Our Montessori-Inspired Bedroom

Abe and Mimi's first Montessori bedroom

This is the first in a series of posts on the importance of environment set up in the Montessori world. This was Abe and Mimi's first bedroom in Saudi Arabia that I completely transformed to make it child-friendly (aside from the crib - it just worked for us.) 

A big attraction in the room was the self-care area (below), which was where we spent the year practicing blowing noses and putting on shirts, along with brushing hair, of course! I took a nightstand and used that as a table for them to stand at and they had two trays - brushes to the left and folded tissues to the right.  I used a simple adhesive mirror from IKEA since it was such a pain to hang anything on cement walls. There was also a small trash bin which they both took pride in emptying out regularly.

Next to the self-care area was just a small open floor space where we hung our map and I would rotate the types of puzzles on the rug, or some times none at all. I highly encourage every parent invest in a map. Children are so interested in geography!

As a separator between the reading corner and open space I used a small Kallax shelving unit where I would store puzzles and books, and rotate them weekly or bi-weekly, or not at all if they were still being used regularly.

I also used some sticky hooks and hung dressing frames on the side. 

Now for the most beloved part of the room, the reading corner! This was a space for a lot of bonding time for everyone, whether it be sitting to read a book, working through a tantrum or just hanging out. Abe and Mimi really loved this space.

As you can see...

The closet was a bit challenging to set up at first because I was trying to find a way to accommodate Mimi and make her clothing accessible to her, since she is small for her age. I finally settled on using a small step stool so she could access her clothing on the rack. I also installed a low shelf to store their games, which they could also access themselves. 

**Something important to note is that I only gave them two options for clothing everyday. They each had a side of the closet with two shirts hanging and two bottoms in the labeled baskets (pajamas were also in baskets). This allowed them to easily choose without frustration and gave them autonomy.** 

And finally, a small corner where we kept a few toys. These were never rotated because they were always being used.

Abe and Mimi really miss their room, but I know once we settle in our new place they will love the new one just as much. It doesn't take tons of money and fancy stuff to make a bedroom like this - all you need is some planning and thinking of ways to accommodate your little one!