As I mentioned in yesterday’s post about our toddler bedroom, we recently made changes around our home to support our new toddler. Today I’m showing our toddler living space. I described our infant shelf set ups in our living room in this post and this post. I discussed the changes we made as he progressed. With the changes to his room around his birthday, his areas in our living room also changed.
Here is a reminder of how it looked before:
His main work area was located right in the living area.
The mat in front of the shelf allowed him to work kneeling, sitting or standing right by the shelf.
His new set-up
I moved the shelf away from the main area for several reasons.
– I wanted him to be able to carry his work to the table and work at the table
– To reduce distractions and encourage concentration
– To separate work from entertainment
I recently read a passage in the book the 1946 lectures where Montessori recommended introducing alphabets, words and prints into the child’s environment when he can walk. So I put up these letters that were left over from his birthday party.
I also hung up the frame (using velcro) and like his room, we rotate the pictures.
I think he likes the new arrangement. He is in the period for maximum effort and loves to carry things. This allows him to carry his toys/materials to the table, work with it and then return it to the shelf. It is also clearly his area because everything belongs to him and is at his level.
In the place where his shelf was formerly located, we put a music shelf. You might remember this was his first living room shelf from when he was about 6 months old. The drum and xylophone are always out, but the baskets and picture are rotated. The first basket currently contains 2 maracas and a party hat (added by him) while the other basket contains a gourd shaker like the one in the picture
We received the xylophone for his birthday and it really triggered the idea of a music area. He loves music and definitely needed a dedicated area. He spends a lot of time here. I’ll do a post about music in the future.
We moved his rocking chair close to his cd player. We moved it because he sometimes tried to stand on it, causing it to tip backwards. The wall ensures it doesn’t fall all the way back. Funny enough, he hasn’t tried to stand on it since we moved it. I also added a small basket of board books that he can flip through. He sometimes sits on the chair to look at them but mostly just sits on the floor in front of the basket.
Do you have a CD player available to your child? If not, I would highly recommend one. This is a very loved and used area. See more pictures of this area in use in the next post.
This area has his ball tracker. This is a favorite so we have not moved it since we got it. He uses it several times daily. We swapped his walker wagon for a tricycle. His wagon is available in another part of the house and he can go get it and use it when he wants but the tricycle is what is currently within view when he is in the living room.
To see how it’s all laid out
The baskets under the TV contains CDs and albums. He frequently pulls them out and explores which we are ok with. He can reach the picture frames but rarely tries to move them
Anyone walking into our home can definitely tell that we have a child. While some people would not like this, we do because he is a member of our household. The materials, quality and beauty of the things we have chosen for him make them fit in nicely.
There is a place for everything and it is pretty easy to clean up when he is done playing. He knows where everything goes and can follow directions to clean up. He sometimes put things back in their places independently.
I hope this gives you some ideas for your toddler spaces. The next post will be about the materials we currently have on rotation.
Feel free to leave a comment, ask a question or share your toddler spaces.
Live a Good Life!
0 Comments
Jessica · September 28, 2014 at 9:11 pm
Thank you! I enjoyed this post. I’m always inspired by Montessori mamas and their attention to details when arranging the environment!
nduoma · October 11, 2014 at 10:35 am
Thank you for your comment Jessica.
yanx.group (@yanxshop) · October 9, 2014 at 9:43 am
thank you for sharing
nduoma · October 11, 2014 at 10:35 am
You are welcome 🙂
montessorilifeasweknowit · October 12, 2014 at 8:37 am
The other thing I would say is that this space reminds me a lot of ours here for Joshua. We spent a lot of time and effort cleaning up and making sure that the space was accessible for him. Thought went into many of the spaces and carving out a space for him as he is a member of our household. We chose to have things available for him in the living area so that he can work nearby while I am making dinner or doing chores. It is a great area that you have eked out for Solu. If I were to do things again I would probably do a little more like what you have done – sorted things into areas as they would be at Montessori school, music, art, practical life, etc. We have done some of that but I love how you have a ball tracker and trike in the one area, musical shelf in another, reading area. We are hampered a little by space as well but you seem to have managed really well with your space. When I go to other people’s houses to visit that are not Montessori it is interesting to observe the differences.
Emma Jane · November 1, 2015 at 7:33 am
I just found your blog this afternoon and found the basket idea above for the books so great I just moved my area all around and it looks fantastic! I have no idea what I am doing but your blog will end up helping! Thank you Emma
nduoma · November 5, 2015 at 6:38 am
Hello Emma Jane and I’m glad you found the blog and some helpful ideas. Let me know if I can help in any way!
Setting Up a Montessori Home for Toddlers - Christian Montessori Network · September 30, 2014 at 6:11 pm
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