Montessori, at its core, is fairly dependent on (and infinitely enhanced by) a prepared environment. But before your environment can truly represent the concept of a prepared environment, you need to be prepared, inside yourself.
In Spanish, this is called auto-cuidado. Self-care. This is the place many teachers and parents find the most challenges. A disrespectful, pessimistic teacher can ruin a child’s love of learning, and yet, most of us adults have had more than one.
The important aspects of self-care that are most relevant to maintaining a Montessori-like prepared environment for your child include these concepts:
Respect: respect for your time, space, body, thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and emotions
Playfulness/Joy: the ability to look for the fun, find the humor, and lighten situations
Being observant: watching out for the possibilities in your surroundings, noticing the ways things impact you/others, noticing people’s preferences, needs, and habits
Having peace: how do you deal with stress? do you prioritize calm and contentment?
Being gracious and courteous;
Having curiosity and a beginner’s mindset (being a lifelong learner)
Being consistent with the rules, rhythms, routines in your life
Keeping boundaries and being clear but kind about them (when possible)
Being open-minded and understanding (come to each situation without expectation or assumption)
Creativity and passion (about something, whatever is authentic to you)
You will model these habits for your child(ren) one way or another. You are their first environment (I know I’m not the only parent who feels like furniture sometimes). What if you’re having trouble with any of these? Get support, slow down, destress and explore the possibilities like a butterfly explores flowers. If you’re lacking inspiration, expand your horizons.
If you’d like me to write more about any of these concepts hit the reply button, if you’d like a custom plan for the internal and more practical aspects of a prepared environment subscribe!
One option might be educating yourself or having access to intellectual stimulation. Here is a place to find newsletters on all kinds of niche topics: