Montessori Philosophy - The Montessori Mommy

Children, Schedules, and Routines – Oh my!

Routine. Schedule. We often use these words interchangeably. In many cases, they can be used interchangeably. It’s easy to find posts on different people’s suggested routines and schedules. As a stay-at-home mom, I love having a schedule to follow. It keeps me on my toes. For my kids, routines save the day. Or night.

What’s the Difference?

Simply put, schedules tell you when you do things and routines are how you do things. A schedule will look like a list of things you do attached to a time. Wake up at 6:00, out the door by 8, lunch at 12, home at 6, dinner at 7.

A routine tells us in what order we do things and often fills in blanks within a schedule. First you do this, then you do that. When you wake up, put your slippers on, brush your teeth, pull your hair back, and grab a cup of coffee, and browse news articles. A routine may not seem like a big deal, and you may not even think about it while it’s happening. Sometimes we never even think about it, such as when you brush your teeth: grab the toothbrush, then the toothpaste. Wet the brush and and add the toothpaste. You may not even be thinking about each of these things while you do it.

What do children need?

In my own experiences as a caregiver, teacher, and parent, I have to say routines rule the day. Young children, especially, crave consistency (sensitive period for order!) and predictability. While creating a routine and sticking to it may be difficult, once the routine is established, it makes things run like clockwork. Suddenly you’ll find your child automatically hanging her jacket up when she comes in and getting ready for bed with almost no prompting. Everyone feels happier and more relaxed.

Schedules can be useful, but I have found it often causes stress for parents. The biggest reason? Children do not understand how time passes yet, let alone how to tell time. Some parents have chosen, or been encouraged, to keep a rigid schedule for their children. On the one hand, this will create a routine and make life predictable for the child. On the other, life often does not follow our set schedules. Maybe your child sleeps in and throws the time off the schedule. Or maybe you have decided snack is at 9:30, but your child is not hungry at that time today.

In my experience, schedules work best when used as guidelines to help adults keep on track. For example, we start school at 9. This gives my kids plenty of time to eat, get dressed, and play before school. But sometimes we start around 8:30 and other times we start at 9:30.

Creating a Routine at Home

The best routines are the simple ones. An easy morning routine is wake up, diaper/potty, breakfast, clothes, brush teeth. At bedtime, we normally have dinner, clean up, shower, brush teeth, get jammies on, and read in bed. Most nights, there is very little argument about what needs to happen.

I also like to look at the whole day. Again, I don’t have a set time most of these things happen, but generally this is our day:

Breakfast
Get ready for the day
Free play, indoor or outdoor
School time
Lunch
Outdoor play
Reading or TV
Indoor play
Dinner
Bed

Once you have decided what you feel will work best for you and your family, you have to be diligent in making it happen. Do you want your child to hang his coat up as soon as he walks in the door? Every time he comes in, be there and remind him. Be kind and firm. Model doing the same. If he starts to leave his coat on the floor, let him know.

And sometimes, life gets in the way. You have a few kids, one kid left their coat on the floor while you were helping someone else, the dog is begging for attention, and something has just spilled on the floor. If it is my toddler’s coat on the floor, I often just hang it up for them. For a toddler, the moment has passed and their attention is elsewhere. If it is my older daughter’s coat on the floor, I have her come back and hang it up.

What routines or schedules have helped your family?

Montessori Toys – Wooden or Not?

Wooden materials are very common in Montessori classrooms, along with glass, metal, and other “real” materials. As often as possible, Montessori environments avoid the use of plastic. Of course, this is not always reasonable or possible, though we try.

Why not wooden?

Given the choice, I would purchase wooden options for toys and materials for play and homeschool. I outline why, below. But there are somethings I will not buy a wooden variety of and others I simply don’t.

When looking at which materials to purchase or create, I have a few things to consider. Firstly, what is the child to be learning from the material? Is there something to be lost, or gained, from going a non-traditional route? Next, I compare costs. There are a variety of companies making Montessori materials and many ideas for DIY materials. Can I easily make this material myself or is it time consuming? Do the supplies to make it cost almost as much as the material itself? Finally, how long will the material be used? When in a classroom, I know it will be used by many children over many years and a higher quality is best. At home, a material may only be used for a short time and maybe only with my children.

There are also things that I intentionally do not buy wooden versions of. Even in my classroom, I did not use wooden animals to learn about animals. If we were studying animals, such as animals of South America, I would have a collection of plastic, painted figures. They are often very realistic and give a good idea of what an animal looks like. I have used wooden animals, though they are displayed as art from a culture or as a polishing work. At home, LEGO blocks are a favorite. We have wooden blocks too, but the LEGOs have their own benefits.

Our homemade tray for the bead stair. Not as beautiful as a wooden tray, but it serves its purpose.

For math work, I bought a box of bead bars. I did not want paper and I did not want to do it myself, the cost was reasonable and I can use these bead bars for most anything we needed bead bars for. When it came time to display the bead stair for my youngest, I looked at buying a bead stair tray. It was far more expensive than I was willing to pay, but we needed something. Cue water, baking soda, and corn starch! I made a quick “clay” that has been serving us well. It’s not perfect but my kids’ attention is drawn to the beautiful beads and they easily complete the activity.

Fraction circles cut from felt, an easy and inexpensive DIY

A Final Consideration

Maria Montessori spent a lot of time developing specific materials to be used in the classroom. What she did not do was design toys to be used in free play at home. When looking at which toys to bring in, think about what your child may gain or learn from them, their longevity, and how interested your child may actually be in the toy. We have Barbie dolls at home. They’re used nearly every day for some very imaginative stories. They live in the wooden block houses my kids build and sometimes in cardboard boxes. And I’m OK with it. I don’t like “character” toys so you won’t find toys from popular TV shoes and movies in our home, but that’s just my own preference.

Why wooden, anyway?

Montessori environments aim to give children real experiences. The classroom is meant to feel like home, but at a child’s size. Tables, chairs, shelves, and sinks are low. They are given ceramic and glass cups and dishes- while some may break, they also learn the importance of being respectful of materials.

I love wooden toys and materials. Wood materials are beautiful. They draw children and adults alike to the shelves, eager to see, touch, and explore them. Whether it’s a wooden carving a child can polish or the classic “Pink Tower,” wood is an attractive material.

Additionally, wood material carries weight. When a child picks up the wood carving to polish it, he can feel the substance of the carving. It encourages him to treat it more carefully as he moves and turns it as he polishes it. When a child is building the pink tower, she begins with the smallest cube and carries each to her rug, one at a time. The smallest cube is tiny and nearly weightless. With each cube, the weight increases in correlation with the size. By the time she is lifting the tenth cube, the weight is far more substantial. As a sensorial material, this is incredibly important. Had the cubes been made of plastic, it would not have the same effect.

Further, wooden materials are more natural, giving yet another connection to the natural world for the child. Nature is an important part of Montessori philosophy, so it is only fitting to choose materials to encourage that connection. Being a natural material, it is kinder to the environment to use wooden materials over plastic. Not only do wooden materials typically last much longer than plastic materials, but they are biodegradable.

In Your Own Home

What works for my family? This is the question I ask frequently when buying things, whether for the household or for my children. When I see other people buying something I might not want in my house, that’s ok. We all have different priorities, tastes, and needs. You might love that print of Picasso in your home but I love the relatively unknown artist’s painting from a favorite vacation spot.

What considerations do you make when buying Montessori-aligned materials?

But when will my child do math with pencil and paper?

Watching a young child use the golden bead material to complete math equations in the thousands is impressive to most people. Observers make comments such as, “Wow, I definitely was not adding numbers that large that young!” or “She’s not just doing the work, she seems to really understand what she’s doing.”

Then there are the more skeptical observers: “Ok, but how will he learn to do math traditionally, on pencil and paper?” The short answer is yes, when he is ready. Though that is not often satisfactory to a skeptical adult. Understandably so – it’s one thing to pull out your phone to do a quick calculation, but certainly not practical to whip out your set of golden beads to add those big numbers!

The goal of concrete Montessori materials is to give children a deep, sensorial experience of the subject matter. Giving them the hands on experiences ensures they will really understand what one is just as well as they can understand how much larger one thousand is. The wonder in a young child’s eyes as they first hold the heavy thousand cube is beautiful. As they move through the curriculum, this understanding stays with them.

Passage to Abstraction

Eventually a child outgrows the golden bead material. As he masters the operations with the golden beads, the materials becomes boring and tedious. To add numbers like 5,652 + 3,427 means a lot of beads, carrying heavy objects, and more cleaning up. It’s just a lot to do when you already know what 1,000 is.

