Montessori Materials
/Components of a Montessori Classroom
The most widely known (and misunderstood) component of a Montessori classroom is Montessori materials. While there is often consistency in materials from one Montessori classroom to another, it is not so much the specificity that defines these materials as it is their principles and intent.
This post will walk through what makes materials in line with the Montessori philosophy and how this can look in the home.
““...[the materials’] aim is not the external one of teaching children skills or imparting knowledge through ‘correct usage.’ Rather, the aim is an internal one of assisting the child’s self-construction and psychic development. They aid this growth by providing the child with stimuli that capture his attention and initiate a process of concentration.””
Montessori Materials
Pink tower. Brown stairs. Knobbed Cylinders. Bead stairs. Chances are, any classroom that claims to be “Montessori” will have many of these same materials.
But here’s a little secret:
You don’t have to have any particular or specific materials to consider yourself a Montessori home.
A Montessori approach is much more about how an adult guides a child through her learning.
That being said, Montessori classrooms tend to use common materials as a way to inspire curiosity and provide consistency with a similar framework in mind. The heavy emphasis on individuality is what encourages teachers to be flexible in their approach to introducing these materials.
Meaningfulness to Child
It doesn’t matter how “Montessori” a set of materials is. If the child isn’t interested or at the level of the materials, the materials are useless to that child.
A key ingredient for materials used in a Montessori approach is that the child has an internal interest or a curiosity about what she is learning. Her learning must be of her own pursuit if she is to retain, understand, and appreciate the material.
The responsibility of the adult is to observe the child. What materials or toys does she self-select? Where does she spend most of her time? What holds her attention the longest?
By observing the child, the adult can provide an environment that moves and grows with the child’s interests.
Isolated Focus
Walk down any standard toy aisle today and you’ll see every bell and whistle that children could imagine.
The louder, flashier, more cumbersome, and prescribed a toy is, the less likely it is to be in line with a Montessori approach. This might come as great news to parents tired of the chaos and mess these toys bring into homes.
Something Montessori materials usually emphasize is one single purpose.
A single, isolated focus of a material helps young children also develop the ability to focus their attention. They learn to isolate the problem of that work, and then they attend to that sole task in front of them.
While screen time often takes the brunt of the blame for the attention issues that plague our youngest generations, it’s arguably a result of toys that scream for children to keep moving, keep pushing buttons, keep interacting. This puts the responsibility of holding attention on the toy rather than the child.
With only one problem presented by each work or material, a child is intuitively responsible for the operation of the work.
Progression in Complexity
Similarly to each material needing to be meaningful to the child, the work presented must also fit the child’s developmental needs.
Materials and work in a Montessori classroom are generally arranged on the shelf based on their complexity. Each work builds on the previous to allow for a natural progression of acquired skills.
This obviously, again, must come with the adult’s ability to remain flexible and observant. Yes, a child needs work that allows her to build on prior knowledge. But the materials are meant to fit the child at a developmentally appropriate time...not the child to fit the material progression.
Foundation for Future Learning
Montessori materials are made very intentionally. While each work is meant to isolate a specific problem or focus, many other indirect skills are being built.
Examples of this indirect skill-building:
The knobs on the geography puzzles are designed to later help a child with her pencil grip.
Working with the math beads is an exercise in fine motor skills.
The pink tower helps a child recognize cubes from 1cm to 10 cm, thus establishing an understanding of standard metric lengths.
Metal insets help a child as they practice pencil strokes that will later be used to form letters.
So while each material focuses on one specific task, there is long-term intentionality in the development behind every material used.
Concrete to Abstract
We’ve talked a lot about the absorbent mind of young children. Montessori materials are designed based on this understanding.
A young child cannot understand what she cannot touch.
Montessori materials grow progressively more complex, and this includes moving a child through concrete, manipulatable learning all the way to abstract application. The foundation of concrete learning is laid for years before trying to force abstract notions.
A child does not work with the visual representation of the value of one (“1”) until she has worked with one bar, one cube, one spindle. There’s less emphasis on her learning to count to 20, and more time spent developing an understanding of value and quantity.
The alphabet is not taught by the name of the letters, rather, Montessori students learn each letter by its phonetic sound. This gives the child a practical understanding of the purpose of letters. It allows her to find use in letters and motivates her to unlock the code as she learns each sound.
Control of Error
Finally, an important feature of Montessori materials is their control of error.
“Follow the child” we always hear in the Montessori world. But how can this be done if the adult is the one with the knowledge to impart?
Montessori materials are designed to allow for a child to work independently (after being introduced to each work by the adult). But this means the work needs to be set up in a way that the child can correct herself when she makes mistakes.
The pink tower is noticeably unbalanced if blocks are placed in the wrong order. The knobbed cylinder work can only be completed if each cylinder is in its correct home. The countries of North America only fit in their proper orientation in the puzzle.
Through self-correcting works, students build confidence and independence. They practice and perfect skills without needing a teacher to be the gatekeeper of knowledge.
Home Application
The intentionality of Montessori materials is great, but how can this all be accomplished within the home?
A Montessori approach can truly look different in each home and each classroom. That’s part of the beauty. It isn’t a prescribed set of rules. Rather, there are guiding principles and overarching goals for an independent, confident learner.
But if you’re looking for a starting point, here are a few things to try as you find how to best implement this in your home:
Most importantly, remember that a Montessori approach invites your child into your daily life and tasks. Make chores fun, engaging, and approachable for your child by investing in child-sized tools. Cook with your child. Teach her to fold laundry. Each of these tasks can become a shared responsibility and a time for connection.
Ditch the toy bin. A pile of toys is much less inviting than carefully displayed toys. Find a shelf or two. Place toy sets out in a way that attracts your child’s attention.
Rotate toys. Instead of making all toys available at once, try putting out only 6 - 10 carefully selected toys. It seems counterintuitive, but having fewer options helps a child sustain attention longer.
Lean toward open-ended toys such as Legos, Magnet Tiles, building blocks, etc. These toys don’t do the thinking and playing for the child, rather they invite her to use her own mind to create, work, and build.
Observe your child. What is she drawn to? What does she choose to do during her free time? What can she do independently? Find and rotate in toys that appeal to her current stage and interests.
Let her be bored. Flashy toys and alluring screen time often convince us that children suffer from boredom. This couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s great beauty in boredom, and this can often be the state in which the greatest ideas are born. Don’t feel the need to solve boredom for your child like it’s a problem. Allow her to work through it and feel comfortable with boredom.
Most of all, remember that a Montessori approach is about the growth of a child and the growth of the adult. As you explore how this can look in your own home dynamic, give your child and yourself the grace to change and grow.