You know you want to get started with Montessori at home, but, um, where exactly should you start?
You’ve fallen in love with the idea of Montessori. The respectful, empowering philosophy. The engaging activities and peaceful home environment. And, of course, the promise of raising a confident and capable child who can play independently and wipe up their own milk spills.
Well, here’s some good news for you: Anyone can get started with Montessori at home – and now is a great time to start! Right now, your 2 – 3 year old is eager to gain independence and explore the world around them. Practicing Montessori at home can help you support your child’s development in all the right ways and strengthen your relationship with your little one, too.
Ready to get started? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about getting started with Montessori at home with your 2 – 3 year old!
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Preparing a Montessori Environment at Home | 2 – 3 Years
The prepared environment is a big part of Montessori. If that’s a new term for you, think about how your home environment can help support your child’s learning – and how it can hold them back.
- When your child decides to work on a puzzle, can they find all the pieces they need – or are some of them lost in an overstuffed toybox?
- Is there a tidy space where your child can play comfortably, or do they frequently lose interest in activities because they don’t know where to play?
- Think about your child’s daily activities, too. Can your child easily get a glass of water, wipe their nose, and wash their hands independently? Or does the environment force them to ask for help more often than not?
In order to learn and grow, your child needs opportunities to safely explore the world around them. They need opportunities to be independent and get involved in everyday life. They need freedom – with limits – and the ability to make choices throughout the day.
That’s why it’s important to make the areas in your home where your child spends the most time as child-friendly and accessible as possible. To get started, observe your child as they go about their day. What simple changes can you make to help support your little one’s exploration and independence? There’s no one right way to do this, but here are some ideas that might work for your family…
Floor Bed
Most children transition to a “big kid” bed sometime between 18 months and 3 years. If you think your little one is ready to ditch the crib, you may want to consider investing in a Montessori style floor bed. A floor bed is simply a low-to-the-ground bed that allows children to get in and out of bed on their own.
Because of this, transitioning to a Montessori floor bed can be a great way to support your child’s growing independence at home. After moving to a floor bed, many families find it helpful to provide their little ones with a basket of books and a few quiet toys to promote relaxation at bedtime. Additionally, a smart ready-to-rise alarm clock can help your toddler stay in bed until it’s time to get up. That way, you’re both getting enough sleep!
If you’d like to make the switch to a floor bed, you can place a firm mattress on the floor for a no-fuss option, or look for a simple wooden floor bed frame you love. Here are a few options…
Weaning Table & Chair
A weaning table is simply an accessible, child-sized table that can help your toddler feel more comfortable during mealtimes. A child who resists sitting in a high chair may enjoy the greater amount of freedom and autonomy granted by a weaning table, helping make mealtimes less stressful for the whole family. Weaning tables can also help children practice self-help and practical life skills, like setting the table or pushing in their chair after a meal.
In between mealtimes, weaning tables also make great places for children to play! Your child may enjoy coloring, working with playdough, doing a puzzle, or even helping with a cooking or baking project from the comfort of their own little table.
Want to check out some toddler-friendly weaning table and chair sets? Here are a few options…
Low Montessori Shelf
When your child’s toys are stuffed into overflowing bins or toy boxes – or strewn in piles on the floor – your little one may struggle to engage in meaningful play. They can’t find the block or doll or puzzle piece they need, so they give up and move onto the next thing.
A good alternative to the toy storage chaos is a Montessori shelf. Basically, a Montessori shelf is a low, open shelf that allows you to store your child’s favorite toys in an organized, accessible way. Because your little one can easily see all the toys available to them at once, they can spend less time looking for something to do and more time engaged in hands-on play and learning.
With a Montessori shelf, it’s a good idea to display a limited number of toys at one time. This can help prevent your child from becoming overwhelmed by too many choices. The rest of your child’s toys can live in storage and be rotated out as needed.
You may already have a low, open shelf at home that you could repurpose as a Montessori-inspired toy shelf. Don’t be afraid to get creative! If not, here are some options to check out…
Kitchen Helper Tower
A kitchen helper tower – also called a learning tower – is basically a safer step stool for toddlers. Most children love helping out with everyday tasks, like rinsing fruits and veggies, kneading dough, or wiping down the kitchen counter. A helper tower can help your child stay safe as they play sous chef in the kitchen, learn practical life skills, gain independence, and spend quality time with you!
