Montessori Nursery Room
Setting up a nursery for an expected infant can be one of the most joyful and triumphant experiences for parents.
But along with all the excitement, enjoyment, and fun comes the bewildering thought of where and how to begin setting up a nursery, in the first place.
If you are a first-time parent who has researched and adopted the Montessori Method of education in your home environment, the task of setting up a nursery based on the Montessori Principles can become an even more perplexing process especially when you need help knowing where to begin.
Simple, sophisticated, and calm, are some adjectives that best describe the Montessori Prepared Environment.
Unlike common nurseries that incorporate tall cribs, flashy colors, and plastic toys, a Montessori Nursery integrates elements of nature that not only bring peace and tranquility and facilitate holistic development in infants.
If you are a lucky and expecting parent or an immediate caregiver who wants to create a Montessori Nursery environment for your infant, do not panic.
Here is all you need to know about Montessori Nursery Room to help you create the best nursery for your infant that promotes holistic development.
Contents
What is a Montessori Nursery Room?
According to Dr. Maria Montessori, children between the ages of birth to six years have an absorbent mind and are highly susceptible to the stimuli present in the surrounding environment.
Hence, by taking the needs and requirements of the first half of the first plane of development into account, Dr. Maria Montessori developed a systematic nursery environment for children between the ages of birth to 3 years.
A Montessori Nursery room is a safe space for infants as well as toddlers where they can learn how to become independent and confident from the earliest stages of development.
The Montessori Nursery Room should encompass furniture pieces such as a crib, shelves, and dressers along with all the safety measures such as baby-proofing the entire room.
Each element in a Montessori Nursery Environment is curated to promote holistic development in children with the help of age-appropriate stimuli.
What are the chief characteristics of a Montessori Nursery?
The Montessori Nursery room is based on the Montessori principles which provide children with a nurturing environment for optimum development.
When designing a Montessori Nursery for your child, it is important to remember the following characteristics to facilitate development:
1. The Absorbent Mind:
According to Dr. Maria Montessori, for the initial six years of their lives, children are highly receptive to the stimuli present in their surrounding environment and hold the innate ability to absorb information.
This innate ability to absorb the sensorial stimuli in the surrounding environment was termed “the absorbent mind” by Dr. Maria Montessori.
By taking the needs and requirements of the absorbent mind into account, parents should integrate appropriate stimuli that do not overwhelm the child and promote holistic development.
Learn more about this topic: https://mymontessorimoments.com/absorbent-mind/
2. Respecting the Child:
The adults in a Montessori Home Environment must treat children with respect from the early stages of development to help them develop self-discipline.
Children should be provided with controlled freedom to make their own decisions and should be provided with tools to come up with peaceful resolutions.
3. Prepared Environment:
The Montessori Method of education provides children with a systematically developed learning environment curated for both homes and classrooms.
The Montessori Prepared Environment is a learning environment that integrates age-appropriate stimuli that promote holistic development without overwhelming the child.
Parents must organize the Montessori Nursery based on the basic principles of the prepared environment to provide the child with a calm, aesthetically pleasing, atmosphere.
4. Sensitive Periods:
Dr. Maria Montessori equipped with the knowledge of Human tendencies identified the 11 sensitive periods a child passes through till the time they reach age six.
According to Dr. Maria Montessori, children for the initial six years pass through periods of prolonged focus where they are able to master one pivotal skill at a time.
Parents, following the principle of Sensitive periods, must integrate important Montessori Toys, Materials, and activities into the Nursery for the optimum development of the child.
Learn more about Sensitive periods: https://mymontessorimoments.com/sensitive-periods/
5. Auto-Didactic Education:
The principle of auto-didactic education promotes the child to perform self-directed tasks and hands-on learning to develop skills naturally and at their own pace.
When creating a Montessori Nursery room for your child it is important to provide them with ample opportunities to freely explore their surroundings and expand their horizons with controlled freedom.
How to begin space-planning before setting up a Montessori Nursery?
Space planning is essential to maintain the integrity of the home environment as well as to provide the infant with ample space to move freely for their gross motor development.