After this comes the Montessori stamp game. Rather than many, many beads, children have a set of square “stamps” color coded green for units, blue for tens, red for hundreds, green for thousands. On each stamp is printed either a 1, 10, 100, or 1,000. It is still somewhat concrete, but more abstract. As the child outgrows this material, things like the dot board and bead frames will come next.

Eventually, children begin to outgrow these materials as well. The final step is traditional pencil and paper math. At this point, the concept is well understood by the child. Adding large numbers is something they have probably been doing for years at this point. Some children will just say, “Oh, that makes sense,” after they receive a lesson. They have felt the difference in numbers with their hands, giving them a deeper understanding of place value. They have counted ten and carried it over to the next place, so adding that little “1” on top of the equation is logical.

And the other math?

Other math follows similar progression. Simple addition up to 20 can be counted on bead bars, with the addition strip board, and finger charts. Multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, and geometry all have hands-on, concrete materials available for the first lessons. Even concepts like algebra can be explored with manipulatives before learning more traditional methods.

But are they really ready for all this math?

To some, this may seem unnecessary. Or they see young children in preschool, kindergarten, or lower elementary working on concepts they did not learn until much older and feel the children are being pushed or forced to do work above their developmental abilities.

The best argument I have is to encourage you to observe these materials in action. Children are excited to do this work and choose it of their own free will. Children are so curious about the world and are driven to understand it better. The Montessori materials give them a concrete way to do so. When children seem to feel like they are being pushed to do more than they are ready for or want to do, Montessori guides often step back, observe, and ask questions. Sometimes a child who has seemed ready was not quite ready to move to the next step. Or maybe they’ve truly mastered it and are feeling bored, which can result in mistakes.

When I first discovered the Montessori math materials, I felt (as do many!) envious. How I wished I had been taught to do math this way. As someone who often struggled with mathematical concepts, I feel I would have grasped concepts much quicker had I been able to see how they worked. The squaring and cubing chains make sense of squared and cubed numbers. Carrying numbers makes sense when you can physically do it a few times. Fractions and decimals are quite simple when you can hold 1/2 in your hand.

What are your thoughts on the Montessori math progression?

You’re Wrong! How to Kindly Handle Learning Mistakes

Imagine you are outside with your child, admiring the beautiful flowers blooming in a garden. As you and your child come to some pretty red roses, she excitedly says, “Look! A purple flower!”

But… these are not purple flowers. There aren’t even any purple flowers nearby, that you can see. These flowers are definitely red. You have two choices. You can kindly correct your little one or you can keep it in your mind for later.

The Montessori Philosophy

In a Montessori classroom, we try to avoid correcting the child and telling them they are wrong. Maria Montessori understood children are still learning and are doing their best. Just like adults, they do not always know the right answer. When children show us they are still working on mastering a topic, we try to remember that observation. This may mean they need a refresher lesson.

In the case of the red/purple roses, I might say, “Aren’t those flowers pretty? Do you like them?” and engage her in conversation. I may try to work in color naming to the conversation. Perhaps I will notice a different red flower and point it out, saying something like, “Wow, I love this red flower! Do you see the red flower?” At home, I would probably spend more time naming colors and doing activities with colors.

This is true for most any mistake or misunderstanding. If a child is adding 2 + 2 and gets 5, I let it be. As the child continues to practice addition equations, I will try to note why he might have gotten 5. Did he simply miscount? Did he grab the wrong number of beads? I will also look for an emerging pattern. If he goes through a set of addition equations and they are all incorrect, I will make a note to go over the lesson again with the child. If there is only one mistake, I may assume it was a simple mistake and more practice is needed.

Another thing to consider is that the child may not actually be wrong! Sometimes other people are seeing things in a different way than us and it gives them a different answer. Maybe they yell, “Blue jay!” excitedly while you see a robin hopping across the yard. What you don’t immediately notice is the blue jay sitting in the branch over the swing set. Or the purple flower hiding below the red roses.

A beautiful red rose, with lovely purple flowers behind!
Photo by BENE GARDEN on Pexels.com

But shouldn’t children know when they’re incorrect?

As an adult looking to teach children – whether it is your own child or a classroom of children – we often feel pressure to correct them. If we don’t tell them the red flower is actually red, and not purple, will they believe red is called purple? Will the wrong answer become embedded in their little brains?