Here are some kitchen helper towers you may want to check out…
Wardrobe or Clothing Rack
By this age, your child is ready to start working on self-help skills, like choosing what they’d like to wear for the day, beginning to get dressed more independently, and hanging up their jacket or backpack at the end of the day. All with help as needed, of course!
A toddler-sized wardrobe or clothing rack can help you introduce these skills at home. If your child seems ready to start using a wardrobe or clothing rack, remember to limit clothing choices to reduce overwhelm, organize things in a way that makes sense to your child, and model self-dressing skills as needed.
A well-organized dresser or low-hanging closet rod can work perfectly at this age, too. So, don’t be afraid to make the most of what you already have at home! That being said, if you want to look into getting a toddler wardobe or clothing rack for your child, here are some options…
Self-Help Station
Have you noticed a theme here yet? A big part of raising a Montessori toddler is helping your child gain independence and self-help skills. One good way to accomplish this is to create a simple self-help station for your child.
Essentially, this is an easily accessible, well-organized area that includes whatever self-help supplies your child needs to be more independent. Tissues for runny noses, wet wipes for sticky faces, cloths for wiping up spills, a cup and small pitcher of water to help your little one stay hydrated, or anything else that your child may need throughout the day.
Every child’s self-help station will look a little bit different because every child is different! That being said, here are some examples of Montessori self-help stations for inspiration…
Montessori Activity Ideas | 2 – 3 Years
As your child grows, it’s important to offer them plenty of opportunities to follow their interests and engage in hands-on exploration. Every child is different, so it’s a good idea to look to your toddler for activity ideas first, rather than pushing them to do random things you found on Pinterest.
What is your child interested in? What do they like to do? Start there!
For example, if your child is always on the move, you can set up fun and exciting movement activities for them. Think chasing games, living room dance parties, or DIY obstacle courses. On the other hand, a child who loves coloring may also enjoy exploring new and interesting art materials or experimenting with different ways to create. When in doubt, follow the child!
Keep in mind…
- All toddlers need opportunities to be active, move around, and practice gross motor skills. They need to run, jump, balance, stretch, and climb.
- They need to engage in hands-on exploration, use their senses, and experiment with everyday objects to learn more about the world around them.
- They need to touch, hold, and manipulate a wide variety of objects, like playdough, blocks, and puzzle pieces, to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- And, of course, they need opportunities to engage in conversation with loved ones, read stories, sing songs, be social, and participate in everyday life in order to gain important language and social-emotional skills.
Here are a few Montessori-inspired activities your 2 – 3 year old may enjoy…
1 | Art
Around this age, many children become more interested in simple art activities, like coloring and painting. So, try introducing a variety of fun process art activities, like painting with water, using stickers, coloring with sidewalk chalk, sculpting with clay, cutting with safety scissors, or making a collage. If you have space for one in your home, an easel can provide your little one with an extra fun way to develop creativity and fine motor skills through art.
Remember: With toddlers, easy process art activities are best. Nothing complicated or fussy. If you’d like some simple, Montessori-inspired art activity ideas, here are a few of my favorites!
2 | Water Play
Most toddlers are absolutely fascinated by water, making it a geat activity choice for little ones. When children explore water, they’re experimenting with cause and effect, developing early math and science skills, and strengthening their fine motor skills. The sink or bathtub are natural choices for water play (with adult supervision). A child-friendly water table – or even a simple plastic basin – work great, too!
Here are a few fun water play ideas your child may enjoy…
- Scooping and pouring water
- Exploring temperature with warm water and cold ice cubes
- Whisking soapy water
- Giving a baby doll a bath
- Washing muddy toy cars with soapy water and a sponge
- Exploring measurement with a variety of measuring cups and spoons
- Pouring water through funnels or PVC pipes
- Experimenting with objects that sink or float
- Making nature “soup” with flower petals, leaves, and other natural objects
- Exploring sponges and loofahs
- Polishing stones
- Color mixing with water
- Playing with bath toys in the tub
- Painting the sidewalk with water
- Running through the sprinklers
3 | Matching & Sorting Games
Matching and sorting are two basic math skills that you may notice your toddler gravitating toward. With this age group, you’ll want to keep matching and sorting games simple and fun. Work together to pair unmatched socks. Get out the animal figurines and try to match the mommy animals to their babies. Make a DIY puzzle by tracing a few toys or household objects, and then encourage your child to match each item to its outline.
