I. Why create spaces of autonomy?

Autonomy, beyond the idea of ​​doing things alone, is the ability not to be dependent on others.

It will nourish our children's curiosity, their self-confidence, and gradually translate into the development of their ability to control their emotions, to learn and to collaborate with others.

Its development is closely linked to that of higher cognitive skills, which constitute one of the biological pillars of learning, fundamental for the development and success of our children as the adults they will become.

They contribute to their capacity:
- to ask questions, obtain information, mobilize their knowledge to make choices (without submitting to the group),
- to anticipate their actions, detect their errors, develop a strategy,
- to manage their emotions, control themselves, concentrate,
- to speak and give their opinion.

It is important to promote their autonomy as early as possible so that they can make the most of sensitive periods of brain development.

These windows of very strong brain plasticity maximize their learning potential linked to certain specific skills over a relatively short period of time.

Before the age of 6, there are many of them, and once closed, their acquisition will require more effort on the part of our children, which, consequently, risks discouraging them from learning.

Providing a physical and emotional environment that promotes the autonomy of our young children is the first step in moving in a direction that is meaningful for them, for generations to come, but also for all of us as a society.

II. Concepts to consider

Prepare the environment

Designed to adapt to our children, allowing them to do things for themselves, on their own initiative, the environment plays a major role in the development of their autonomy.

We will therefore arrange them so that we do not have to restrict their movements or prevent them from carrying out certain activities.

Their abilities and skills

But setting up these “yes spaces” also requires us to take several things into account:

First of all, their physical abilities: we offer them a context in which objects, activities, supports, furniture are easily accessible to them. As much as possible we arrange them at their height, and where this is not possible we allow them to rise to adult height.

Then their learning capacity and their level of development: we adapt the activities we offer them to their level of competence, both to create wonder in them and awaken their curiosity but also to ensure that they they are neither too easy nor too difficult to achieve.

Their pace and interests

Spaces adapted to their pace allow us to offer them the right context at the right time. They help create routines, habits, which will save us time and make everyday life more pleasant for everyone.
Thanks to routines, our children move more easily from one moment to another.

By also adapting the spaces to their interests, we will give them the opportunity to make the most of each moment, to get as much pleasure and learning from it as possible.

For the moments when they are alone, the spaces will be designed to be conducive to concentration, sharing, creativity, movement, rest...

When we're together, these spaces can help us collaborate better and be more patient with them.

Places and their use

Whether indoors or outdoors, all places have different uses.

Some are used for eating, cooking, playing alone or with others, getting ready to go out, washing, resting, relaxing, concentrating, getting some fresh air, etc.

Some are shared by all members of the family, others by several children, still others are exclusive to them.

We need to be creative in the use of each space, especially the smallest rooms, keeping in mind that some spaces will be used to share moments, to collaborate, and others will be places dedicated to times when our children are alone and do it themselves.

When there are age differences between children sharing spaces, objects and activities that are not suitable for younger children must be made accessible only to older children.

Finally, for the youngest, it is important to secure certain rooms and environmental elements such as windows, stairs, electrical outlets or certain cupboards containing dangerous objects or products.

Declutter and enrich the environment

To begin our redevelopment, we will look at which objects our children use the least or no longer use, those which are still too difficult for them to use and only keep in their daily environment those which they use a lot, namely stories that they like to read and the materials and activities that interest them.

Then, we will revisit the spaces regularly to optimize them, rearrange certain objects and create rotations by replacing the least used ones with those that we had put aside. We can try to arrange these elsewhere or in another way to invite the children to discover them in a new light. If they are no longer used at all after several rotations, we can give them away or recycle them, preferably in agreement with our children if they have sentimental value for them.

Finally, we will think of the spaces in such a way as to enrich their environment: we will then favor the beautiful, the natural, diversify the materials, the textures, the colors, the types of activities, to ensure that these spaces are as pleasant and attractive that they have an educational role.

III. How to create these spaces

Our children's day is made up of many little moments. They are important to them because they all contribute to their learning and development, but also to our family life, the way we build our daily lives and our relationships together.

By arranging spaces, our goal will be to facilitate the way our children experience these moments, to invite them to discover new things and to establish routines and rituals specific to our family.

Each home being different, each of these spaces will be arranged differently depending on the architecture of our interior, our exterior environment, and of course the inhabitants of our house, young and old.

The spaces are intended to evolve as our children grow and serve several purposes:

- Develop their overall autonomy,
- Strengthen their self-confidence,
- Allow us to live better together.

