Simple Montessori Toddler Art Shelf

I recently revamped my two and a half year old’s art area and wanted to share. I hope you find these ideas helpful, and would love to hear what art work your child is loving in the comments!

I sometimes get discouraged from putting out new work for my son because when we are home, he pretty much does two things: plays with Legos and plays in the backyard.

Weeks will go by where he barely touches the puzzles and toys in his room or the Montessori-inspired work I have out for him.

While I think Legos, and especially outside play, are awesome, I don’t want him to miss out on other things like drawing and painting, both because I want him to experience art and creative expression and because I want him to develop fine motor skills.

Art can be one of the best ways for young children to enhance their fine motor abilities because it requires careful use of their hands and attention to detail, but is also highly engaging and fun.

It is also nice to have a calm and quiet activity for a very busy and energetic toddler 🙂

Some things to keep in mind if you want to set up a Montessori art area at home:

• Make the materials (paper, paint, crayons, etc.) accessible to your child. Make sure he has what he needs to clean any spills and messes too (a sponge, a small towel, a small broom and dustpan, etc.)
• It’s helpful to start with one activity (drawing, stamps, stickers, etc.) on each tray or basket. As children get older and master each technique, they can mix media.
• Give your child a simple demonstration (the fewer words the better!) on how to use each new activity, then step back and let him explore.
• If your child wants you to draw with him, try creating an abstract picture so that he doesn’t get caught up in judging his picture against yours, or asking you to draw every animal under the sun for him.
• If you are worried about stains to your table, provide a placemat (or laminated sheet of paper) for your child to put under his paper. We have this mat. Do what you need to do so that you’re not hovering and worrying about mess!

And here are the choices we have out in my toddler’s art area right now:

Crayons – we have these, and also just got these crayon rocks, which are great for developing pincer grip.

Marker stamps – we got these at Ikea and stamping them so the image comes out clearly is actually a little challenging for toddlers and requires focus

Stickers – so good for fine motor and so fun! I definitely recommend getting these on Amazon – not sure the exact pack we got, but it was similar to this. We put out a few sheets at a time. If you have a young toddler who can’t yet get the stickers off on his own, remove the white backing from the whole sheet to make it easier.

Cutting – Make sure to show your child how to hold / walk with scissors safely.

Necklace Making – All you need is a yarn needle (not sharp), pony beads, and yarn. This is a favorite with many children, and definitely the activity James has used the most.

Hole punching – It’s easy and fun to change out which hold punch you offer with the season. Your child can also use the little shapes he punches out for gluing.

Stamping – Ink is messy, but fun! I love that stamps require focus and exactness, and a certain amount of pressure to come out well.

I have other Montessori practical life work (pouring, table scrubbing, window washing) out for him on the bottom shelf. This is not something you would see in a classroom, but we have limited space.

Also, necklace making would generally be on a separate sewing shelf in a Montessori classroom. It’s not ideal to have all of these on the same shelf, but we don’t have space for an extra shelf right now, so we make it work!

We also have an easel and paints / chalk, which we often bring outside. Try using tiny pieces of chalk to help your child develop the pincer grip.

We do not have pencils out right now because my son is still working on developing his pincer grip – it is SO hard to reteach how to hold a pencil, so it’s best to wait until they can actually hold one correctly.

I highly recommend the book Let Out the Sunshine if you’re interested in Montessori-style art work for children. It has so many good ideas!

Did you like art as a kid? Does your child love it?

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