A parent's guide to Montessori at home

Montessori education began with Maria Montessori, an Italian physician who opened her first school, the Casa dei Bambini, in Rome in 1907. Her method gives children real tasks, sized for them, in a room arranged so they can work on their own.

The ideas behind it

• A prepared environment. Low shelves hold a few materials at a time, so a child can see, choose and put back.
• Independence. Child-sized furniture and tools let a child do things for themselves: reach the counter, pour water, dress.
• One skill at a time. A Montessori material isolates one idea, such as size, shape or color, and lets the child repeat it until it is mastered.
• Movement. Young children learn through the whole body, so climbing and balancing count as learning.

Setting up at home

• A low, open shelf with four to eight materials, rotated every week or two.
• A learning tower so a toddler can stand at the kitchen counter with you.
• A small table and chair for eating and work.
• A floor bed, which lets a child get in and out of bed on their own.
• A climbing triangle or balance board for movement indoors.

Choosing by age

Two-year-olds want practical-life tasks and gross-motor play. Children from 3 to 5 move on to puzzles, sorting and early math and language materials. From 6 to 12, Montessori describes a second plane of development, marked by "joy in working in collaboration with peers" and "a strong reasoning mind" (AMI). Its curriculum for those years, cosmic education, presents the universe as one connected story. Our age guide lists pieces for each age band.

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