What is a Montessori Playroom?
A Montessori playroom is a very clean and purposefully set up environment. Every toy has its place and is thoughtfully chosen according to the child’s current stage of development. Or it is a toy that encourages open-ended play. Everything should be at the child’s level so the child can access everything independently. Toys should be kept minimal to avoid overwhelming the child.
Why Should you Set up a montessori Playroom?
Maria Montessori believed that too many toys or choices can overwhelm a child. It can actually affect their focus and mood. Children THRIVE on order and routine! Here are some benefits of setting up a Montessori playroom:
- Encourages play. An environment that is clean and orderly is very inviting to a child and encourages play
- Less clean up because there are less toys to put away and everything has a place. Also, children are taught to clean up after playing with an activity or toy.
- Saves you money in the long run! Those beautiful wooden toys can be EXPENSIVE! However, they do last longer. Quality is always better than quantity. Try to be more conscious of the toys that you buy. You will actually end up saving money in the long run. Implementing a toy rotation system will also help to reduce the amount of toys that you buy.
- Encourages independent play because the child has access to all of the toys and materials when they want them. Toys are meant to be open-ended which should keep them busy for longer. This means that you can get more time to get stuff done!
- It looks BEAUTIFUL in any space! The natural materials, the simplicity and clean environment means that you will actually fall in LOVE with the space! We have ours set up in our living room and it’s honestly my favourite little corner of the room!
- No annoying toys that make noise and flash lights! That means less headaches for you!
- Children learn valuable practical life skills. They also learn about beautifying their environment so children take better care of their toys.
- It encourages movement! Children need movement and most Montessori toys and materials incorporate lots of movement. There’s also plenty of space for kids to move around where they’re not constantly tripping over toys.
HOW DO YOU SET UP A MINIMALIST MONTESSORI PLAYROOM IN A SMALL SPACE?
Setting up a minimalist Montessori playroom in a small space is not as hard as you might think! You really don’t need a large space. The whole purpose of a Montessori environment is is to keep the area clean with a few selected toys.
Check out our playroom tour at the end of this article! I show you how I set up a Montessori playroom in a corner of our small living room. This is our daughter’s only play space in the house and it’s perfectly sufficient. You really don’t need a lot!
Here are some tips to get started:
- Work with the space that you have.
- Declutter the toys. Get rid of any toys your child doesn’t play with any more by donating or selling them.
- Clean and declutter the space. If you have a small space, you want to make sure the entire environment is free of clutter as well.
- Buy or repurpose a low shelf (it doesn’t need to be big)
- Carefully select a few toys that your child plays with often. Present them on a shelf in an organized and inviting way.
- Use baskets and trays to keep activities and toys organized
- Put all other toys away to rotate out when you notice a toy on the shelf getting stale. Or every 2-3 weeks.
- Carefully and thoughtfully choose any toys that you bring into your house in the future. Make sure that it’s something that you know will get a lot of use. Keep scrolling for lots of toy ideas that are sure to get LOTS of use!!
How to work within a limited budget
The Montessori philosophy isn’t about spending a lot of money on fancy wooden toys. It’s about following the child. You provide opportunities for your child to develop their skills through play and movement. Play is a child’s work. Children learn so much through play.
You really don’t need to spend a lot of money (or any money) to create a montessori-inspired home. You can start off by just teaching practical life skills. Have things at the child’s level and allow them to learn to do things independently.
This could be as simple as:
- Hanging a hook at the child’s level for them to hang their coat on
- Reserve a drawer or shelf in your fridge where they can access snacks independently
- Allowing them to help you with simple chores around the house (even if it takes twice as long!)
Another tip is to buy things used if you can. You don’t need the fancy kallax shelves, any low shelving would work.
There are a lot of good options for toys that you can find second-hand pretty easily. Try searching for terms like “wooden toys”, “melissa and doug”, “hape” and “plan toys”. Try joining some facebook groups that might even be reselling authentic Montessori materials.
IKEA also has some really great items for a very affordable price!
The main thing to remember is that the whole Montessori philosophy is about minimalism and keeping an orderly environment. A toy rotation will also help to minimize the amount you buy by keeping old toys feeling fresh. Remember, less IS more!
Montessori PlayRoom Essentials
“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”
These are items that I believe to be the most essential when setting up a Montessori playroom!
