--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first aim of the prepared environment…" description: "\"The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.\" — Maria Montessori" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/maria-montessori-709_adults_the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environmen_206318.png" --- # The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it… ![“The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.” quote by Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/maria-montessori-709_adults_the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environmen_206318.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/maria-montessori-709_adults_the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environmen_206318.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/maria-montessori-709_adults_the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environmen_206318.png) > “The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.” [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The environment should foster child independence as much as possible. **In simple terms:** Design spaces for child autonomy. Key Takeaway Create supportive, child‑centered settings. Themes education independence environment Mood inspirational practical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - classrooms - home schooling - play areas - early childhood programs Key Concepts developmental psychology autonomy learning theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance guidance and freedom? - What elements promote self‑directed learning? A Different Perspective Complete independence is unrealistic; adult guidance remains essential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Growing children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-children/) [Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/montessori/) ## Related quotes > [It's best make changes little by little, the same as you'd put clothes upon a growing child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gregory/it-s-best-make-changes-little-by-little-the-same-as-you-d-put-clothes/) [Lady Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gregory/) > [This is the treasure we need today - helping the child become independent of us and make his way by himself, receiving in return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/this-is-the-treasure-we-need-today-helping-the-child-become/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [I have an only child. She's so independent and good with adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-allen/i-have-an-only-child-she-s-so-independent-and-good-with-adults/) [Tim Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-allen/) > [My parents separated when I was very small. I grew up with my mother, and I was a single child then. She was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-garcia-bernal/my-parents-separated-when-i-was-very-small-i-grew-up-with-my-mother/) [Gael Garcia Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-garcia-bernal/) > [“Tristan the child had been gone for a long time. He had gone where children go, slipped away into manhood as if he’d never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lise-mcclendon/tristan-the-child-had-been-gone-for-a-long-time-he-had-gone-where/) Lise McClendon > [“When your children are very young it is impossible to imagine a life where they will not live with you, where you will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-wheeler/when-your-children-are-very-young-it-is-impossible-to-imagine-a-life/) Maureen Wheeler > [He said he loved me And I believed him He was full of shit And now I'm growing his child from within](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marly/he-said-he-loved-me-and-i-believed-him-he-was-full-of-shit-and-now-i/) [Marly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marly/) > [I experienced different things growing up as a child that helped me. That helped mold me into the man that I am now, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jameis-winston/i-experienced-different-things-growing-up-as-a-child-that-helped-me/) [Jameis Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jameis-winston/) > [I had a bad background just growing up as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-durk/i-had-a-bad-background-just-growing-up-as-a-child/) [Lil Durk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-durk/) > [Growing up as a child actress, there was much I got to do and yet so much that I missed out on. Therefore, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-richards/growing-up-as-a-child-actress-there-was-much-i-got-to-do-and-yet-so/) [Kim Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-richards/) > [“There was no fear of sandpaper earth, no sense of danger from a bare-skinned spill, for the boy was a child—a six-foot, one-inch growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-taylor/there-was-no-fear-of-sandpaper-earth-no-sense-of-danger-from-a-bare/) [Tony Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-taylor/) > [The art of Montessori, which simply means finding the best way to help the child himself become what he was meant to become from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-art-of-montessori-which-simply-means-finding-the-best-way-to-help/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual's total development lags behind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/for-what-is-the-use-of-transmitting-knowledge-if-the-individual-s/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The observation of the way in which the children pass from the first disordered movements to those which are spontaneous and ordered -- this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-observation-of-the-way-in-which-the-children-pass-from-the-first/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) ## More by Maria Montessori > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The undisciplined child enters into discipline by working in the company of others; not being told he is naughty.” “Discipline is, therefore, primarily a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-undisciplined-child-enters-into-discipline-by-working-in-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [When you have solved the problem of controlling the attention of the child, you have solved the entire problem of its education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/when-you-have-solved-the-problem-of-controlling-the-attention-of-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Adults look upon a child as something empty that is to be filled through their own efforts, as something inert and helpless for which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/adults-look-upon-a-child-as-something-empty-that-is-to-be-filled/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The observation of the way in which the children pass from the first disordered movements to those which are spontaneous and ordered -- this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-observation-of-the-way-in-which-the-children-pass-from-the-first/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The teacher's task is not a small easy one! She has to prepare a huge amount of knowledge to satisfy the child's mental hunger.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-teacher-s-task-is-not-a-small-easy-one-she-has-to-prepare-a-huge/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Education is a work of self-organization by which man adapts himself to the conditions of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/education-is-a-work-of-self-organization-by-which-man-adapts-himself/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The possibility of observing the developments of the psychical life of the child as natural phenomena and experimental reactions transforms the school itself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-possibility-of-observing-the-developments-of-the-psychical-life/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Never help a child with a task that they feel they can complete themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/never-help-a-child-with-a-task-that-they-feel-they-can-complete/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [It is not the child as a physical but as a psychic being that can provide a strong impetus to the betterment of mankind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-not-the-child-as-a-physical-but-as-a-psychic-being-that-can/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [By the age of three, the child has already laid down the foundations of his personality as a human being, and only then does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/by-the-age-of-three-the-child-has-already-laid-down-the-foundations/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Rewards and punishments, to speak frankly, are the desk of the soul, that is, a means of enslaving a child's spirit, and better suited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/rewards-and-punishments-to-speak-frankly-are-the-desk-of-the-soul/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) [Explore all 397 Maria Montessori quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) ## More Adults quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) K. Anders Ericsson > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maria Montessori" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environment-is-as-far-as-it-is-possible/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adults" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environment-is-as-far-as-it-is-possible/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/maria-montessori-709_adults_the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environmen_206318.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/maria-montessori-709_adults_the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environmen_206318.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/maria-montessori-709_adults_the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environmen_206318.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child…” — Maria Montessori", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Maria Montessori", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first aim of the prepared...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environment-is-as-far-as-it-is-possible/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-first-aim-of-the-prepared-environment-is-as-far-as-it-is-possible/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```