In order to create spaces of autonomy for our children, we need to adapt certain places so that they are suitable for certain of their activities, dedicate certain places to certain times of the day, and regularly review how we arrange furniture, objects , games, and accessories for our children to ensure they contribute to their learning and development as they grow.

1. Transition space 

Creating a space that serves as a transition between inside and outside allows us to move faster in times when we are in a hurry while avoiding conflicts.

To prepare to go out, we will make sure to put the furniture at the service of our children's independent learning.

They learn how to put on their shoes, coats, and accessories such as gloves, hats, bonnets, sunglasses, which will be made available to them depending on the season while taking care to put away those that are not suitable but. could distract their attention when getting ready by making them want to put on mittens in summer or sandals in winter.

When time is of the essence, having everything in order and a routine in place allows you to speed up the movement without having to stress your child or having to raise the tone so that they finish getting ready quickly before departure.

In the other direction, when entering the house, children sometimes have dirty, wet clothes full of sand, mud and other signs of their joy at being outdoors.

Outside in front of the door or inside, depending on the context and what is possible, we will think about the space in such a way as to establish habits when we return home: remove their accessories, their wet clothes, remove their shoes and put them away. their place or knock them on the doorstep, the terrace or the balcony, depending on the circumstances, and put on their slippers and their change of clothes.

Space planning

• A cloakroom

With a coat rack or child-height wardrobe equipped with hangers in their size, children can take their coats themselves, put them on, take them off and learn to hang them up on their own.

• A box or small shoe rack

Easily accessible to take out and store their boots, shoes and sandals.
Scratching is preferable during the first years. They allow them to learn to tie and untie them on their own, and thus do it more and more quickly until they start tying their shoelaces.

• A bench or a small chair

To settle down and put on their shoes, their slippers, put on their accessories, their indoor clothes, this allows us to offer them a seat at their height.

• A seasonal accessory box

The accessory box can be placed under the bench or chair, under coats, on the shoebox or any other location relevant to our children.

2. Hygiene space

The hygiene space helps to contribute to the development of autonomy and to establish habits and routines:

- Wash your hands when entering the house, before eating, after eating, after outdoor activities or after handling dirty materials (modeling clay, paint, earth, etc.), and take advantage of this to learn the right gestures to create a good lather, clean between your fingers, the back of your hand, etc.

- Brush your teeth in the morning after eating, in the evening before going to bed. Give them a little time to start on their own, even if it's done poorly, and take over to complete their brushing.

- Wash yourself alone, using a glove, sponge, soap and shampoo. With a lot of help at the beginning, and little by little, letting them take total control of this moment.

- Sort dirty clothes so that they can be cleaned afterwards, and understand the concept of hygiene beyond that of their body.

 Space planning

 • Washbasin with mirror

From child height, they can watch themselves brush their teeth and get ready. Alternatively, a step stool can be placed to access the bathroom sink.

• Hygiene products near the sink

Placed in an accessible place near the sink, our children can easily grab their toothbrush, their toothpaste, their hairbrush and a piece of soap (small enough for them to handle it without difficulty).

• Dirty laundry basket

The dirty laundry basket helps children learn household hygiene, take charge of their own things, and help with household chores.

• A hook or bar to hang their towels

They can be installed on the bathroom door or on the wall, at child height so that they can hang their bath towels or hand towels and find them dry later.

• A place to dry off and change

By preparing a corner in the bathroom when washing, we give our children space to dry and change while standing alone. You can place a small chair or step stool next to it to make it easier for them to dry off and put on their clothes.

• Hygiene products in the shower or bath

Either directly on the floor, or on a small shower cabinet, or even on the edge of the bathtub, place small bottles, adapted to the size of their hands, which you fill with soap and shampoo, avoiding spills. 'put too much at the start, while our children get used to pouring the right quantities.

Care space

The care space is the place where children learn to dress themselves and choose their own clothes. At the beginning, they need our full attention and help at every step, otherwise their boundless creativity would make them wear shorts in the middle of winter and sweaters in the shade at 40°.

The layout of this space will depend on our interior, the space available, but the idea will be to remove as many barriers as possible linked to the way their belongings are stored so that they can find them easily, but also barriers related to their height and balance by putting clothes at their height and giving them the opportunity to observe themselves while they change.

Space planning

• Storage for their clothes

A child-sized wardrobe with suitable hangers will allow them to learn how to hang their sweaters, t-shirts, jackets, coats, etc. We can also dedicate the bottom drawers of a dresser or closet to them for these clothes as well as for their pants, pajamas and underwear. To optimize their concentration in this space and simplify these moments, it is preferable to only wear seasonal clothing.

