Dr Maria Montessori, an Italian educator and physician, described a prepared environment as a space specially created, keeping in mind the developmental needs of a child. She mentions in her book The Secret of Childhood: "The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as possible to render the growing child independent of the adult." 

During my AMI Montessori Assistant training, I learned that a Montessori prepared environment has the following qualities:

• It is a harmonious environment filled with beauty where children feel happy, secure, and able to adapt, explore and care for their surroundings independently
• Every item in the prepared environment has a place of its own and is curated based on the child's developmental need
• It requires gentle care and constant maintenance (including fixing broken/torn items)

A Montessori home environment follows similar principles:

• The spaces are calm, and clutter-free and everything has a predictable place
• Items are accessible for the child to support the child's developmental need for independence and to build our trust with them
• Extra items that are not age-appropriate are stored and rotated away so the child is not overwhelmed
• Appropriate choices are given to allow the child to explore their environment freely and safely

A prepared home environment helps kids grow. It also sets children up for success in the future.

How I established a prepared environment at home

When I became a parent for the first time, I vividly remember how excited I was with the possibility of buying the most delightful array of things known to man. I couldn't resist baby fairs and even recall buying a blender specifically meant to puree baby food. Little did I know that I had succumbed to marketing gimmicks at the expense of my newborn baby.

After I completed my Montessori Assistant certifications, I came to a painful realisation. I needn't have purchased multiple sets of cheap plastic toys to keep my baby "entertained". What was most important was being a present mum. I should provide a simple and intentional home environment that supported and respected my children's natural developmental needs. With this, they could freely explore while staying safe.

As parents, we can easily apply positive parenting principles in our homes. We can then raise children who feel secure and can trust in themselves and their surroundings. We must provide a home where our children feel safe knowing where things are. They need routines and a flexible structure to their day. With this predictability, we can establish a relationship with them that is built on confidence. mutual respect, and unconditional love.

Children are capable of their own learning in such spaces. Even the youngest child can be more capable than most people believed them to be. Additionally, learning can start from the moment of birth.

Knowing that you as a parent have a trusting and loving relationship with your children is the greatest gift of security you can provide to them even when the home feels chaotic at times.

Why it's important to plan the cleaning at home

Children between the ages of zero to six are highly sensitive to order in the home. They are characterised by an intense desire for consistency and repetition. They're also at an age where they unconsciously absorb everything from their environment without much effort.

Children thrive with established and predictable routines. Because of this, they can be deeply disturbed by disorderliness. Therefore, we must carefully organise our homes. You need to set a place for everything while keeping your family's boundaries in mind.

Establish consistent routines and daily activities in the same location at home. With this, we provide the foundation for a trusting and respectful relationship with our children. If there are anticipated changes, prepare your children in advance. Talk them through it so they can adapt easily.

Clean your home by category, not location

Most families tidy their homes by location and not by category. They pick whichever area they think is the easiest. Unfortunately, this method results in a recipe for chaos. You might find yourself decluttering all your life. Because of the multiple locations, you might have trouble remembering where you stored certain items. To avoid getting into this cycle of constant decluttering, tidy your home by category rather than by location.

The KonMari Method encourages us to start with the easier categories of the home. Arrange clothing before moving on to books, papers, miscellaneous items, and finally sentimental items. By following this, we can align our values and priorities. This categorical way of tidying will help ascertain how much you own. Instead of having unnecessary duplicates around the home, you can re-evaluate purchasing and storage habits.

Organising a 'tidying festival'

After this decision-making is complete, the items are given a "home" based on their category (not by the location of the home). With this, you have a clear idea of how many items everyone owns without having to buy unnecessary duplicates. This is called a "tidying festival" and is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Belongings are given a word of thanks at the end of the day when they are put away in designated locations during the daily tidying process.

When I work with families, I always recommend that the adults should complete their tidying festivals first. This makes them confident decision-makers in their own space. Afterwards, they can assist their children and tidying becomes easier.