In all likelihood, no. When we instantly correct a child, they will have a harder time truly learning it. In many cases, we will still be spending more time giving exposure and lessons to the proper terminology and methods. Additionally, think about how many times a day a child might make a mistake as they are learning. It may be many times a day as they are learning a new skill. When children frequently hear about their mistakes, it can become discouraging. If every time they try their addition work, you point out the incorrect equations, eventually they will be resistant to addition. They may feel like they can’t do it at all.

Further, immediately correcting a child will often mean disrupting concentration. One of the goals in a Montessori environment is to encourage children to have good concentration. We allow them to do their work (and play!) independently and become absorbed in it. Stepping in to correct them interrupts and makes it more difficult for them to learn deep concentration.

Montessori Materials and the Control of Error

Most Montessori materials have a built in “control of error.” This means there is a built in function that will let the child realize independently if he has made a mistake. Puzzles fit together in a particular way, sorting materials have an equal number of items per category, counting materials have exactly the right number of objects, and so on.

If a child is counting objects to match to numbers and gets to the number 10 but has eleven objects, something has the wrong number of items. A child may be able to figure this out on her own or she may choose to ask for help. Regardless, the child will feel better than if she were told (again) she was wrong.

Here, she is spelling words with the moveable alphabet. When she got to “blot” she made “dlot.” When she flipped over that card, she immediately saw the error and corrected it. And laughed about it!

When We Do Step In

The times we step in and immediately correct a child is typically limited to two occastions.

1: They are not being safe.
2: They are using something improperly

Of course we want our children to be safe and if you feel your child is being unsafe, then it is absolutely fine to step in and correct your child. In these situations, I try to keep things calm and kind. For example, my daughter had pulled a tall stool into the middle of the room and climbed on top. I could see she was not well balanced and could get hurt if she fell. I approached her so I could catch her if needed and said, “Wow, you are up high! This is not a safe place to be up high. You can get down yourself or I will help you.” When she got down, I invited her to climb in a more appropriate location.

In a Montessori classroom, many guides to not allow children to explore materials unless they have had a lesson on how to use it. The philosophy behind this is wanting to be sure the child understands for what the material is used. This way, a child does not have an incorrect usage in mind already which can take away from later understanding and meaning.

At home, many activities we have are more open ended materials so there are not certain “right” ways to use the materials. For me, unless there is a Montessori material being used, I leave it up to our own house rules. If I think a material or toy might break, I will step in. If it is something that could lead to someone getting hurt, I will step in. But I generally try to let them explore with their creativity.

How do you handle mistakes at home? Do you find yourself correcting more often than you like?

Numbers and Counting! Where to Start?

Many toddlers can proudly count to ten, fifteen, twenty, or more. Adults are often so excited and proud of their little ones counting higher and higher. The excitement is often shared by the youngster, happily rattling off numbers whenever someone requests it.

Don’t get me wrong, rote counting is an important skill. It is a necessary step in learning more advanced math concepts. Counting to a high number may sound impressive coming from a young child’s mouth. However, rote counting does not teach children what numbers mean.

Beginning Steps

Exposure to number and counting is still the first step. In Montessori environments, adults do not explicitly teach this, however. It is worked into everyday activities. Perhaps your toddler is stacking some blocks and excitedly shows you. A great response might be, “Wow! 1, 2, 3, 4… You stacked four blocks!” Or perhaps you and your toddler decide to start hopping outside. Count the hops! Or maybe count the cups of flour she’s pouring into the bowl. There are countless (pun, sorry!) opportunities to introduce counting to toddlers.

The first milestone I look for is the child counting from one to five. I will still count higher than this, usually up to ten at this point. Once a child has started counting to five, I begin to be more intentional with math.

One to One Correspondence

After a child is confidently counting to five or higher, I start inviting her to count objects with me. To start, I keep the number to five or less. The goal is to develop one to one correspondence; that is, understanding that each object in the group is counted one time and corresponds to the number. I try to keep these activities organic for toddlers, just as when I am first introducing rote counting. Often, toddlers are excited to count along with others.

When first beginning, I expect children to count objects twice, miss objects, or say the wrong number sometimes. That’s ok! They are still learning. Generally, in Montessori, we avoid pointing out to the child the is wrong. It can be demoralizing to a child, especially if he has been working hard to do something and the adult’s response is about how he did it wrong. Instead, I observe and make note of the errors. Do we need to practice more rote counting? Or do the objects need to be better lined up to see each one in order? The error is a clue to me how to help the child as we move forward.