• A mirror

The mirror should be large enough for them to see themselves completely and, ideally, it will be equipped with a support bar at the height of a young child so that even the littlest ones, who cannot yet stand well, can stand. use it to get up and stay on their feet, to first observe themselves and then start learning to dress by watching what they do.

Kitchen space

The kitchen can be one of the most stimulating places for children. They learn to prepare food, set the table, enrich their vocabulary, learn hygiene gestures, handle food, fragile objects, sharp utensils, etc.

The kitchen is also a place that contributes to their motor development, in particular their fine motor skills, their social skills and their senses thanks to the discovery of textures, smells, colors, shapes, and even certain sounds that they we only hear it in the kitchen.

They practice handling objects of various sizes, decanting, taking responsibility for certain steps in preparing recipes and the habit of cleaning up after cooking.

Space planning

• A learning tower

Both to observe what the adults are doing and to do it themselves, initially supervised and then independently, the tower is an essential support for children in the kitchen. If you don't have a tower available, a step stool high enough to access the work surface and the sink, preferably not too narrow, can replace it.

• Kitchen utensils

Certain utensils adapted to our children's hands offer them the opportunity to learn to master certain stages of food preparation such as the whisk, the spatula, the ladle, but also those that we use ourselves such as the scale, measuring spoons , or the very popular salad spinner.

• Maintenance equipment

Learning to participate in the kitchen also means learning to clean: fruits and vegetables, cutlery, dishes or the floor after hectic preparation. We can provide them in an accessible corner near the sink with half a sponge and a spray bottle filled with water. We can also put accessories in a corner of the room such as a small mop and a small broom, or even certain objects dedicated to other types of maintenance such as a watering can intended for taking care of the plants in the house.

Dining area

Meals are an opportunity to share a friendly moment with family, taste with pride the dishes that we have prepared together, learn to eat with cutlery, discover smells and tastes.

Meals should be an opportunity to learn, to gain autonomy. Helping to set the table, sitting yourself, learning to use cutlery, serving yourself a drink, wiping your hands and face, and even, eventually, clearing the table.

We allow our children to learn with real objects, by letting them handle glass glasses and metal cutlery, adapted to their little hands so that they gain confidence and practice with care and attention.

Arrangement of space for meals

• Self-contained high chair

For our children's seating, we will opt for a chair on which they can sit themselves, to develop their autonomy, and ideally without a belt to avoid restricting their movements.

• Placemats and pitcher

The pitcher we choose is small, suitable for children's hands, and which can also be used for their transfer activities. We take care not to overfill it so that they can help themselves by carrying the handle in one hand and use the other hand to hold their glass.
The set protects the tablecloth but can also serve as a guide when setting the table. We will be able to decorate it in the appropriate locations with knife, fork, spoon, plate and glass shapes (drawn or embroidered, depending on the material) or buy them already decorated.

• Supports for setting the table

So that they can participate before sitting at the table, we can dedicate a corner of the cupboard, a shelf or a drawer at their height which contains cutlery, plates, glasses, napkins, etc. We can assign them a role in the process with the responsibility of putting the cutlery and trivets at each meal, for example.
A step stool will help them easily access the table, grab objects from the work surface or furniture that is too high for them.

Space layout for snacks

• A small chair and a small table

At snack time, we can designate a place where they can sit and eat alone, consisting of a small chair and a small table. They can place their own snacks, cutlery and plates if necessary, then clear it themselves when they have finished.

• Suitable containers

For their snacks, you can place their cupcakes, biscuits or fruit in easy-to-open boxes, and their compotes or yogurts in pots with lids that they can screw and unscrew themselves. We prefer small containers that they can easily transport and handle on their own.

Concentration space

In the concentration space, the child will focus on his work, whether it is fun activities explicitly intended to develop his cognitive abilities, or creative activities, art or crafts.

Depending on the ages and contexts, children will find sheets, notebooks, pens, markers, brushes, paint, modeling clay and other materials in this space. These different elements will rotate and evolve as children develop their skills, in order to adapt to their progress.

We will arrange them in such a way as to invite them to use them on their own initiative, and we will place them taking care that our children can easily distinguish each object present. We will also favor quality products, even if that means offering less.

The atmosphere will be calm and as refined as possible to encourage concentration and avoid distractions.

Space planning

• A shelf for activities

For concentration activities, the development of their cognitive skills and the expression of their creativity, we can favor a shelf with 2 or 3 levels, at child height, or reserve a corner of a cupboard or shelf. We will take care to arrange each of them in a clearly visible and distinct manner, avoiding cluttering the space, which allows our children to easily grab objects and put them away independently.