The KonMari and Montessori principles complement each other beautifully. I integrated these principles into creating a prepared home environment for my children because it seemed like the perfect thing to do!

Here's how you can create well-thought-out spaces for your child at home  

Model and demonstrate caring for your belongings

Staying organised becomes a part of our daily rhythm without pretence. This helps our children acquire these qualities from their home environment effortlessly. Start modelling these habits when your children are young.

Assist them when completing small tidying tasks. Through spontaneous repetition of a task, a child will be able to acquire a skill. As they get older, they will eventually learn how to tidy and care for their things on their own. We just need to be patient and have faith in our child's abilities. Let us remain consistent in our efforts of supporting the habits we wish to inculcate in our kids.

Additionally, make tidying part of your daily rhythm such as at the end of the day. Kindly demonstrate when things are not in the right place. Show them you make mistakes too and how to problem-solve as these are important life skills to learn as well.

Prepare their environment

Children between the ages of zero to six thrive in an environment that fulfils their biological need for order. Organising will come naturally from being in a home that makes them feel secure.

Choose to keep things that give your child the most joy, contentment, and comfort. Consider discarding sentimental items at a later time. Once this step is complete, you can then decide how to store your belongings. Tidy in the right categorical order with your child's clothes first (including hats, bags, shoes, and other accessories) followed by books, papers (health booklets, certificates), miscellaneous items (like toys, art/craft material, bed linen, bathroom/kitchen items) and lastly sentimental items (art, crafts, letters).

Select a few pieces of each belonging that brings joy to you and your child. This encourages your child to choose what they want to use every day (independently) without the overwhelmed. Keep the rest away in a closet to rotate out as appropriate.

After choosing what to keep for your child, designate and store similar items in just one location. With this, your child can independently assess each item. These could be arranged on low shelves, low hanger rods, or low coat hooks.

Additionally, don't forget to label all their storage boxes! A prepared environment includes "a place for everything and everything in its place". Fold, hang or arrange items by storing items vertically in a square or rectangular container.

Show gratitude and care

Encourage your child to show gratitude and appreciation for their belongings (for example, model saying thank you to the eating accessories and the chef before a meal or to clothing when putting them away in relevant closets). When it is time to let go of an item, discuss how to dispose of it responsibly. You may recycle or donate it to charity where another child would benefit from it. If an item needs repair, demonstrate how to do the same.

Meanwhile, provide child-sized cleaning equipment in locations accessible to your child. This encourages them to clean and maintain their organised environment.

Collaborate and connect (before correction)

Work as a team when doing a "joy-check" on their items and when putting things away. This makes it less stressful for you and your child, especially in the beginning stages of your child's tidying journey.

Ensure their vital needs such as hunger, fatigue, or attention are attended to before tidying.

Involve them in decision-making when keeping and discarding their items.

Give yourself grace when things don't go as planned. Your relationship with your child is far more important than temporary messes.

Encourage them to make their spaces 'joy-sparking'!

Encourage your child to decorate their favourite corner with their artwork or other sentimental items. You can also include their favourite books and chair in these corners. This area may help them unwind after a busy day, find peace, or calm down after an argument.

Conclusion

A home where the child feels safe will help the child to trust in not only their home environment but also the world. The child starts to interact with the world around her/him with a sense of belonging, positivity, and security. When we accept them for their unique selves and abilities, we lay a strong foundation for our respectful and trusting relationship with them.

An orderly environment reduces the build-up of cortisol levels which is detrimental to brain development. It also helps to build focus and concentration as the child is offered limited choices.

When children are included in activities of daily life by creating "yes" spaces around the home with items that are independently accessible and child-sized, they learn to trust in their own ability. This builds their self-confidence and self-reliance as they start to move from depending on the adults at home to collaboration, and finally complete independence.

ALSO READ: Parents, these are the dangers of watching TV with your baby in the room

This article was first published in theAsianparent.