Low Shelving
Low child-accessible open shelving is one of the core elements of the Montessori philosophy. The style of the shelf doesn’t matter as long as it’s low enough for the child to access independently. It should also be open so that the child can access the toys and contents whenever they would like.
KaLLAX open-cube shelving from Ikea
Kallax Open-Cube Shelving. This is the most popular (and instagram-worth) option that people go for when setting up a Montessori playroom. This is my favourite option too because it’s sturdy and looks gorgeous in any space! It also helps to separate the toys and activities in a way that looks organized and inviting. Everything should have its place. You can get them in 4 cube versions (laid horizontally) that are great for babies. Or this 8 cube version that works great for toddlers and older kids too.
But really, any low open shelving (no doors or drawers) that the child can reach and access will do. ALWAYS remember to secure and shelving to the wall to keep it from falling on the child.
Work Rug
In a traditional Montessori classroom, children use a “work rug” to do their “work” (play is a child’s “work”). You can just have a nice rug for your child to play on. If you want to stick to true Montessori principles, a simple neutral solid-coloured rug like this one would work perfectly. The idea behind it is that your child would roll out the rug every time they do a new activity. Then they would put it away after they are done with that activity.
REAL Plants and/OR Flowers
Maria Montessori talked a lot about beautifying the environment. This can easily be done by incorporating nature and beautiful natural items into the space. There are two practical life activities that children are taught in a Montessori classroom – flower arranging and plant watering.
Plant watering is a practical life skill where children are taught to carefully water plants using a child-size watering can. Adding a real plant to your space not only beautifies it but can also serve as a wonderful teaching opportunity. Children take great pride in being able to contribute to the household. Allowing them to water a plant is a great practical life skill that helps them feel important too.
bOOKS and Front-facing Bookshelf
Books are SO important for any child’s development! Any pediatrician will recommend that you start reading books to your child every day right from birth! In Montessori it’s important to have a just a small selection of books. These books should be displayed facing forward in a low shelf and should be rotated. A nice, cozy reading space should also be in the space.
This little IKEA Flisat bookcase is perfect for that! It can only hold a small selection of books (which is what you want anyway) and is nice and low for the child to access.
Realistic artwork
A big part of the Montessori philosophy is to keep material as realistic as possible. Maria Montessori said that children can’t grasp the difference between reality or fantasy until around 5 or 6 years old. It’s encouraged to mostly use real photos and realistic illustrations and stories when it comes to storybooks and artwork.
Real photos hung at the child’s level help to beautify the space and also foster a curiosity in the child. Young children LOVE photos of objects that they recognize from their own environment. You can even switch up the photos that you hang to keep things interesting!
nATURAL lIGHT
Natural light is soooo important for a child’s development and emotional well-being! You also need it for the real plants in the space too!! If at all possible, choose a space in your house that is close to a window. That way your child can benefit all of the natural light coming in. We only have one small window in our living room. But I purposely set up my daughter’s play space right beside it.
mIRROR
We don’t have a mirror in our space as there simply wasn’t enough space for one. But if at all possible, try to add a floor-length mirror to your play space. Mirrors are an important part of Montessori as it teaches children body-awareness and self-care. Babies and children also LOVE to look at themselves in the mirror. It’s great for dress up and pretend play too!
mONTESSORI pLAYROOM tOYS
A key component of the Montessori philosophy is to “follow the child”. Maria montessori observed that children go through several sensitive periods. A sensitive period is any period where a child is ready and able to learn certain skills.
The key thing is to observe your child. You can then provide toys and activities to help support whatever sensitive period they may be in at the moment. As an example – you may observe that your child is very much into transporting thing from one container to another. So try to be mindful of that and offer activities that help them to work on that skill.
Here are some general suggestions of Montessori-inspired toys and activities. These either help a child to master certain skills or offer LOTS of open-ended play opportunities.
musical instruments
I consider musical instruments a vital part of ANY playroom! Children love music and love to create noise (err I mean music). Musical instruments help to develop a child’s senses.
In a Montessori classroom they use sound cylinders and bells a sensorial development activities. You can achieve results with a selection of musical instruments. You can even create your own sound cylinders using spice bottles filled with various things.
Musical instruments are also great because they grow with your child. This is one toy that had been on our shelf for over 6 months and it’s still our daughter’s favourite!