• A small table and a small chair

To arrange their activities and get busy, we favor a support and a seat adapted to their size. This allows them to choose and arrange their activities and learn how to put them away completely independently, without our intervention. Depending on the space and furniture available, they can also use a coffee table in the living room for example and sit on a step stool, a bench or a stool that fits them.

• Containers intended for different uses

The equipment is stored in a given place and in such a way as to be easily accessible, including the materials necessary for certain activities which will be divided into containers. For drawing paper, you can use pads of paper or store loose paper in trays, and you can use pots or cases to store pencils, brushes, markers, etc. We can also use boxes in which to store their modeling clay, scissors, glue, tape or other plastic arts accessories.

• Give a place to used products

To make storage easy, you can prepare places to put your works to dry, recycle or store unused materials. We can also designate a storage space for works (a drawer or a box) or a gallery for their creations (on the fridge or framed on the walls). Those that are not kept can be photographed, to keep a souvenir, then used to make gift wrap for example.

Free play area

Free play contributes to the development of children by promoting their creativity, their socialization and the development of their social skills.

Certain furniture, toys and accessories facilitate free play and contribute to children's pretend play and imaginative play.
Imitation games are a way of learning social codes and roles by reproducing situations they encounter on a daily basis.

Imagination games demonstrate their incredible creativity and their ability to create their own worlds, their own games.

Thus, they will cook as well as shop or clean, alone or for members of their family, for their friends, or even for their stuffed animals, dolls and other figurines. They will build houses and towers, and take turns becoming a greengrocer, a knight, a doctor, a cook or a superhero.

We can dedicate certain locations or entire pieces of furniture to storing their various games and accessories, and place them strategically to make them easy to reach and store, optimizing the space we have available.

Space planning

• Shelves

In the free play space, you can install dedicated furniture, such as shelves at their height, with small integrated storage boxes or bins. We can also reserve drawers or shelves at the bottom of our dressers or cupboards. We can divide their objects there by type of game and activity.

• Suitable games, toys and accessories

Certain games and accessories are excellent supports for free play and adapt more or less well to our children depending on their age and interests. Thus, cookers, construction games, disguises, doll houses are, among many others, objects that we can introduce according to the stages of development of our children.

Motor skills area

Whatever the time or the context, and whatever the possible admonitions, children need to move, to jump, to run, to climb. It's not always easy for them, nor for us, especially when our interior is not suitable, and even more so when we live in an apartment.

However, movement is essential to their muscular development as well as that of their balance, their proprioception, and even their psychological well-being.

To dedicate one or more spaces to their free motor skills, it is necessary to free up space and ensure their safety in the event of a fall. We must also ensure that the space and equipment we make available to them meet a fairly wide range of their needs.

As for the places that we will choose, they could be in different rooms depending on the layout of our interior, but also outdoors.

Some of the objects that we will offer them to encourage their motor skills will find unexpected uses, transformed by our children to support their games of imitation and imagination.

Space planning

• A carpet

In fabric or foam, the mat is the place for little ones to wake up, a comfortable support for their very first moments of awakening, of discovering their senses, their first moments lying flat on their stomach and then on all fours. Subsequently, he is their protection when they lose their balance and test their limits.

• A motor skills course

Because they like to create courses and walk them over and over again, the motor skills course is a must. We can offer our children a route designed for this purpose, enhance it with suitable objects or give them elements that allow them to create their own. So, a small mattress, cushions or an ottoman can do the trick.

• Climbing supports

Climbing is one of children's natural instincts. From the moment they learn to sit up, they climb onto chairs, sofas, ask to go up and down stairs or beds. To satisfy this need to climb, the Pikler triangle will offer relatively gentle slopes, which can be adjusted as they progress.
And for the more skilled, you can move on to the Swedish wall or the climbing wall to continue to defy gravity and learn to better control your body.

• Balancing games

Boards, balance beams and arches, slides and indoor swings are objects that challenge and develop their proprioception, their sense of balance and allow children to discover the unique sensations that accompany rocking movements and gliding.

• A corner outside

Many outdoor games promote free motor skills: the swing, the gymnastic discs, the essential balance bike which allows you to easily and quickly learn to ride a bike. Outdoor games allow you to exercise, learn to play alone and gain independence. Such a space is ideal if we have a garden, otherwise we will try to find public parks or corners of nature which will facilitate our children's motor skills.

