Last week I published Montessori At Home - Birth to Six Months which included activities to try at home. Today I'm following up with some examples of Montessori style movement areas for children from birth to six months. 

All of these areas are Montessori style or Montessori-inspired. Most of these are designed by parents not teachers, all of them are in real homes with real budgets and real constraints. There may be some aspects that are not perfectly Montessori, but that is what makes these spaces so interesting, it's how we all manage, it's how we all apply the Montessori principles to the real world. 

Let's take a look! 

This space is one of my favorites and is designed by Marissa from Missy Montessori. If at all possible, it's a good idea to prepare the child's space before birth, while you still have energy and time before the child arrives. 

There are so many good ideas here. The key components are the playmat, mirror, low shelves (with simple materials), and the mobile. We used a similar mirror that is easy to move around the room or even move room to room. 

This space is lovely. There is a pull-up bar installed for when the child is ready to pull to standing. The mobiles presented here include a visual mobile of airplanes and tactile mobiles including a bell and a ring on a ribbon. This space looks calm and is near a big window so the child can later view the trees, shadows of the trees, any wildlife that may visit, and may also feel a nice breeze when the window is open.

This area has a nice playmat, mirror, mobile, and high contrast images in a card holder. This space is in a shared living area so the child can play (work) here and still be with their family members. 

This child is using the high contrast Munari Mobile usually offered around 3 weeks. The child is on a Topponcino which is a pillow-like mattress used to hold and comfort the child in the newborn days. After the first month or so we can place the child on a firmer playmat or rug.

This child is six months old and you can see they are building strength and movement skills. This is a lovely open area with lots of space for the child to move about. The mirror, shelves, and materials all provide the child with incentives for movement.

This child is using the Gobbi Mobile. I love the materials on the low shelves, the books nearby, and the cute basket with grasping materials. 

This is a shared space including materials for an older sibling. You can see the infant using this space with a few materials here. 

This child is working with the Gobbi Mobile. There are interesting materials on the low shelves and a low mirror nearby. Interestingly you can see the child here is observing their hands, which children at this age will often do as they are still learning coordinated movement of their hands.

These two areas are really sweet. The first includes a play gym with a tactical mobile for batting, grasping, or kicking and a few materials on a low shelf. The second area is more open with a cozy playmat, some tactile materials, and a wall mirror.

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