We can support independent learning and exploration by our children by focusing on the environment we have created for them to learn. Not only is creating a prepared environment for your children going to encourage your children to play and learn independently, but it is easier for you too!
The “prepared environment” is Dr. Maria Montessori’s way of describing the concept that the space a child spends their time in, whether that be their playroom or their classroom, can be designed to facilitate maximum independent learning and exploration by the child.
In her book The Secret of Childhood, Dr. Montessori described the goal of the prepared environment as follows:
“The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.”
The prepared environment’s goal is to create independent, intrinsically motivated, lifelong learners.
According to Dr. Montessori, the learning environment, and everything that the child comes into contact with, should foster independent learning and exploration. Being that play IS the work of the child and is exactly how they learn, this also applies to the playrooms and play areas we provide our children with at home.
What is in a prepared environment?
In a prepared environment, you often find:
- activities to develop fine motor and gross motor skill
- sensorial exploration
- practical life skills
- academic concepts
- involve lots of movement for the child (no sitting at a desk or baby container all day)
These environments are simple and clutter-free making it MUCH easier for YOU, the adult, to maintain for your children. Plus, children are encouraged to be responsible for caring for their environment too (double win)!
The best way to begin to prepare your environment is to observe what your child is interested in at this time.
- Which toys do they gravitate toward most?
- Which household objects that you wouldn’t even have considered to be a plaything are they currently obsessed with?
It is important to note that preparing your environment does NOT have to involve spending tons of money on super trendy “Montessori toys”, but rather could be fulfilled by items you already have in your home or can find easily at thrift stores, etc.
What's the difference between a Montessori and a traditional daycare/preschool classroom?
Many parents may find themselves wondering what sets a Montessori classroom or playroom apart from your average daycare center or preschool.
Traditional Childcare Center:
- Lively, loud, and messy
- Overwhelming and overstimulating
- Can be a LOT for both adults and children
Montessori Classroom:
- Peaceful, quiet, orderly
The difference is the prepared environment to facilitate independent learning and play!
6 Key components of the Prepared Environment
1. Freedom
One of the main goals of a Montessori prepared environment is freedom of choice. This is achieved through providing a space that has appropriately sized furniture and materials which a child can manipulate on their own. This gives the child freedom to explore, freedom of movement, freedom to interact socially, and freedom of interference from others (especially adults, who no longer need to help them physically access everything because an adult-sized world is unattainable to a small child).
We believe in giving even our littlest ones enough independence to choose their daily activities.
In a prepared environment, we can focus on:
- allow children to freely explore HOW to play with a toy, as opposed to telling them HOW they should be playing
- allow children to to freely explore without correction or micromanaging
- be patient as a child struggles, is stuck, or confused, as they explore a toy; let them find the solution independently!
Of course, we are here to help when it’s really needed, but we must wait for the child to actually ask us, and we should always encourage them to try again on their own at a later time when they are ready.
This fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills which are crucial to the development and will be needed when you are NOT there to solve their problems for them.
2. Structure and Order
Did you know kids are NOT actually inherently chaotic and unruly?
Children crave order and organization in their environment to learn. Think about how much easier you can focus and learn at an organized desk!
The organization allows children to better make sense of their world, and supports their independent learning and play!
Spoiler alert, a constantly chaotic space filled with a ton of toys, a blaring TV, and a ton of stimulating decor, is the opposite of a structured and orderly experience.
Are you frustrated by the fact that your kid just dumps everything on the floor, plays with a few things for a few minutes at a time, and then quickly unravels into needing ALL of your time and attention to be settled and engaged?
As counter intuitive as it may feel, a disorderly and unorganized environment ends up being MORE work for YOU!
Tips to find structure and order in your space:
- LESS things in your space
- Everything has a place (this makes it easier to maintain)
- Turn off extra distractions
- Pair down the colorful decor
- Less is more allowing your child to grasp the concept of caring for their own space and belongings at a young age
3. Beauty
Directly related to the point above, it is important to make the environment inviting for exploring and interaction, rather than distracting and overstimulating. The atmosphere, therefore, should be prepared beautifully and simplistically, which, as stated above, will ultimately evoke peace, tranquility and harmony. The best learning environments are uncluttered and well-maintained.
This doesn’t mean you have to make your space look like a Pinterest board or look like the space of some famous influencer on social media. Beautiful and simplistic to a child means they can navigate it by themselves, and they understand the order and expectations within that space. Fancy decor, hip mural designs painted on the walls, and perfectly placed beams of sunlight are NOT necessary to creating a “beautiful” space!
4. Nature and Reality
Dr. Montessori believed that nature should be used to inspire children.
That’s why Montessori teachers regularly take the children out into nature, and why we encourage the use of natural materials in the prepared environment. These materials include real wood, bamboo, cotton, and even real metals and glass, rather than synthetics or plastics.
The materials should also be child-size, so the child is able to work with the materials on her own without frustration and without having to depend on adults for help.
If you have a very young child who still explores everything by putting it in their mouth, real, quality wooden toys are considerably safer than painted, plastic toys with batteries.
This does not mean toys and activities containing synthetic materials are evil or banned, but it is best to have less of these, and more of the things that are real and naturally occurring.
5. Social Environment
The prepared environment should support social development by encouraging freedom of interaction. Montessori classrooms foster the development of a sense of compassion and empathy for others, thus causing children to be more socially aware.
Much like a family, classrooms have mixed age groups spanning 3-year chunks at a time (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, etc).
If you have multiple children, this means creating an environment that children of different ages and abilities can coexist and collaborate in.
Leverage older siblings to be leaders and help model skills for the younger siblings. If you have an only child, this could look like books and toys that focus on learning about others, encouraging anything from emotional awareness to cultural differences – and of course, playdates and trips to parks and other places where they can interact with peers.
6. Intellectual Environment
Once all of the above principles are met, one has created a surprisingly peaceful and intellectual environment, which develops the whole personality of the child in a way that was naturally led by the child’s ability to experiment and explore.
No need for pages and pages of workbooks and Baby Einstein DVDs.
Children learn from doing and providing them with a space in which they can do for themselves is the most important gift you can give to their academic experience and abilities.
“Obstacles must be reduced to a minimum and surroundings should provide the necessary means for the exercise of those activities which develop a child’s energies” – Maria Montessori.
Montessori Moms in the Wild has an entire story highlight for preparing the environment called “Environment”
Want to know more about Montessori?
- Subscribe to our blog! I will be posting a couple blogs each month covering various elements of the Montessori philosophy and how these play out in the home. I promise to always be realistic about some of the more idealistic goals we strive for as Montessorians, keeping this a judgment-free zone where anyone who is even so much as interested in this approach to parenting is already winning!
- Check out my podcast, Montessori Moms in the Wild! Together with two of my closest mom friends and fellow trained Montessori guides (the three of us cover birth through age 12), we have created a blatantly honest and nonjudgemental show where we share tips and tricks for how we implement this massively important philosophy in our own homes, in real life!
- You can do a little more research via the two major accreditation organizations that train and educate Montessorians, The American Montessori Society (AMS) and/or The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).
These links can help you dive a little deeper into the who, what, and why, as well as help locate a school near you if you would like to know what your local options may be!