Lounge

This space will be used for moments of calm, rest, to get together a little alone or together to read, tell stories or about our day.

We will make sure to make this space as comfortable as possible for the children, but also for us if they wish to invite us there or because this space is shared between members of the family.

We will store their books there, the number of which we will limit and which we will rotate, keeping the ones that our children like the most.

For quiet times, we can set up a corner with decorative elements and specific furniture, or make use of what we already have available such as our sofas, armchairs or rugs, slightly adapting the environment to our children.

Space planning

• A library or book box

The ideal way to give them access to their books is to place them at their height, either in a small box arranged vertically, or in a bookcase provided for this purpose or a dedicated location on one of our pieces of furniture (such as a low shelf), positioned facing forward so that children can clearly see their covers and recognize them easily.

• A support to sit comfortably

You can create a quiet corner by installing a canopy, a tent or a teepee. You can also opt for a small chair, a small bench, an ottoman or a comfortable rug such as a motor skills mat, or even create a bottom of a wardrobe or open cupboard. Ideally, we will install these supports near a window to read in natural light and we will fill this space with cushions to make it more comfortable and create a warm atmosphere.

Sleeping space

It is undoubtedly one of the most important spaces, as sleep plays a determining role in the development of children. It is both essential for their brain plasticity and to give them the energy required to live, discover and learn.

The time of going to bed and getting up are landmarks in their routines and vectors of their independence. They will get in and out of their bed on their own, little by little, then use it in their games or even as a support for their moments of free motor skills.

Like all spaces, the sleeping space must correspond to the needs of our children as well as our home, our family culture, but also the restrictions of the architecture of our interior, and the type of diaper we choose for them.

Space planning

• A bed near the ground

In the philosophy of Maria Montessori, the bed integrates into the environment, it is completely open to the rest of the room and easily accessible, to facilitate independence, including for the little ones. For this, the bed is as close to the ground as possible. The diaper could be a simple mattress or a bed with a box spring into which the child can easily climb or from which he can easily get out alone.

• A bedtime preparation area

We can set up a ritual and dedicate a corner to preparing for bed. This could be a designated corner in the bedroom, with an ottoman or a few cushions for example, as well as an existing space, such as their quiet space. We can sit there with them to read, talk about the day or stories, and relax to find sleep more easily afterwards.

Nature space

It is essential for children to spend time outside, in the open air, giving them the chance to roam freely in a corner of greenery, to discover nature and the simple pleasure of finding themselves in a place to sit, lie down, observe the plants, the animals, the sky.

If we have a garden, it will be easier for us to create a space that allows them to move, exercise and develop their motor skills, learn by doing, through outdoor activities. When we don't have a garden, we can create corners on our balconies or terraces and turn to the squares or public parks closest to us.

To give them the chance to discover the great outdoors, we can also set aside time to walk with them in the forest, in the mountains, by the sea or river, depending on the possibilities offered by the nature around us and the time we have available.

Space planning

• A small garden

In the ground, in bins or pots, we can offer children the opportunity to take care of a patch of plants, a vegetable garden, which the children will take care of themselves. For gardening equipment, you can start with a small bucket, a rake, a wheelbarrow, a planter and a trowel adapted to their size.

• Earth and sand

So that they play with textures, learn how the elements behave and transform, we can set up a sandbox or a corner of earth so that they can dig, mix the earth with water to play with mud, collect gravel, stones and pieces of wood to add them to their mixture or draw shapes.

• Water

In their natural space, a water point can be as useful for games of transfer as for washing their hands, soaking toys, cleaning their gardening accessories, or even helping to wash outdoor furniture.

• A treasure container

When they are outside, our children observe and collect treasures: pieces of wood, stones, dead leaves, dried fruits, flowers, pine cones, etc. To collect their treasures, we can provide them with a basket, or any other easy-to-carry container in which they can easily see what they have collected along the way.

• A refuge

To get together with themselves, play alone or with other children, we can set up a small cabin for them outside. It could, for example, be built from willow branches, planks, pallets, and could even constitute a set including a slide, swing and ladder. Alternatively, you can also opt for another type of shelter, such as a tepee for example.

Conclusion

Let's not put pressure on ourselves, we will never achieve the perfect environment, it simply doesn't exist!

But providing the best possible environment for our children with the time, material resources and energy we have is already enormous.

Setting up this type of space requires a lot of effort on our part but paradoxically it helps reduce our mental load, while promoting the development of our children and strengthening our relationship with them. What could be more essential.

©2021
Written by Enguerran Merinis,
Co-founder of LOOVE.