We at Atelier ARBO love to design educational spaces and designing Montessori spaces are very close to our heart. These spaces are not just about creating a space with minimalist furniture and natural materials, its about crafting an environment that supports a child’s independence, curiosity and love for learning. But what works for a toddler won’t necessarily suit a six-year-old. So, we have invested a lot of time into observing and learning from children and how they interact with their surroundings. Here are some design ideas which works well and can be adopted for designing children’s spaces.
A. Infants
(0 to 18 months): A world of Gentle Discovery
1.
Freedom of
Movement
Montessori
spaces encourage floor time, so a soft mat floor with low height mirror is great
as an experiential item for children at this age.
2.
Visual
Simplicity
Infants
are sensitive to sensory overload, so by using calm colours and natural
textures to create a peaceful atmosphere.
3.
Low
Shelving
Low
height shelfs with material for children to play with makes it quite easy for
them to make the choice. This also allows them freedom to explore.
B.
Toddlers
(18 months – 3 Years): A Stage for Independence
1.
Child size
If all the furniture and equipment
can match up with the anthropometric size of children of this age bracket then
it makes the space more adaptable and accessible for them. This helps in
developing self-sufficiency and independence.
2.
Practical
Life Areas
A water station, sweeping tools, or
a place for dressing up helps toddlers practice real-life skills.
3.
Order and
Accessibility
Open shelves with clear ordered
organization and marking helps children to understand the order of the
surrounding space. The cognitive memory of the child is
C.
Pre-Schoolers
(3-6 years): The sensitive period for learning
1.
Prepared
Environment
The classroom at this age resembles
a small, curated world where everything has purpose. The same idea and
philosophy can be replicated at home to clearly define spaces for reading, art,
and hands-on work.
2.
Beauty and
purpose
The overall aesthetics of the space
matters, so we prefer to use natural wood material which is lighter in shade,
coir, jute rugs, cushions, soft furnishings, elegant artwork and others to
create a meaningful and serene space. Every artwork selected also has purpose
as they are not very loud and, on the face, rather are very elegant art which
shares story, colour, pattern and idea.
3.
Objects at
Eye level
As the power of observation and
absorption by a child a=in this bracket is immense we can only harness this by
creating appropriate shelfs or spaces which keeps items of interests at there
eye level. This makes it just appropriate for them to get attract to the
material and begin self-exploration.
I guess the major intent is not to
create distraction and calm spaces which has meaning and purpose for the users.
This is where a prepared environment designed by a loving architect and a
Montessori teacher comes together.
D.
Early
Elementary (6 -9 Years): A space for Exploration & Big Ideas
1.
Flexible
Work zones
At this stage, children need spaces
to dive into deeper projects- whether ir’s writing, building or science
experiments. We suggest including a large working table, with shelves and
categorized materials will help. Also, there should be enough space to display
items.
2.
Autonomy
and collaboration
At this age children begin to
collaborate more, so we try to design spaces which allows them to work together
in large groups or as spaces which are convenient enough for them to work
individually. The trick to avoid dead spaces and also to avoid any un-necessary
distraction.
3.
Connection
to Nature
Any space can do with some amount
of plants which work well indoors. These are quite essential for children at
this age as well. They do create the right balance between indoor space and
outdoor.
4.
Accessible
Items
Keeping supplies, like paper,
scissors, magnifying glasses, or maps within reach in a properly organized
space helps children to use them and also to place them back in the correct
location.
With
our experience we have learnt that the best way to Design a Montessori space we
need to “follow the child”. Whether we are designing for an infant or an
eight-year-old child, we need to specifically observe their needs and
interests. We are very invested into creating spaces which will support their
needs and not in a controlling way and makes the flow of movement easy for
them. And their growth. At Atelier ARBO , we design with this deep respect for
children’s development, combining beautiful materials with purposeful function,
because when a space is truly prepared, the child can flourish.
Do write your thoughts at atelierarbo.india@gmail.com
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