What is the Prepared Environment?
You may have heard Montessorians talk about the prepared environment. But what exactly is the prepared environment and how do you do it at home? (Jump to just that section)
The prepared environment means everything in the space is ready for the child’s use and exploration. We begin with child sized furniture and tools, open shelving for the children’s activities, and and supplies the child may need for the day. There is also a dedicated space for everything in the room and for the child’s belongings.
A child can enter a Montessori classroom, hang his coat, and complete any number of activities independently. There is a child-sized location to wash hands, use the restroom, and have a snack. Everything the child needs is in his reach.
The Final Touches
Before class starts for Montessori children, you can find Montessori guides and aides going about the classroom, making sure everything is ready. This may mean placing chairs at a table, getting foods out for food prep, or sharpening pencils. When children enter a Montessori classroom, we want them drawn to the materials. Everything the child needs should be ready.
After the children have left the classroom for the day, guides and aides go through their classrooms and clean up items that need to be put away. A forgotten work rug, a material or a piece of an activity. We tidy up and replenish whatever needs to be done. The shelves should be orderly, both visually and everything in the proper location.
But what about the children’s responsibility, you may be wondering. Aren’t Montessori children supposed to clean up after themselves?
Yes, and they do. But as adults we understand children are still learning. We assist in this as much as possible during the day and know there were be little things for us to tidy regardless. Some parents prefer to leave items as they lay for the child to notice the next day. With older children, this may work. When a young child returns to school and sees materials still out, forgotten, or work rugs haphazardly piled together, she does not learn respect of the materials. When materials are not in the proper location, she may not be independent in getting the material she now has to hunt for.
Adults show the children how we respect the materials and keep the space organized by ensuring it is that way at the start of the day.
Prepared Home Environment
The first step is to make your what your child needs more accessible in your home. More on that here. The next step is to make sure everything your child needs has it’s “home.” That is, each item should have one place it always belongs. A bin for shoes by the door, a cabinet for dishes, a shelf for the puzzle, and so on. New toys
On a daily basis, it is great for your child to see you cleaning up. Children are naturally observant and will notice that you always clean up the breakfast dishes in the morning and pick up miscellaneous things around the living room. The other piece is to help your child clean up their own things. With toddlers, it helps to show them the new activity, do it with them, and model putting it away. As they get older, I try to notice when they are finishing up and remind them to put the activity away. Work rugs/play mats are a huge help with this! You can check out my post on them here. At this point, my five year old benefits from reminders but she does not always need them.
When the kids aren’t around, I put the finishing touches on cleaning up. While I’m with them, I’ll help direct and assist as needed, but I know while they’re still learning, it’s going to be “kid clean.” Things may be put back on the shelves willy nilly, their jacket on the floor under the hook, or maybe a toy completely forgotten about. That’s OK! I pick the last few things up.
In the morning, my children will see how beautiful everything looks. It will help them remember their belongings are important and to be cared for. As they get older, they can assume more responsibility for this. For an older child, you may want to do a quick sweep of the are after they’ve cleaned up. You can point out the things that are disorderly, left out, or missing and help them finish up as needed.
Where do you struggle with the prepared environment? How does this affect your child? What are you doing well, and what can be improved?