To start I would recommend a maraca, a tambourine, a bell shaker and a xylophone. Here are a few suggestions that you can get off Amazon:
Stacking Toy
Stacking rings and toys are a great toy that teach hand-eye coordination and early math skills.
My favourite wooden stacker is this one from Plan Toys. I love it because the pieces are really sturdy and dyed (not painted). I love that the rings have a flat side because it gives a nice edge for younger babies to grip onto. It also makes them easy to stack even without the dowel.
I also really LOVE this plastic cup stacker from Ikea because it’s DIRT CHEAP and is so multi-functional! Each cup has holes in the bottom so they’re great for water and sensory table play too! We actually have two sets and keep one in the bathroom for bathtub play!
Grimm’s Rainbow Stacker
The most popular stacking toy that you’ve probably see in playrooms on Pinterest and Instagram is the Grimm’s large rainbow. I got a similar one off of Etsy. But I wish I had purchased the Grimm’s rainbow as the pieces are bigger and wider making it more versatile.
It’s actually technically not a montessori toy but it looks beautiful and cheery in the playroom and encourages a lot of open-ended play. It can be used in small world play as bridges for cars or houses for animals.
Play Scarves
Play scarves are actually more of a Waldorf-inspired toy. However, they are an amazing open-ended toy that will get lots of use! Kids just LOVE these silk scarves because they can turn into anything:
- roof of a tent
- princess veil or skirt
- cape
- water or land for small world play
- babies love to pull scarves out of a tissue box
- blanket for a doll
- sash or belt
- wedding veil
- …and so much more!
Ideally you should look for hand-dyed 100% silk scarves. The feel and flowiness of real silk can’t be matched by synthetic materials. It’s also more eco-friendly
These scarves from Sarah’s silks are absolutely stunning!
If you’re on a budget, try the dollar store or thrift store. You can probably find some that will work perfectly fine!
These ones I found on Amazon are also a good option if you’re on a tight budget.
Pikler Triangle
A pikler triangle is a wooden climbing toy that helps to promote balance and gross motor development. It also looks great in any play space and can be folded up for easy storage. You can add a slide, ramp or rock climbing wall to it to make it even more versatile!
Ask anyone that has a Pikler Triangle and they will tell you that it’s probably their most used toy! The downside is that they’re quite pricey! But if you have the space and budget for it, I would definitely recommend getting one!
I’ve seen these even used as activity gyms for newborns. Parents simply hang a few toys from the center and lay baby underneath it. It can take the place of an activity gym, thereby reducing the amount of things that you need to buy. Since this is definitely something that would grow with your child for many years!
Balance Board
The balance board is another toy that most parents that own one will say is a MUST-HAVE. It’s a really great toy because just like the pikler triangle it teaches balance and gross motor skills. It helps to facilitate a child’s sensitive period for movement. You can use this for kids as young as 12 months old up to even adults! It can support the weight of adults and is a really fun way to get in some exercise! This is a toy that your child will love for many many years!
Wagon
Some sort of wagon is a really great toy for any child. Children love to transport things and a wagon really helps them facilitate that need during the sensitive period of movement. A wagon can easily become a stroller for a doll a shopping cart or a car.
If you have a baby that is learning to stand or walk, a walker wagon like this one is perfect. This wagon from Radio Flyer has a solid and deep base which means that it won’t tip while your child is pulling to stand. It also has resistance in the wheels so it doesn’t go flying out in front of them. We have this wagon and my daughter absolutely LOVES it!
shape Sorting Toy
Sorting toys are great for developing a child’s fine motor and problem-solving skills. It’s also a precursor to math. It’s best to start with only 3 shapes to avoid confusing the child and then work up to more shapes.
This Snail shape sorter toy by Hape is the one that I would recommend for babies and young toddlers because it only has 3 shapes. It doubles as a fun walker toy that makes noise as the child pulls it!
If you’re on more of a budget, I love this cute house-shaped one from IKEA. It only has 4 shapes and it doubles as a cute house that the child can use for pretend play. It’s also super affordable!
WOoden Blocks
Wooden blocks are the ultimate open-ended toy. Babies love to bang the pieces together. Toddlers like to build towers that they can knock down. And older kids can use them to create houses and buildings for pretend play.
