I would love to take this opportunity to share some information on "What a prepared environment" means in Montessori terms: Dr. Montessori observed that children thrive when their surroundings are carefully arranged to meet their needs at each stage of development. She called this the prepared environment.
A prepared environment encompasses the furniture, activities on the shelves, the adults present, and the intangible atmosphere of a room or space.
A Montessori teacher considers all aspects of her classroom when setting it up because her students' success within it depends on that.
Every item on the shelves is selected with a specific purpose in mind, whether for language development, sensorial exploration, enjoyment of art and music, learning about people, animals, and places around the world, or taking care of the classroom by cleaning up or beautifying it.
A thoughtful balance exists between providing ample choices for the children while not overwhelming them with a vast multiplicity of things to choose from.
Every item has its designated place in the room; nothing is left haphazardly. This careful design appeals to a young child's sense of order and helps him feel secure in the environment.
Another important prepared environment is your home; You can increase your Child's independence and reduce his frustration by thinking through the areas of your home that your Child regularly uses (e.g., his bedroom and parts of the kitchen). Do these facilitate his development?
- Is there a place for everything and everything in its place? Your Child will be much more likely to help clean up if he knows precisely how and where to put things.
- Are there enough choices of things to do, but not too many?
- If something is hindering his independence (e.g. shelf that's too high but he needs to access it, a box that he can't open, or surfaces that he can never color on), etc. How can it be modified?
Keeping details such as these in mind can greatly increase your Child's initiative around the house because he experiences that it is prepared with him in mind.
-Toddler Teacher
