Setting Up a Montessori Playroom
Play is how a child learns and develops their sensory system, independence, and motor skills. Setting up a Montessori-style playroom creates an organized, peaceful, and comforting space for your child to do their best learning through play.
A Peaceful Approach to Play
Play is an integral part of the Montessori method, with the goals of learning, developmental growth, sensory integration, and independence. Ideally, a Montessori-style playroom is organized with toys arranged at the child’s eye level.
Having toys and learning tools within the child’s reach supports their autonomy to choose what they want to play with and helps them be successful with cleaning up.
With an approach that prioritizes engagement over entertainment and a less-is-more mentality, your playroom will have space for peace and comfort and will build your child’s confidence. A peaceful playroom supports sensory development and creative play and fosters a routine so your child learns independent play.
Bringing Montessori philosophies to the kitchen, bedroom, or homeschooling environment can help your child develop into a centered, capable, and caring human. Extend this to your playroom, and they will have the perfect space to play, grow, and learn on their own terms.
Montessori Playroom Furniture
The goal of Montessori furniture in any room is that it be suited to the size of the child and easy for them to use. Instead of keeping the child contained or assuming they are incapable, the furniture should be a bridge to their independence and autonomy.
In a playroom, there are many opportunities to incorporate furniture that supports your child’s independence and choice of play. Comfort and accessibility are key.
Opt for a child-sized table and chair set. They can use it for art, writing, puzzles, or other activities. Sensory tables are also great for Montessori playrooms! A table that can double as a sensory bin and has a tabletop to cover it is a great way to save space.
Another popular choice for Montessori-style play is a nugget couch. They are perfect for growing toddlers as they sit on the ground and have movable pieces that are easily rearranged. It grows with your child and can be a new shape daily for jumping, fort building, or reading. Choose a Greenguard certified nugget couch to avoid harmful offgassing chemicals.
Montessori toy storage is ideally at your child’s eye level, with open shelves or bins that are easy to see and reach. If the bins are labeled with words or pictures, it helps with organization and clean-up. To reduce clutter, teach your child to use only one or two bins at a time and put them away when done.
A prepared environment is one where a child can find independence and success! Anything you can make easily accessible to them is a plus.
Montessori Toy Storage
One crucial key when choosing Montessori toys is engagement over entertainment. Prioritize wood or other natural and non-toxic materials over short-lived, plastic, or distracting toys. Battery-operated toys encourage passive play rather than learning.
Montessori philosophy suggests children have absorbent minds, so choose engaging and developmentally appropriate toys for your child’s age. The more involved a child is while playing, the more they learn and retain.
As you organize playroom toy bins and baskets, keep 8 to 10 activities available at a time. Less is more and allows a child to complete and master an activity without being distracted by too many toys.
A toy rotation system keeps things organized and is also a good way to anticipate the next developmental level of your child.
Here are some great storage ideas for a Montessori-inspired playroom. Labels or little chalk board signs can help keep containers organized if you can’t see what’s in them.
- baskets
- bins
- wooden crates
- wooden trays (some Montessori toys come in these, save them for storage)
- open bookcases or shelves
- cube shelves
- floating shelves
- fabric bins
- low book ledges
- book baskets
- pegboards
- clipboard wall
- rolling carts
- wall hooks (arranged at the child’s height)
Practical Life Skills
Dr. Maria Montessori said that adults should never do for children what they can do for themselves. Children are much more capable than mainstream education might have us believe. Life skills are a big part of children’s independence, so incorporating opportunities for learning life skills into your playroom is a great idea and will give your kids confidence and independence.
Setting up a functional child-sized kitchen is an option, but a play kitchen works too and may be easier in a playroom setting. My kids loved having sensory objects like dry rice and beans to use in their kitchen and real spice containers that were used up.
If you can incorporate some real slicing or other skills with it, that’s great! Otherwise, some less messy faux slicing and cooking help with life skills, too.
Small functional brooms and dusters are perfect for working into a play routine. Your child might love watering plants with a watering can on a schedule, too.
A place for creative play like dress ups for learning social and emotional skills is also a great opportunity for life skills. A child sized wardrobe or clothing rack works within a child’s reach for dress ups. Along with empathy and social learning, they can practice fine motor skills like snaps, buttons, buckles, shoe tying, and more!
Reading Corner
A reading corner is probably one of my favorite play areas for my kids. As a child, I was a huge reader and made my own reading corner with an old sleeping bag next to the heater vent where I’d be lost in books for hours! So it was a priority when I had my own kids, but theirs consisted of cozy teepees, fairy lights, plus lots of stuffed animals and blankets.
If space doesn’t allow for a tent or teepee, a small bean bag, basket of blankets, and a soft rug is just as cozy. Montessori-style open bookshelves that keep books with the covers facing forward are perfect for emerging readers.
If your play space is limited, I highly recommend incorporating a reading corner in your child’s bedroom or somewhere else in the house. It’s a nice wind down space and also works for sensory breaks and self regulation. No child should go without one!
Open Play Space
Outside is the best open play space for kids. Don’t get so caught up in creating the best Montessori playroom that your kids are stuck indoors. But even if it’s part of a winter routine, it’s definitely good to have gross motor play available.
- Choose a soft play rug in a calming color to designate a comfortable play area.
- Yoga offers many benefits for kids, so keep yoga cards and and a mat nearby.
- For small children, consider adding a wooden Pikler triangle or climbing arch.
If space is limited in your playroom, consider an indoor gross motor area elsewhere. Or, choose other space-saving furniture that can easily be moved aside for a gross motor rotation in the playroom. Kids can have a lot of fun with open space!
Montessori Playroom Aesthetic
Decorating a Montessori playroom can include lots of personal creativity. Many people opt for neutral colors to keep the space looking peaceful and uncluttered. This is up to individual choice, of course, but I like the idea because it’s easy to decorate around it as your child grows and their interests change.
Natural decor like plants or a seasonal nature shelf gives a feeling of peace. As your child’s personality develops, the room can change to suit their likes and developmental needs.
Neutral colors with nature themes are soothing and simple to work with, so start there and build as your kids grow!
More Montessori Resources
You can incorporate Montessori elements into your home, no matter what form of education you choose for your kids. Here are more of our popular articles and resources:
Montessori Floor Beds – DIY and best options to buy
How to Set Up a Montessori Kitchen at Home
Read our conversation with a Montessori accredited teacher turned homeschool mom.
Grace and Courtesy are integral to a Montessori classroom, and you can implement them at home.
Here’s how to find an authentic Montessori school.