When it comes to sorting activities, egg cartons, segmented trays, and small bowls are amazing sorting tools for little ones. Simply provide your child with a container for sorting, plus a few objects to sort by color, shape, size, or material and see what happens!
4 | Pouring, Scooping, & Transferring
Simple pouring, scooping, and transferring activities are a fun way for toddlers to build fine motor skills and concentration. Try starting with something simple, like scooping rice from bowl to bowl, and build up to more challenging tasks, like pouring a glass of water from a small pitcher. Useful tools to have on hand for these activities include spoons, child-sized tongs, cups, small pitchers, bowls, sponges, and large pipettes.
5 | Climbing
Around this age, you may notice that your child has a nearly insatiable need to climb. The kitchen counter, couch, bookshelves, or other furniture – it’s all fair game for your toddler! Climbing is an important gross motor skill for little ones to master, so it’s a good idea to offer your child safe opportunities to climb each and every day.
So, take a trip to the playground, invest in a Pikler triangle or other climber for your home, find tree stumps or rocks to climb outdoors, set up an indoor obstacle course, or just practice walking up and down the stairs. If your child has a small step stool at home, it can also be fun for your little one to climb up the steps and jump down, over and over again. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
6 | Cooking & Baking
If you haven’t already introduced your little one to simple cooking projects, now is a great time. Your toddler can help with simple tasks in the kitchen, like washing fruits and veggies, pouring pre-measured ingredients, kneading dough, stirring, whisking, cracking eggs, and more. Cooking is a good way to introduce basic math and science concepts, help your little one learn practical life skills, and have tons of fun together.
So, the next time you’re in the kitchen working to get dinner on the table, try to find a way to involve your child. (By the way, this is where a good, old-fashioned step stool or kitchen helper tower can come in handy!)
7 | Nature Walks
This is one of my favorite “anytime” activities to do with little ones. Just by taking a walk outdoors, your child is getting fresh air, developing gross motor skills, learning about the world around them, expanding their vocabulary, and – most importantly – spending quality time with you.
During your walk, try collecting natural objects, or practice using your senses to explore your surroundings. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Maybe you can even find a rock to scale, tree to climb, log to balance on, or another fun physical challenge for your little one to tackle!
8 | Playdough with Tools
Playdough is a classic toddler activity for a reason. It’s easy to prep, fun to play with, and amazing for your little one’s fine motor development. While playdough is fun on its own, simple tools, like rolling pins or child-safe wooden knives, offer children even more ways to explore and play. Don’t be afraid to try adding interesting loose parts, like mirrors, shells, stones, pinecones, and more to help your child explore playdough in new and exciting ways, too!
9 | Building with Blocks
Block play is one of the best open-ended activities for little ones! Building with blocks encourages creativity, planning, and problem-solving. Young children benefit from having a large number of blocks, which allows them to build increasingly complex structures, plus plenty of uninterrupted time for free play.
You may also want to think about rotating out different types of blocks as your child’s interests change and evolve. For example, a child fascinated by color may love working with LEGO style blocks. Meanwhile, a child interested in making tall towers or lining up blocks in a row may prefer simple wooden blocks. More complex blocks with different shapes can help a child explore early math concepts, while wooden stacking rocks can be a fun challenge for children who love to stack.
10 | Exploring Everyday Objects
It’s fun for little ones to explore everyday objects like kitchen utensils, recyclables, canvas bags, broken electronics, coin purses, and real tools from the family toolbox. You can support your child’s curiosity by creating a treasure basket with interesting household items for your little one to explore. Your toddler may also enjoy spending time with you, going through a child-proofed kitchen drawer, practicing using a real screwdriver, or smelling the spices in your spice cabinet.
These activities can be a fun and exciting way for your child to learn more about the world around them while using their senses, strengthening their fine motor skills, expanding their vocabulary, and more!
The Best Montessori Toys & Materials | 2 – 3 Years
When it comes to toys, less is definitely more. Limiting your child’s toys and sticking to simple, passive toys actually encourages your child to engage in longer periods of more focused play. That means, less aimless wandering, less distraction, and more active learning. Cool, right?
So, it’s okay to let go of toys that are no longer serving your child. And it’s okay to limit your child’s toys to a few solid options. When you notice a toy that your child hasn’t touched in a while, consider donating it or putting it in storage. Here are a few qualities that make a good toy…
The best toys are…
- Simple and passive – no batteries required
- Mix of open-ended toys (like blocks) and close-ended toys (like puzzles)
- Made with mostly natural materials, like wood or cloth, rather than plastic
- Challenging but not too challenging
- Not always toys – let your child explore natural objects and interesting household items, too!