We have this really cute set from Hape that has different shapes and textured sides. The different shapes make it easy for a baby to grab onto. We actually bought our set second-hand many months ago and it’s still one of her favourite toys!
I also really love this Melissa and Doug natural wooden block set.
But if you’re on a tight budget, check thrift stores. This one from Ikea is super cute and affordable and it even comes with a little wagon!
You can also get creative by making natural building blocks. You can use sticks and bark that you find outdoors, then simply cut them up!
puzzles
Puzzles are a very important part of the Montessori teaching philosophy. They help to develop a child’s palmer grasp. Then later on their pincer grasp which helps to prepare them for writing. They also help to develop the child’s fine motor and problem-solving skills.
In a traditional Montessori environment, a child would start off with very simple puzzles. First the ball in the cup, then the egg in a cup and then a peg person (or cube) in a cup. These help to develop the child’s skills in a very slow and organic way. A set like this would be perfect!
After your child has mastered those, they can start to tackle simple large peg puzzles with only 3 pieces. Then they can move on to puzzles with more pieces and then puzzles with small pegs.
After they’ve mastered simple peg puzzles, they can move on to simple 3 or 4 piece traditional puzzles. Then you can increase the number of puzzle pieces as your child gets better at doing them.
Melissa and Doug sell a really good variety of puzzles. A good starter Peg puzzle is this one:
Doll or Stuffed Toy
A doll is a wonderful toy for both girls and boys to develop social skills and responsibility. It’s actually more of a waldorf toy because pretend play isn’t encouraged in Montessori environments until after the age of 6. However, I see no harm in introducing one and I think boys and girls can benefit from having one. It can also be a wonderful security toy for them to squeeze, hold and sleep with.
You can probably introduce a doll or stuffed toy around 12 months. Make sure it’s small enough for their size to be able to carry around easily. Soft-bodied dolls are best for very young children.
There are either full bodied soft dolls like the one that my daughter has or vinyl ones with soft bodies. They don’t need a lot of accessories so keep those to a minimal. A wagon can work perfectly as a doll carriage. And a simple basket can become a bassinet! Again, keep it simple.
This doll from Preppy Pelican is absolutely adorable! They have several different dolls with different skin and hair colours and they each have their own unique sea-themed outfit. You can even get a little matching purse that is made out of the same material as the dress the doll is wearing! My daughter has the mermaid version which you can see in the playroom tour video below!
For a vinyl doll, I really love the Annabelle and Corolle series dolls. Each series has dolls in different sizes so you can pick the size that is most appropriate for your child’s age. Melissa and Doug also have a really nice line of dolls.
We got this baby Annabelle doll for our daughter’s first birthday. I love it because the doll’s eyes open and close making it more realistic. It also doesn’t make any sounds or anything else weird.
sensory balls
A basket of balls in different sizes and textures are a must-have in any playroom. Babies love to hold them, feel the different textures and put them in their mouths. They also help to encourage crawling.
This is another open-ended toy that will grow with your child. Your child will enjoy putting the balls in different containers, throwing or kicking them or using them as pretend “food”.
Here is a really nice set that is perfect as it has different sized balls with different textures. You can add cloth or other type of balls to your basket as well.
wooden vehicles
Wooden vehicles are more open-ended than their realistic hot wheels counterparts. You also really don’t need very many to have your child entertained for a very long time!
This adorable set from Battat is perfect and will be all you will need! They’re really great because they actually fit on the little wooden train tracks that you can get from Ikea.
Other brands like Melissa and Doug also have some nice ones. Ikea sell some really nice ones too! You can probably find some at the thrift store if you’re on a budget.
Animals for Small World Play
A set of animal figurines is another must-have for a playroom. Pretty much every child loves to play with animals or dinosaurs so this is really great open-ended toy.
Since the Montessori philosophy stresses realism, I personally really like realistic animals from brands like Safari ltd. or Schleich. They are perfect for small world play. They’re also great for teaching vocabulary, sensory bins, games and many other activities.
If you can find photos of the actual figure online, you can use these figures along with the traditional 3 part card lessons in Montessori.
If you prefer the wooden look, there are some absolutely stunning wooden animals from Holtzinger and Ostheimer. These are hand-carved and perfect for small world play!
