How Montessori Supports Babies Learning to Walk in the Nido Classroom
![Baby on a walking bridge]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1767992142/m6jvoywoill3ak3kpl8z/NidoWalkiingBridge.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1767992142/m6jvoywoill3ak3kpl8z/NidoWalkiingBridge.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1767992142/m6jvoywoill3ak3kpl8z/NidoWalkiingBridge.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1767992142/m6jvoywoill3ak3kpl8z/NidoWalkiingBridge.png","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1767992142/m6jvoywoill3ak3kpl8z/NidoWalkiingBridge.png","width":1440}])
Jennine Friess
In our Nido classrooms, learning to walk is supported through a carefully prepared environment that honors each baby’s natural drive toward movement and independence. Rather than teaching walking directly, we provide safe, purposeful materials that allow babies to practice at their own pace.
The walking wagon offers stable support as babies pull up, push forward, and build strength, balance, and confidence through self-initiated movement, while the walking bridge introduces gentle challenges that support coordination, spatial awareness, and body control. Thoughtfully designed spaces, soft flooring, and child-scaled materials ensure babies can explore freely and safely, developing not only physical skills but also confidence, perseverance, and trust in their own abilities. By respecting each child’s individual timeline, the prepared environment allows learning to walk to unfold naturally as a joyful, self-directed milestone.
- Nido