How does montessori teach math

As children develop in the Montessori learning environment, they become ready to encounter more concrete mathematics materials that explore abstract thought, beginning with quantity. Quantity is first presented to the child in the form of variables to avoid confusion. The Montessori teacher will use a material, such as the Number Rods, in order to introduce quantities from one to ten. The red and blue partitions of the Number Rods make the quantity countable. The number rods are then given a name and a number.

As the child works with the rods, they begin to realise that the first rod is the unit of measurement, with which the other rods can be measured.

Teaching a friend to do a new lesson is a reinforcement of the lesson itself. There are, however, a few exceptions. We reserve some of the more abstract concepts for the kindergarten year. These lessons are taught in small groups with individual practice to follow:.

The Montessori math materials provide years of hands-on learning for the Montessori child. After three years in the classroom, most children will have a solid foundation of quantity, place value, and the mathematical operations. They are ready to move on to elementary and the wider world of math! We offer half-day and full-day Montessori programs for children 3 years of age through kindergarten. All tours remain virtual at this time. Use the button below to schedule your tour through our Facebook page or give us a call at We look forward to seeing you virtually and answering whatever questions you have about our program.

When I became a foster mother, I started researching different parenting and education ideas. Learning about the Montessori Method has been intriguing and fascinating, and I have enjoyed watching the little ones in my life learn and grow from incorporating Montessori elements into our family's lifestyle. Montessori For Today was started to provide answers to my own questions, which will hopefully become a great resource for others to learn about the Montessori Method, Montessori Schools, and how you can incorporate elements of Montessori into your own home and lifestyle.

The Montessori method is gaining popularity throughout the world, not only for formal child education but as a way to provide childcare outside the classroom.

With a focus on independence, freedom, Even before a child is able to count, they experience the skill using materials like the Number Rods, a series of blue and red coloured wooden rods that are arranged in a stair-like pattern. Children learn how to count using a variety of materials.

The Spindle Box is an early material with which children place the correct number of wooden spindles in compartments labeled Sandpaper Numbers just like their letter counterparts!

When a child is ready to learn about basic operations, there are plenty of materials to support them. Montessori mathematics uses the Golden Bead Material; first to build numbers into the thousands. For example a single golden bead represents a unit, a group of 10 unit beads are strung together in a straight line for 10, and beads are affixed into a flat square. The thousand cube is as large as 1, of the original single unit bead.

Once a child is able to build a visual representation of a number, the beads are used to teach basic operations. Young children are able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers into the thousands using this material. They first learn with static problems — that is, with no exchanges — and then move on to more complex, dynamic problems.

They quickly learn that ten units are equal to one 10, and they do this by holding those numbers in their hands. Montessori recognises the importance of memorising basic facts. While when we were young we may have used flashcards to drill these facts into our heads, the Montessori approach begins by showing children why we manipulate numbers in different ways.

Young children appreciate the repetitive nature of the materials, which gives them plenty of opportunities to practice and memorise! The Addition and Subtraction Strip Boards show a child visually what is happening when we add numbers. The same goes for the Multiplication and Division Bead Boards which use small beads placed in divots on a wooden board to create an array. Somewhere between Kindergarten and the first year of Lower Primary, children are taught to use new mathematical materials depending upon their individual readiness.

The Stamp Game is a sectioned box with small colored tiles sorted inside. Instead of holding a large cube that actually shows the relative size of one thousand as they did with the Golden Beads, they are now representing series of tiles that are all the same size, but are differentiated only by their color and number label. Like the Golden Beads, the Stamp Game material is used to teach all four operations, with children adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing into the thousands.

Some children begin this work in their Pre-Primary classroom and continue when they reach Lower Primary, while others begin once they enter their Lower Primary classroom. After a child masters operations with the Stamp Game, they move on to use a material called the Small Bead Frame, which can teach addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

It looks a bit like an abacus, but with ten beads on each rod in the hierarchical colors.