Here are some tips to remember when space-planning for your child’s Montessori Nursery Room:
- Make room for the bed/ crib, basket, and cradle that can be easily moved
- There should be space for a diaper changing station, although temporary, you can also you a shelf or dresser as changing station if you have a lack of space at home
- A designated play area along with easy access to the child’s toys and materials should be provided.
What does a Montessori Nursery Room Incorporate?
A Montessori Nursery is simple, aesthetically pleasing, and minimalistic which provides your child with all the tools required to become a well-rounded individual.
Unlike Traditional Nurseries that incorporate tall cribs, bright, flashy, and noisy toys, lights, colorful decor, and plastic components, a Montessori nursery takes a more minimalistic approach.
To help you create the perfect Montessori-style nursery for your infant, here is a list of some key elements you must incorporate:
1. Montessori Floor bed:
A Montessori Nursery does not integrate tall cribs with constricting rails or bars like a traditional nursery for infants.
In fact, a Montessori Nursery instead integrates a low-sitting Montessori floor bed or Montessori Crib that does not include any form of constricting components.
A floor bed has a low-sitting base with a child-sized mattress that allows children to move independently without any risk of injury.
Looking for Montessori Cribs and beds? Check this out: https://mymontessorimoments.com/montessori-floor-bed/ and https://mymontessorimoments.com/montessori-cribs/
2. Montessori Shelves:
Montessori shelves are child-sized front-facing and low-sitting shelves that have an open front for easy access as well as displaying the books or materials.
Montessori Shelves are essential in a Montessori nursery for adorning and displaying the child’s toys, decorations, as well as Montessori materials.
Along with aesthetic benefits, a Montessori Shelf also brings about a sense of order, structure, and organization.
Choose the right type of Montessori Shelf for your child: https://mymontessorimoments.com/montessori-shelves/
3. Montessori Baby Mobile:
A baby mobile is a great Montessori toy for infants that promotes visual stimulation and develops the movements of the eyes, visual discrimination, and spatial awareness.
Baby Mobiles also promote the strengthening of the neck muscles in children as well as help children coordinate their movements.
4. Child-sized Mirror:
In a designated area for open-ended play, a child-sized mirror should act as a centerpiece.
This mirror should be shatterproof, child-friendly, and child-sized to help children observe the environment from different angles.
Montessori Mirrors can be an introduction to self which also teaches the child about object permanence.
5. Montessori Play gym:
Montessori Play Gyms are common play gyms that align with the Montessori Principles and Montessori Philosophy.
These Play gyms come in a diverse range of shapes, sizes, and colors, as well as incorporate different types of moving components.
In accordance with the Montessori Principles, Montessori Play gyms are often manufactured from wood.
While Traditional Toy Play gyms integrate distracting toys and vibrantly colored components, Montessori Play Gyms incorporate neutral shades and simple toys to avoid overstimulating the child.
These play gyms are an essential element in a Montessori Environment that facilitates the development of fine motor and gross motor skills in children.
Learn more about Montessori Play Gyms: https://mymontessorimoments.com/montessori-play-gym/
6. Montessori toys and materials:
Last, and among the most important are age-appropriate Montessori Toys and Montessori Materials that are to be incorporated into the child’s nursery.
Both Montessori toys and Montessori Materials should be made from natural substances, should be based on reality, and must isolate each skill to promote optimum development in children.
Montessori toys and materials should engage all the senses of the child and teach about reality as well as cause and effect.
Should you set up a Montessori Nursery?
The Montessori Method of education is a century-old pedagogical tool developed by Dr. Maria Montessori that promotes children to learn and develop through auto-didactic education.
Unlike traditional educational approaches, the Montessori Method of education isn’t limited to the classroom environment, books, desks, and chairs.
In fact, the Montessori Home Environment is among the cornerstones of the Montessori Philosophy which helps bridge the gap between what is being taught in the school and the activities being conducted at home.
Dr. Maria Montessori took each and every aspect of the developing Mind into account to curate the perfect learning environment for all four planes of development.
Montessori Nursery Room is great for vigilant parents who want to consider and cater to each and every aspect of development.
With meticulously arranged and systematically designed Montessori Materials and furniture that promotes sensory development the Montessori Nursery Room sets your infant up for success even during their initial stages of development.