How to Create the Montessori Prepared Environment at Home

Maria Montessori discovered, through her years of research and observation of young children, that they learn best when they are given the freedom to learn as directed by their inner needs (see Sensitive Periods of development discussed in an earlier article).  From this discovery came the concept of the Prepared Environment. The Prepared Environment is Maria Montessori's concept of an educational atmosphere that fosters independent learning and exploration for children.  The environment, activities, and teaching materials were carefully and intentionally designed to help children develop essential cognitive skills based on the science of child development. 

As parents who want to re-create the prepared environment at home, it is important to be observant so that you can evaluate your child’s needs and introduce appropriate learning materials at the right time.  It is important to make these materials easily accessible to your child so he can independently use them any time he interested.  Additionally, each item should have a specific place where it is stored.   For example, when my grandson was around two years old, my daughter noticed that he was very interested in screwing and unscrewing bottles and lids, so she set up an activity for him so that he would have access to various sized jars and lids to manipulate whenever he wanted to.  You can do this with any number of activities you create.  You can also research the Montessori activities that may be appropriate for your child.  Please visit montessoriathome.net for more information on these activities.

  Within the prepared environment, children are free to choose activities, maximizing independent choice and learning.  They work in a calm and orderly space, at their own pace.  This environment is a combination of freedom and self-discipline.  In this regard, the Montessori classroom is criticized by some for being too unstructured, with no academic standards.  It is also criticized for being too structured, with a limited number of activities.  In truth, the concept of the prepared environment has the perfect balance of freedom and limitation that maximizes a child’s ability to be successful.

The prepared environment contains these key elements:

• Freedom to explore, freedom of movement, choice, social interaction
• Structure and order to help make sense of the world
• An uncluttered, well-maintained, calm and peaceful work space
• Accessibility of learning materials, including child-size furnishings

Try to create a home environment that contains these elements and you will be well on your way to creating surroundings for your child where he will flourish.

“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.” – Maria Montessori

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