Montessori at Home

What to put on the shelf, when a child is ready for it, and what the research does and does not show. Written by the people who pick the toys.

A short brass cylinder with a slanted base standing on a cream linen cloth, beside a large wooden knob and a wooden bead fixed on a curved wire.
MilestonesSafety 9 min read
Pincer grasp activities at 9 months, when everything still goes in the mouth

Everything still goes in the mouth, so most pinch activities are out. There is a cylinder that tells you which ones are safe.

A curved wooden balance board lying on an oatmeal wool rug in a cream-walled living room, with the edge of a linen sofa and its cushions visible behind it and daylight coming from a window on the left.
Choosing toys 9 min read
Are balance boards good for toddlers? What age, and when to skip one

We went looking for the trial behind the claims on the box. What we found was one honest reason to own one anyway.

A child-sized wooden broom and dustpan leaning against a cream wall, with a small scatter of dried oats on a wooden floor beside them.
Doing it themselves 9 min read
Montessori chores: what the evidence says about a 3-year-old helping

The Harvard study on every chore chart did not measure children doing chores. The finding that survives runs the other way.

Two oatmeal-colored couch cushions lying on a wooden floor beside a low wooden stool and the corner of a cream rug, in morning light from a window.
Is this normal?Milestones 9 min read
Is my toddler sensory seeking, or is this normal?

Crashing into the couch, spinning, chewing sleeves, wedging into tight spaces. There is one line that separates the ordinary version of this from the kind worth a phone call.

A low wooden tray on a cream tablecloth holding three small carved wooden objects: a cat, a cup and a cow, with no letters or text anywhere.
Milestones 9 min read
Letters or sounds first? What to say to a 3- or 4-year-old

A child can know every letter sound and still not read cat. What is missing is not more letters.

A low wooden shelf with five separate trays spaced apart, each holding one wooden toy, one tray pulled slightly forward.
Getting startedThe shelf 9 min read
How to set up a Montessori shelf (and what to leave off)

Most shelves fail the same way: eight versions of one job. What you leave off decides more than what you buy.

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The Ultimate Guide to Montessori at Home

Shelf setup, choosing toys, and knowing when your child is ready for the next thing.

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