Setting Up Montessori Materials in Your Home

Creating a Montessori inspired home can be overwhelming and so we want to help you by creating a guide to help you begin implementing Montessori philosophies, materials, and works, slowly into your home starting with setting up and displaying the Montessori materials and works you already have. 
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Montessori prides itself on the prepared environment. Guides at Amici Trilingual Montessori spend thirty minutes daily preparing their classroom environment for their students to ensure it is beautiful, functional, and ready for young learners to explore. One way we can implement a prepared Montessori environment in your home is through the utilization of trays to organize and display materials and works.

Montessori classrooms utilize trays to display works on shelves. The trays and shelves are at the child’s level so that the ​child can reach and carry the works independently.

Trays are:

• Developmentally appropriate 
  • Children are able to utilize materials independently and the materials are challenging, but not too difficult.
• Incomplete
  • For example, puzzle pieces would be removed from the puzzle and placed in a small bowl or basket on the tray so the child can complete the puzzle from start to finish.
• Beautiful
  • All materials are in good condition and have all of the pieces or materials needed on the tray.

Trays come in all different shapes, sizes, and materials, but our favorite are these wooden rectangular trays that come in a set of five from Amazon: 

• https://www.amazon.com/Multicraft-Imports-WS410-5-Piece-Paintable/dp/B00756KE1C/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=montessori+trays&qid=1605638448&sr=8-1
  

 Thrift stores are also a great place to find small baskets, ceramic bowls and even trays to incorporate in your Montessori inspired home.  
We would love to see your Montessori inspired home or trays! Share them with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amicimontessori or on Instagram at: https://www.instagram/amicimontessori