Montessori in the nursery: Help me to do it myself

Children bring a lot of joy into our lives, but also situations in which we are made to think and doubt ourselves. Don't you often ask yourself: "Am I actually doing this right?", "How am I really doing this right?" and "Is there even a right way?". We believe that there is no "right" way. Everyone does it differently in every situation and in their own way. And that is exactly what Montessori does.

What does Montessori mean?

The Italian doctor and educator Maria Montessori (1870-1952) developed the Montessori method of education. The guiding principle "Help me to do it myself" means: We offer our children a framework for playing, living and learning. We support them in discovering their own abilities and interests with their thirst for research and development and in learning through successes and failures.

3 reasons for Montessori in your home

Montessori is an educational philosophy and practice developed by the Italian doctor and educator Maria Montessori. It emphasises independence, independent learning and the individual development of the child. But what does Montessori do for your child?

Self-determined learningmontessori promotes independent learning in which children can explore their individual interests and talents.
Concentration and independence: Montessori activities allow children to develop independence and concentration.
Freedom of movement: Montessori encourages children to be physically active and favours active learning.

How to integrate Montessori into your home

Encouraging your child at home according to Montessori is not complicated at all. With simple means, you can create an environment that supports your child's independence. We have collected some ideas for you.

1. Self-determined choice of clothes

With a wardrobe at eye level, your children can learn to choose their own clothes. This could be a small coat rack in the hallway where your child hangs their own jacket after a walk. The more advanced version is the Montessori wardrobe, from which your child can put together their own outfit. Our tip: Don't overload the wardrobe, but rather equip the mini wardrobe with selected items of clothing for the current season. This way, your child won't be overwhelmed and you can avoid any discussions about thick woollen socks in the height of summer.

Tips for the Montessori wardrobe

2. Washbasin at child height

In addition to choosing clothes, brushing teeth, washing hands and combing hair are also on the daily programme. Not exactly our little ones' favourite activities. But perhaps washing and styling on their own will be a little more popular than having mum or dad tugging at you. Many parents use a learning tower in the bathroom, which enables the child to stand at the sink independently. However, there are also other ideas to help your children become independent.

Tips for the Montessori bathroom

3. Tidying up together

When everything has its place, even tidying up after playing is fun. And it also encourages your child's independence and sense of responsibility. This works best with storage space that children can access themselves. If you store toys in boxes, order stickers with symbols can be a great help.

More about storage & organisation

4. Exploring nature in the Montessori home

Montessori emphasises the connection to nature. Take your child outside, collect chestnuts, shells or leaves and observe animals. Independent discovery also promotes your child's individual development. Your child can dig in the sandpit or help you water and care for plants. If you don't have a garden, you can even set up a mud kitchen on the smallest balcony.

Mud kitchen build it yourself

Ideen für die Wandgestaltung in der Kita

5. Imitating everyday life with role play

Maria Montessori observed and encouraged active imitation of everyday life. She therefore favoured imaginative play and play materials that allow children to imitate everyday life. With role-playing games such as play shop or play kitchen, you can re-enact and process everyday situations with your children. Playful preparation, for example for a visit to the vet, also helps your child to become independent.

IKEA hacks for the play shop

IKEA hacks for the play kitchen

6. Sensory activities

You don't play with food! This is not quite true in Montessori education. Food can also be examined extensively. Feeling different shapes and materials promotes your child's sensory skills. Sorting by colour or smelling different scents are also exciting activities for your child.

IKEA Hack: Playful learning with the Montessori sensory table

Creative ideas for your sensory table in the children's room
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7. Creating zones in the nursery

It is important to create zones in a Montessori children's room. The play corner should be recognisable and stand out from a quiet corner or the sleeping area. You can create this very nicely by choosing the right wall colour. For a quiet area that is cosy and calm. In this area, every child can wind down from the excitement of everyday life, read or be read to.

Ideas for wall design

8. Simple food preparation

Washing fruit, topping bread or tipping together baking ingredients: Let your child help in the kitchen! This works best with a learning tower that gives your child access to the worktop. But be careful: never leave your child unsupervised in the learning tower.

IKEA Hacks learning tower

Montessori Waschmaschine mit Wäscheständer

9. Sorting laundry

Even small children can playfully learn to put dirty laundry in the laundry basket. Folding clean socks in pairs is also fun for many children. If you feel like it, you can even build a washing machine and a clothes horse for role play.

Making a washing machine with washing drum for children

An IKEA hack for Montessori children's rooms
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Montessori DIY clothes horse for children

We show you how you can easily make a clothes horse for children. True to the Montessori motto "Help me to do it myself".
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10. Encourage art and creativity

Provide your child with materials to be creative, such as paper, paints, coloured pencils, clay or craft materials. This allows them to fulfil their imagination and develop their artistic skills. A great idea is a craft trolley in which various pens, colours and materials are stored.

Tips for the craft trolley

More ideas for Montessori at home

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Make a weather clock

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KonMarie in the children's room: tidying up according to Marie Kondo

Tidiness, structure, organisation vs. children's room and playroom - is it even possible to combine the one with the other? We say YES!
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Crafting with the IKEA cutlery tray

Help your children to experiment independently by encouraging them to explore and creating the necessary environment and materials.
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Crafting with salt dough for the shop and children's kitchen

Create baked goods with salt dough for the children's kitchen or shop.
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Learn the time

Playfully learn the time with a simple IKEA hack.
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