The space must be prepared to enable the child to become physically, socially, emotionally and intellectually independent of the adult. Because he is able to do things for himself, the child begins to be able to choose and decide things for himself. The environment must support this, both in the way that the materials are prepared and in the approach of the adults.
In a Montessori environment the materials are arranged in a logical and intuitive order, as part of a well-defined curriculum, based on the skills they are designed to develop, in sequence with regard to their difficulty, and presented from simple to complex. Everything is where it is supposed to be, conveying a sense of harmony and order that ensures the possibility of purposeful activity.
Order also underlies the less tangible aspects of the environment e.g., the consistency of the adults and their approach, the sequence of the presentations, the daily routine, etc. The order and predictability of the Montessori classroom gives the child a sense of security which lowers anxiety levels, thereby facilitating a joyful love of learning.
The tables and chairs in a Montessori class are child-sized, and the shelves are designed to be both accessible to a child (open and placed at a convenient height) and lightweight so they can be moved for cleaning or any other purpose.
With a group of children, especially young children, people expect a little mayhem, so visitors to a Montessori class are often surprised by the harmony and low hum of activity on display. Montessori often note that the children are quiet and focused in a peaceful, relaxed space, so the environment should be clean and warm, aesthetically pleasing and well-lit (ideally with natural light) and free from distractions and the kind of excess sensory input that overwhelms or overstimulates children.
The design and flow of the environment accommodates choice, giving the child the opportunity to choose from a range of activities that are suitable to his developmental needs, but with extraneous distractions removed:
The environment should be spacious and open, with plenty of room for the children to move around and explore, for by facilitating movement the child can bring himself into contact with the objects and people in his environment that he needs for his development.
All societies have rules, intended not as restrictions that limit freedom but as aids to help us live together, and all environments in which children live and play require rules: at home, in the playground and at school. Without consistent rules, consistently applied, freedom would degenerate into chaos, and so children in a Montessori environment enjoy freedom within limits.
Fundamental to the prepared environment is the child’s freedom to choose an activity, to engage with it for as long as they want, at their own pace, without being interrupted by other children or by the constraints of a timetable. Of equal importance is the child’s right to choose to do nothing. Both choices are to be respected:
The only restriction is that the child doesn’t interfere with another child’s rights, so in order to help the children live together, we provide some consistent, achievable, and understandable rules for everyday life. This respect for the rights of others requires personal discipline and this development of self-control inevitably leads to the development of social responsibility.