Recently, I've had a number of parents, carers & nannies join me on my 1-on-1 'Montessori at Home' short-course to gain customised support on how to tweak the set-up of their home to build a more prepared environment for their child - one that encourages independence, development & learning, and nourishment of interests.
I'd love to share one suggestion from this 'Montessori at Home' course - the inclusion of a self-care station at home for your child!
Empower their daily routine with a dedicated space that fosters a sense of independence and self-awareness, fostering habits that promote lifelong balance and health.
What is it?
This consists of a child-size station located in the bathroom that contains all of the elements that the child needs to look after their bodily hygiene (with no help from adults). I’ve detailed some suggested inclusions below!
Important to note - this Montessori-inspired concept is accessible to everyone, and I encourage you to utilize items that you already have at home. This not only helps to keep things inexpensive but also is a good opportunity to recycle or upcycle!
Why do I love this concept?
A self-care station supports independence, respect, responsibility, toilet training, and understanding of the human body and its needs.
Inspiration on what to include in your self-care station set-up
The piece of furniture can have any form and design that you want, with the only rule to follow is that it is of suitable height for the child/children. The elements that this station contains depend on the requirements of each child and their routine. You might like to use a stool, chair, short table - get creative!
Hands sanitiser, a toothbrush and toothpaste to clean the teeth, sunscreen, body balm, wet wipes, hair brush, clean underwear, nappies and towels to dry with. We recommend ensuring all products are non-toxic and free from chemical products.
Encourage clean habits early, allowing your child to take responsibility for sorting their laundry. Leave their ‘very own’ basket for dirty clothes and a basket with clean underwear.
Ensure there is a bin-liner, and explain what needs to go in the bin. If you like to separate waste, ensure each bin is labeled. You might even like to get the child involved with emptying their bin each week!
Make sure the mirror is again, aligned to the child’s height! It needs to be at their eye-level, so they can easily & safely look at what they are doing as they complete their self-care steps.
How to introduce this concept to children?
I created this station in less than 1 hour with things that I already had at home! Keep it simple. And you can keep on adding elements as you master your ideal routine.
From there, the key is invitation and demonstration.
For example, as the child wakes up, I invite him to go to the bathroom to start his morning self-care routine. Once at the station of body care, I invite the child to pull off the nappy, put it in the bin, wipe himself and choose a pair of clean underwear. Afterwards, I show him how to use the hand sanitiser and move to the next step: brushing his teeth! I usually brush my teeth at the same time so that I can role model this. Also, I will point out the mirror and suggest he can look at himself to understand what he is doing. After brushing his teeth, I will invite him to wash his face and brush his hair. Some days, I may ask him to put sunscreen on but only if we are heading straight to the beach.
In this way, the child will have at their disposal all of the necessary elements to start the day clean and in an independent way.
The concept of a self-care station works best when you can match the items of the station with their usual routine, bridging the gap between usual behaviours and their independence in doing them. The ideal situation is that you equip the area of body care to cater for the necessities of your children.
Are you interested in customised support to subtly transform your home to better cater for your child's development?
The Montessori method is known for providing a prepared environment to nourish the development, independence & interests of the child. A prepared environment is: tidy, organised, pleasing in appearance, simple and real, where each element is there for a reason in order to help in the development of the child. This is driven by the philosophy that children who are placed in an environment where activities were designed to support their natural development had the power to educate themselves.
This is a concept that I believe wholeheartedly, and is accessible to all! With extensive experience, education & passion for the future generation - Maria has helped many parents, carers & nannies create more prepared environments to foster the child's natural learning.
And I'd be delighted to help you! Through a few 1-on-1 zoom calls, and insightful resources to support you, I can assist in customised suggestions for your home & your child - catering to yours & their unique needs.
Contact me to learn more!