In this episode of Tilt Parenting, I bring back to the show Simone Davies, a Montessori teacher and parent educator who runs a Montessori playgroup in Amsterdam for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers up to four years old. Through her online business, The Montessori Notebook, Simone focuses on helping parents learn how to bring Montessori into their home. 

Today Simone and I are talking about the “spaces” in our home—specifically how we can best design and set them up to support our differently-wired kids. I’ve watched as Simone developed her virtual e-course, Setting Up Your Home Montessori Style, and I was struck by how the approach she talks about in her course directly relates to the things we as parents can do to support our kids in developing those crucial executive functioning skills, like task initiation, time management, planning, and organizing, as well as fostering independence. In this episode, we’ll talk about how we can set up our homes—our kitchen, bedroom, shoes and coat area, homework space—to support our children in fostering these skills. 

 Simone Davies is also the author of The Montessori Toddler, a comprehensive guide to raising your toddler in a Montessori way. It includes Montessori activities, how to set up your home, and how to encourage cooperation from your children, and The Montessori Baby. 

Things you’ll learn from this episode 

• How to set up the shoes and coat area to help kids “get out the door” with success and independence
• How making checklists for our kids can instill in them a sense of responsibility while also easing transitions
• What parents who aren’t naturally organized can support themselves
• The gifts of decluttering and clearing our space
• The importance of making a homework space inviting and distraction-free
• Tips for setting up spaces to foster more independence in children
• Why making things attractive, cozy, and comfortable benefits our kids

 Resources mentioned for supporting children’s growth at home 

• The Montessori Notebook
• Simone Davies on Strategies for Staying Calm in Difficult Situations
• Setting Up Your Home Montessori-Style 
• Julie George on the Role of Executive Functioning in Differently-Wired Kids 
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard

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