6 pillars of the Montessori method 2026

An all-absorbing mind

In the words of creator María Montessori: "All children have an absorbent mind: they unconsciously absorb information from the environment." Knowledge should not be introduced into children's heads. On the contrary, through existing information, knowledge must be perceived by them as a consequence of their reasoning.

Children have a mind with an extraordinary capacity to acquire knowledge, as if it were a white sheet of paper. As parents we have the responsibility of developing their innate abilities (learning to eat, walk, crawl, jump...) through stimulation.

Amazon Essentials by Sofia Grainge - Summer 2026 Promotion

A zen room, without obstacles

One of the great characteristics of the Montessori method is that it is the baby's intimate environment, the place where he will sleep, dress him, play... You have to stay away from excess furniture. The reason? The room is the place that should contain stimuli for the little one without being overloaded. Having a serene and stimulating environment from the birth of the baby is the first step to help him develop.

Play learning, learn by playing

"All children learn through play/work: because play is children's work."

For children it is all about playing and for the Montessori method there is no difference between playing and working. All children want to learn: they have an innate motivation to learn. They learn through play, experimenting with things in the world around them. Games are spontaneous and are initiated in response to one's own developmental needs. All children learn through active participation.

Simplicity in materials

Surely you have experienced with your child that he plays with a hair tie or a roll of paper, children do not need big toys. It is not necessary to have many products to stimulate the baby and help him in his learning. Often, with simple materials a lot can be achieved. It is important that the little one takes his time to assimilate the learning, it is not necessary to abuse games and stimulation exercises.

María Montessori developed specific teaching material that constitutes the fundamental axis for the development and implementation of her method. They are designed to capture the child's curiosity and guide him by the desire to learn. In general, all teaching materials have a more or less elaborate degree of the four values: functional, experimental, structuring and relationship. Another characteristic is that almost all the equipment is self-correcting, so that no task can be completed incorrectly without the child realizing it for himself.

Creative stories but with real characters

The Montessori method recommends telling imaginative and creative stories, but with real characters and familiar objects (not using, for example, talking animals or children who fly). During the first three years, the child does not understand what reality is like, he is discovering it and does not know if what we tell him through stories is possible or not. For this reason, the stories should be little fanciful.  Later, around the age of 6, he can already hear great fantasies, because he understands better what is possible and what is not.

Autonomy

"All children want to be independent." One of the great bases is the autonomy that we must teach children. As? By not insisting as adults on 'helping' the child, he must learn to find the solution, thus enhancing his confidence, concentration and curiosity. The same principle of letting the child learn on his own also applies to daily care, such as cleaning or eating. It is advisable, according to the Montessori method, that parents do not intervene too much and let the baby act. For example, when dressing the little one, if he moves a lot, you can invite him not to move so much. If you wait to see how he reacts, you will notice that he will soon begin to participate. This encourages cooperation, a very important attitude for the development phase of 0-3 years.