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How to Design a Montessori Playroom
Environments and spaces that are designed with the Montessori theory in mind are beautiful. The simplicity and minimalist nature of Montessori encourage a relaxing and peaceful environment.
When it comes to designing Montessori playrooms this theory encourages the perfect children’s space. An open and peaceful demeanor naturally encourages creative and independent play.
As you design your Montessori playroom ask yourself how every element is going to benefit your child’s development and what it would take to optimize their growth.
Build a Montessori Quiet Space
Variation in play spaces is beneficial in learning to cope with boredom. It is good for children to be bored sometimes because it encourages them to think creatively and listen to their intuition. A quiet space in their playroom will give your child a place to rest and have quiet time whenever they want.
This space could look like a floor bed that is designed as a cozy reading corner. It could also be a section of playmats with pillows.
One more important component of this space is books that are accessible. Baskets and low shelving are to ways of displaying books in a playroom.
Montessori Playroom: Build an Active Space
In contrast to the quiet space, we also want an opportunity for active play. It encourages the same independent play and self-regulation that a quiet space does. If your child is in their playroom and wants to climb something, wouldn’t the easiest option be to have a climbing structure in their playroom?
The goal is to allow a safe space that your child can actively play on their own. There are many different options. I’ve seen balance beams, pikler triangles, swings, tunnels, slides, and trapeze bars. Let’s be honest a swing in the middle of a playroom looks pretty fun!
Child-Sized Everything
Remember that your child’s playroom is for kids, so it should be designed with your their needs in mind. Children appreciate art and photos on the wall just as much as adults.
Unfortunately, when it is too high on the wall, children can’t see it. In your playroom place art low on the wall so they can look at it. While your baby is limited to the floor and building his strength to start crawling the art should be near the baseboard. This is great!
Your baby will love it! As they get older, can pull themselves up on the furniture and are learning to walk start moving the art further up the wall, so it will once again be at eye level.
Another amazing component of a Montessori playroom is a mirror. These are affordable and easy to find. A basic full-length mirror should be placed horizontally along the bottom of the wall just as the art. As children grow older you can adjust the height and positioning of the mirror to suit their needs.
Furniture (also child-sized)
Open and low shelving is an important element of a Montessori playroom. It gives ample space and opportunity to display toys that are within the child’s reach. A small table and chairs are another great addition to a Montessori playroom. Many children love having a table as a space for art, pretend play, reading, and puzzles.
Montessori Toys
We can’t forget the toys! A Montessori playroom staple…or any playroom for that matter! Consider the same theory when you are choosing Montessori toys.
Toys should be simple, made from natural materials, encourage creativity, and have a lot of variation in their use! Many Montessori toys are suitable for infants and as the child develops they find more uses for these toys.
I hope you have enjoyed this guide to designing a Montessori playroom! Keeping working on your Montessori home with this post about creating a Montessori bedroom and this one about designing a Montessori bathroom!
About Marnie Craycroft
Marnie hails from Maine where she spent summers buried in sand and winters buried in snow. She is the daughter of a nearly four decade veteran of the public school systems. Teaching has always been a part of her life. She founded Carrots Are Orange in 2010.
Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori learning and living website for parents and teachers.
Marnie graduated from Wesleyan University in 1999 with a BA in Economics. She spent nearly a decade working in investment management. In 2006, she earned her MA in business from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.
Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999 and currently lives in Boulder with her husband and three sons. She is Montessori trained. Her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, Buzzfeed, PBS Kids, BabyCenter, the Melissa & Doug blog, Huffington Post, and WhattoExpect.com. Besides writing, passions include running (usually after her three sons), photography, and outdoor adventures.
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