Montessori at home: the key principles and activities by age

On social media, Montessori at home looks like a beige bedroom, a wooden shelf and toys lined up to the millimetre. The reality is simpler, and far cheaper. Montessori is first and foremost a way of looking at a child: as someone capable of doing a great deal on their own, if you give them the room and the time.

Here is where the approach comes from, the principles that really matter at home, activities by age using everyday objects, and what the research says about it, without embellishment.

Who was Maria Montessori?

Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was one of Italy's first women doctors. On 6 January 1907, she opened the first Casa dei Bambini, the "children's house", in the working-class district of San Lorenzo in Rome. Watching these children in a setting designed for them, she found that they could educate themselves: she would call it "self-education".

In 1929, she founded the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) to carry on her work. The association still trains Montessori educators today, and its texts are the reference for this article.

The principles that matter at home

There is no need to apply everything. Five ideas are enough to change daily life:

1. "Help me to do it myself": this is the principle AMI places at the heart of early childhood. The aim is for the child to be able to act without immediate help from an adult.
2. The prepared environment: the adult arranges the space so that it offers what the child needs to develop, and leaves out anything superfluous. Order, reality, beauty and simplicity, with furniture to the child's scale, is how the AMI glossary sums it up.
3. Observe before you act: for one AMI trainer, observation is the key to preparing the environment. What is the child trying to do? What is stopping them?
4. Remove the obstacles: a hook that is too high, trousers with buttons, a wobbly stool. The adult spots what holds back independence and takes it away.
5. Real rather than pretend: AMI speaks of an environment rich in real-life experiences, right down to eating at the table with the family from the start of weaning.

Freedom of movement is also part of the approach from birth: a baby on the floor, free to move, rather than propped up in a seat. We devote a whole article to it, on free movement for babies.

Setting up your home without buying everything new

Get down on your knees and look at the room from your child's height. That is the starting point. A few changes are enough:

• a low shelf with four or five activities on display, each in its own basket, and the rest stored elsewhere;
• a hook at their height for their jacket and bag, near the door;
• a sturdy step stool in front of the washbasin so they can wash their hands on their own;
• a small table and chair, or a corner of the rug, for eating a piece of fruit or drawing;
• a book corner, with a few books displayed face out.

Fix any furniture that could tip over to the wall, and check the room with our home safety checklist. For the bedroom, from the floor bed to the shelf, read our article on the Montessori bedroom.

Montessori activities by age, with everyday objects

The best activities are those from real life: the child copies what you do, at their own level. Several of the ideas below come from the CDC, the US public health agency, in its age-by-age tips; the others use objects you already have.

Show the movement slowly, then let them try. The result won't be perfect: a badly folded napkin matters less than a child who folded it alone. And leave them free time too, with no activity on offer.

For the youngest, our ideas for baby play activities from 0 to 12 months complement this table. And if your 3-year-old is starting school soon, these everyday skills are also the best preparation, as our article on your 3-year-old explains.

Montessori toys: simple, real and few

The word "Montessori" on a box guarantees nothing. A good toy in this spirit is simple, often made from natural materials, focused on one action (stacking, fitting, pulling, sorting) and suited to the child's age. It lets the child act, instead of flashing lights and talking in their place.

Our guide to educational and Montessori toys by age offers a selection age group by age group. Our wooden toys and stacking and shape-sorting toys sections bring together the classics.

From the shop

A few simple toys in the Montessori spirit

Wooden toys to stack, pull or handle, and a step stool to join in with household life: a few simple objects that let the child act. Check the age shown on each product page.

• −48 %HeaduTactile Alphabet Montessori game – Headu65 DHinstead of 125 DHView product
• −48 %HapeBalancing Cal wooden stacking and balance game – Hape75 DHinstead of 145 DHView product
• −48 %HapeRainbow stacking game, 12 months-3 years – Hape101 DHinstead of 195 DHView product
• −48 %HapeInch Along Cal wooden pull-along caterpillar – Hape127 DHinstead of 245 DHView product
• BadabulleNon-slip children’s step stool – Badabulle200 DHView product
• −48 %EurekakidsCircus activity triangle – Eurekakids200 DHinstead of 385 DHView product
• The whole aisle · Wooden toys3 products online, delivered anywhere in Morocco.Open the aisle

Products sold by La Maison du Bébé, publisher of this magazine. Prices as of 12 October 2026; please check the product page.

What does the research say about Montessori?

Moderate positive effects, measured in schools. In 2023, a systematic review published in Campbell Systematic Reviews analysed 32 studies comparing Montessori education with traditional teaching. It found positive effects on academic results (effect size 0.24) and even more on skills such as executive functions (0.36), which help children concentrate, plan and control themselves.

Three honest caveats are needed. These studies concern schools, from preschool to secondary school, and none measures the effect of Montessori at home. Several authors have links with the Montessori world, which the review declares. And the effects are clearer in preschool and primary school, as well as in private schools.

At home, the value of the approach lies mainly in its principles, which echo paediatricians' advice: letting the child join in everyday tasks, play freely, move around, and limiting complicated toys.

Montessori schools in Morocco: what to check

Several schools and nurseries in Morocco say they follow this approach. The label alone tells you nothing about what happens in the classroom. Before choosing, ask three questions: what training have the teachers had, and from which organisation? Do the children choose their own activities, with a full set of materials at their height? How many children are there per adult?

Our guide to preschool in Morocco sets out the full checklist for comparing schools, whatever their teaching approach.