that are important to consider when we start preparing our home environment in a Montessori way.

A mom folding laundry with her twins doing a puzzle next to her on a table.

Characteristics of a Prepared Environment

As a Montessorian to my bones, these characteristics have become part of who I am and the way I look at the world around me.

Beauty

I can’t emphasize how important the aspect of beauty is in a Montessori home. I have a whole blog post on the importance of beauty and order in a Montessori environment. When we see beauty, we are drawn towards it. Thus I have seen how beauty helps navigate a child in an environment and we can use it as a tactical tool when preparing our environment.

Adding a beautiful basket for the toys to be in over here or placing a lamp and a small chair in a little reading nook over there. Putting a tablecloth on the table, and lighting a candle for meal times have all been small and simple ways that we have brought beauty into our Montessori home that have helped direct the actions of our children as well.

Order

A young child has many years during their childhood when they are in a sensitive period for order. They are learning where things go and how to help themselves. We support their need for order by preparing a home in an orderly way. This can be a challenging ideal to achieve in any Montessori prepared environment, but it truly is the keystone to independence.

How can a child be independent in putting their coat on if they have no idea where their coat belongs? We strive to give everything a place and have everything in its place. We can begin by creating this order for our child first and working to follow suit in other areas of the home. Later in the post, I’ll share some ideas on preparing your home and how to create these Montessori spaces.

Fully Prepared

We want things to be fully prepared. Having everything that would be needed. Let me use the example of pouring water from a pitcher and drinking from an open cup. We don’t just think through the cup and the water. Instead, we need to consider how the water will be obtained, where the child will find a towel if they spill, and where they will put the soiled towel after they clean up their mess. It is our job to think through scenarios we see play out in our homes and prepare our home environment to meet those needs, allowing for independence from our child where reasonable.

Accessibility

There is a culture these days of locking our child out of every cabinet, drawer, and virtually anything in the home that our child could get into. What kind of message does this send to your child? Do they find that this home is a place where their needs are met and considered? We most certainly need to keep our children safe. This may mean locking certain cabinets or rearranging things. Place items we don’t want them getting into higher up. Put things like cups, bowls, and plates in a low cabinet or drawer for them to have access to.

A child will only be able to be as independent as their environment allows. If there is no way for them to help set the table because everything is out of reach, then they will not help set the table. I like to think through things backward in this area. Looking at what I hope for my child to be able to do independently and then think through how that would work for them in our space to make it accessible to them.

A Montessori kitchen area with a cabinet open revealing dishes, snacks, and kitchen tools.

Developmentally Appropriate

Your child is always changing and growing. Your environment will need to change with them. We want to make gradual changes that are developmentally appropriate. I think the best example of this is how we use the principle of limitation in a Montessori home. For example, our culture loves to buy things in bulk, and have multiple of one item. However, we can support our child in so many ways by limiting what is available to just a few choices. This is true for clothing, snack choices, hats, books, and activities. Sometimes less is more. This makes independent choices easier to come by.

Size

Starting in infancy, we can begin to prepare our homes. This starts with creating a movement area for the first few months of life, then we meet their needs with a Montessori weaning table and pull-up bar.

We place a very small dressing chair in their room for getting dressed. Be cautious of “kid furniture” as it tends to be targeted for older children, which is great for those older and bigger children. I have found we have to look for specific items for our babies and toddlers that are stable, supportive, and fit their size. I have more suggestions in the next section when we look at each area of our home and how to bring the Montessori joy into those areas, or check out all the Montessori non-toy essentials for each area of your home!

Areas to Prepare in Your Home

For this part, I will share some pictures as a way to inspire you and link out more blog posts and videos to give you more ideas and inspiration. Each Montessori environment will look different because they meet the needs of their space, the age of the children, and a different personality of the person preparing the space. Regardless of these differences, the principles remain the same and can be applied to any area of your home.