That being said, here are a few of the best toys for 2 – 3 year olds…
Hint: When choosing toys for your little one, remember that no one knows your child better than you! Think about your child’s interests and skills. How can you “follow the child”?
Or check out the new LOVEVERY subscription play kits for 2 – 3 year olds…
These play kits include unique, Montessori-inspired toys designed by child development experts to help support your little one’s learning at home. You can learn more here!
Practical Life Ideas | 2 – 3 Years
One of the best ways to get started with Montessori at home is to involve your child in simple everyday tasks, like watering the plants, wiping up a spill, or peeling a banana. In Montessori, these are called practical life activities, and they’re a great way to help your child gain independence, confidence, and self-help skills.
To introduce practical life to your toddler, start by offering your child easy ways to help out around the house. When you’re prepping dinner, see if your child would like to help rinse veggies, tear salad greens, or pour pre-measured ingredients into a bowl.
It can also help to observe your child throughout the day to see what practical life activities they’re interested in right now. Do they cling to you when you’re trying to do laundry? Maybe they could help you load the washing machine, fold washcloths, or pair clean socks. Are they wanting to do more things for themself? Let them wash their face, brush their hair, or practice pouring a glass of water from a small pitcher.
Follow your child’s lead, start small, be patient, and give your little one plenty of hands-on practice!
Here are some practical life activities to try at home with your 2 – 3 year old…
Self-care:
- Combing or brushing hair
- Brushing teeth
- Washing face
- Blowing nose with a tissue
- Using a fork and spoon
- Drinking from a cup
- Pouring water from a small pitcher
- Practice putting socks and shoes on and taking them off
- Practice putting jacket on
- Choosing what to wear from small selection of clothing
- Practice self-dressing tasks (zippers, buckles, velcro, etc.)
- Carrying own belongings in backpack
- Hanging up jacket or backpack on hook
Care of environment:
- Wiping up a spill with a cloth or sponge
- Putting toys away
- Watering plants with spray bottle or small watering can
- Planting seeds
- Weeding
- Raking leaves
- Helping with pet care (scooping kibble, pouring water, etc.)
- Practice sweeping with small broom and dustpan
- Dusting
- Cleaning table with spray bottle and cloth
- Putting dirty clothes in the hamper
- Helping load dirty clothes into the washing machine
- Pairing socks
- Folding towels
- Helping set the table
- Putting recyclables in bin
RELATED: How to Introduce Montessori Practical Life to Your Toddler
Fine motor:
- Opening and closing jars
- Placing coins in a coin box
- Threading large beads
- Lacing
- Scooping
- Pouring
- Transferring
- Practice using a screwdriver
- Twisting large nuts and bolts
- Pounding playdough with a hammer
- Filing junk mail in file organizer
- Exploring old cards and envelopes
- Using a crayon, marker, or pencil
In the kitchen:
- Peeling a banana, mandarin orange, or hard-boiled egg
- Cutting a banana with a butter knife
- Spreading topping on toast or crackers
- Rinsing fruits and veggies
- Tearing herbs or greens
- Whisking eggs
- Measuring and pouring ingredients (with help)
- Stirring ingredients together
- Beginning to season food with salt or spices
- Scooping cereal or oats into bowl
- Pouring milk from small pitcher into cereal bowl
- Juicing citrus fruits
- Helping make a smoothie
- Cracking eggs
- Mashing avocado to make guacamole
- Kneading dough
- Helping put groceries away
- Rinsing dishes
- Helping load dishwasher
- Sorting flatware
Getting started with Montessori at home…
Honestly, there’s no one right way to get started with Montessori at home. Every child and every family are different. So, find what works for you and your little one, and don’t worry too much about what everyone else is doing! At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do is follow your child’s lead and make small, meaningful changes over time.
Here are a few big ideas to remember as you get started…
- Find simple ways to promote independence and make your home more accessible for your child
- Offer your child simple, hands-on activities to help them explore their interests and develop new skills
- Look for simple, passive toys – and limit the total number of toys available to prevent overwhelm
- Involve your child in practical life tasks to help them gain confidence and self-help skills
Have fun!
♥ Meg
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