Ball Drop toy
A ball drop toy is a favourite toy of the majority of kids! Babies as young as 8 months will get a kick out of this educational toy! It teaches hand-eye coordination as well as concentration plus it’s just really fun!
In Montessori, the traditional ball drop toy is actually called an Object Permanence box. It essentially teaches the baby about object permanence. Object permanence is the concept that even though something disappears, it’s not actually gone forever. The object permanence box gives the baby instant gratification as the ball reappears right away.
This wooden ramp track with little wooden cars and balls is absolutely perfect. The little cars flip as they go down the ramp which is very exciting for toddlers. It even comes with some wooden balls as well!
This pounding ball tower from Melissa and Doug is another really fun version.
Play Kitchen
A play kitchen is another one of those toys that pretty much every child will adore! Children love to mimic adults so it really plays into that desire. It’s also really great for teaching practical life skills.
Play kitchens again aren’t technically a Montessori toy but I think it’s a wonderful toy that will get so much use. I think there are lots of opportunities to teach lots of Montessori sensory and practical life skill. However, if you want to take it a step further, you can convert the kitchen into a more lifelike kitchen for practical life lessons by swapping out the fake faucet with a real water dispenser. You can also replace play dishes with their own dishes so they can use their kitchen to prepare their own snacks and wash their own dishes.
I’m a really big fan of the Ikea kitchens because they’re beautiful, simple and affordable. Kidkraft also make some beautiful play kitchens.
Practical life toys
Believe it or not toddlers actually LOVE to clean up! around the ages of 18 months to 3 years, they really love to mimic what adults do. A big part of the Montessori philosophy is teaching kids practical life skills and how to take care of their environment.
This cleaning set from Melissa and Doug is absolutely perfect for that! And honestly, your kid will love this toy! It comes with a mop, broom, dustpan, brush, duster and a cute stand!
This cleaning caddy from Melissa and Doug is perfect for when they’re doing an activity where they may spill some water. It’s also great for teaching practical life skills like window cleaning and scrubbing.
Other practical life skill toys can include transferring and sorting activities. You can really get creative with these types of activities! Just use whatever materials you have on hand. Make sure to set it up as an activity that they independently access on the shelf.
Art/Craft Supplies
Arts and crafts are such an important part of a child’s development. As soon as your child isn’t putting things in their mouth anymore, you can add art supplies to your playroom.
Beeswax block crayons like these ones are the best to start out with
These triangular crayons from Crayola are also great.
Other items you can have in your craft cart (or caddy) are:
- watercolour paints
- chalk
- play doh
- kinetic sand
- loose parts
- natural items found outside
- paper
- beads
- pipe cleaners
- felt
- washable markers
- dry-erase markers
Playroom tour
Checkout our Montessori playroom tour of our play space that we set up in our tiny living room. Hopefully it will give you some ideas! For reference, my daughter was 11 months at the time that I filmed the video.
FAQ’s
Here are some commonly asked questions that might help you out when it comes to setting up your Montessori playroom.
Is it possible to set up a Montessori playroom if I don’t have a lot of space?
- Yes! Montessori is all about minimalism and creating a clean and organized space. All you need is a shelf and some carefully chosen toys or activities.
- A toy rotation is a great way to minimize the amount of toys taking up space in the playroom.
Do I need to buy all those fancy wooden toys to create a Montessori playroom?
- No! Not at all! They definitely look pretty and feel nice in a child’s hands. But if your child really loves playing with a certain toy, you can definitely keep it on the shelf.
- You can also DIY a lot of activities to help facilitate them learning certain skills like sorting, transferring, etc.
- A great way to create a beautiful (yet FREE) “toy” is by creating a nature table or tub. Your child can collect various things like rocks, pine cones, sea shells, sticks, etc. They can later use these items for small world play or in a sensory bin.
In conclusion
- Follow your child. That concept is stressed heavily in the Montessori philosophy. What that means is that you should observe your child to see what sensitive period they are in right now. Then try your best to provide toys and activities that help support them.
- Allow lots of room and opportunity for movement and outdoor play. That’s the best way for them to learn and develop as well as get some much needed energy out!
- Keep things simple, minimal and always focused on the child.
I would love to see your play spaces! Please comment down below with some photos of your own Montessori playroom. That way we can all get inspired from each other.
