Setting up a Montessori Infant Shelf at Home
To set up a simple Montessori infant shelf at home, all you need are a few baskets or containers, and some objects from around the house.
For an infant aged 0-9 months you may choose to include:
- Mobiles
- Rattles
- Sensory board
- Shapes
- Treasure baskets
- Sound bottles
- Smelling bottles
- Primary colours
- Simple shapes
- Self feeding activities
Don’t forget the importance of tummy time, floor play, mirror play, and opportunities for reaching and grasping.
For infants aged 9-15 months you may choose to add:
- Imbucare or ‘posting’ boxes
- Knobbed puzzles that are easy to pick up using the palmar grasp
- Simple shapes: Circle, Triangle, Square
- Language cards
- Matching pot and lid activities
- Open and close activities
- Colour sorting
- Stacking blocks
- Nesting cups
- Introductory counting activities
- Self feeding and self care activities
For infants aged 15-24 months you may choose to add more complex resources such as:
- Further language cards
- Matching activities
- Counting activities
- Velcro activities
- Zipper activities
- More complex open and close activities
- More complex colour sorting
- Dressing and self care
Take your cues from your child’s interests and don’t forget to look at the infant resources section for additional activities.
Downloadable Infant Resource Pack
- High Contrast Cards
- Colour Cards
- Colour Matching Cards
- Shape Cards
- Animal Language Cards
- Animal Matching Cards
Treasure Basket
Treasure Baskets are a wonderful way to introduce your infant to different objects and textures. You can compile your own Treasure Basket from found objects at home.
Musical Basket
Source any items around your home, such as a tambourine, xylophone, and maracas to create a music basket. Infant’s love to explore objects that make different sounds!
Teething Basket
Collect any items from around the house that your child uses to assist with teething. Don’t forget to sanitise regularly and to only use infant-safe objects.
Sound Shakers
Create your own Sound Shakers using recycled bottles and found objects.
Pots and Pans
Go for a dig in the kitchen cupboard and find some smaller pots, pans, spoons and other infant-safe kitchen implements. Infants love to bang pots and pans. Older infants will also enjoy matching the lid to the pot.
Introducing Primary Colours
Introduce red, yellow and blue to your infant using the supplied printables and found objects at home.
Open and Close
Create your own opening and closing activities from containers and bags found at home.
Imbucare or Posting Box
Create your own Imbucare Box using found objects to explore the concept of object permanence with your toddler. Extend on the activity by adding counting and sorting.
Additional Infant Resources
Activities that foster independence, practical life skills, movement, language development, and sensory awareness.