All By Myself!

Anyone with experience with toddlers has likely experienced a toddler announcing they want to do something, “All by myself!” Counting independently is no different. Eventually children start noticing number themselves and will happily count objects. One of the first things my younger daughter started counting independently was the dots on her step stool. It was a great thing to do while potty training. Sometimes it feels less enjoyable, like the time we had to count every single bush on the way into the doctor’s office.

Counting 1 – 5. Matching pom poms to the corresponding colors, which also match the Montessori bead bars.

At this point, she can confidently count 5 objects and she is working on counting up to ten objects. That is as high as her rote counting goes. I will count to higher numbers with her, but when she counts independently past 11, numbers start getting silly. And that’s ok!

Primary Goal

The primary goal of early math experiences in a Montessori environment is to give children a concrete understanding of number. I want to know that young children I am working with understand what they are doing. When we talk about the number five, I want them to know there are five objects.

Like the other areas of the Montessori classroom, the materials and activities focus on helping children develop understanding of what they are working with before moving onto more complicated topics.

Written Numbers

Written number recognition will come later. Some parents like to teach children this early. There is nothing wrong with this. A toddler who has learned what each numeral is will certainly enjoy finding them in the world, such as noticing the house has a number “8” on it. The problem Montessorians find is that there is no understanding tied to the number recognition; the child often has memorized what each number looks like and can recite it back.

Montessori guides typically introduce numerals later. Once a child is confidently rote counting, we look to see that she has also mastered one to one correspondence. At this point, when we introduce the numerals, there will be understanding tied to the number.

When did your child begin counting? I’d love to hear how your family chose to incorporate counting and number understanding with your children!

Why should children do chores? And how to get there?

Children doing chores brings up a lot of feelings for parents. Some families expect children to do chores while other families do not wish to impose them on their kids. There are reasons parents have come to their decision and they often feel strongly about this topic, whatever they have decided.

In Montessori classrooms and homes, chores are an expectation. Maria Montessori saw benefits, described below, of children doing the work. Not only that- young children enjoyed it! Just think of how often your toddler “helpfully” puts all the mail in the trash or tries to sweep crumbs up, while really just making a larger mess.

We typically feel annoyed or frustrated and make the situation stop. Or maybe you don’t, but you are not sure where to start with teaching chores. Jump to see which chores will be appropriate for your children.

Why Chores?

Maria Montessori found children are far more capable than society believed. Once a child has been shown how to do a job, they will practice it for a while. How long depends on the child, the difficulty of the job, and how often it is done.

Montessori classrooms handle classroom jobs in different ways, but typically they are responsible for cleaning the classroom. (Note: it is also cleaned by adults after the children leave!) Children are expected to dust, care for plants, sweep, vacuum, clean windows, and do anything else that needs to be done.

Studies have also found chores are beneficial for children. For one, it helps them feel like an important part of the family; a “we’re all in this together” mindset. It can also be a source of pride, knowing they “did it.” Chores are beneficial in raising self-sufficient, independent children.

Introducing Chores

Montessori classrooms teach children how to do many simple housekeeping chores. We introduce children to one job at a time and use child sized tools. Classrooms have small brooms, squirt bottles, and carpet sweepers. In my own home, I have also have a stick vacuum and a hand vacuum for our kids.

Everything a child needs to do each task should be easy to access. For example, we keep the broom and dust pan hanging in easy reach in the kitchen. A squirt bottle (just water for my kids) and some microfiber cloths are in a bin to clean windows.

My first daughter has been doing laundry since she was 4.5. Stickers on the machine and laundry pods help her to be successful.

The next thing to do is give the lesson. I start the lesson by getting the tool(s) we will need and doing some of the task. Secondly, I model cleaning up my supplies, which might include dumping the dust pan in the trash or putting the cloth in the laundry. Then we put our supplies away. Next, I will put the tools away. Finally, I will invite the child to do the task himself.

Practice Makes Perfect

Children often do not clean as well as we would like. I handle this in a few ways. If I am with the child and they are still engaged in the task, I will show her what she needs to do. For example, if a child is sweeping, I may point to some crumbs she may have missed.

It is more complicated if the child has decided the job is already finished. For young children or children who are just learning how to complete the task, I often just let it be. I will take care of it later, but never in front of the child! If the child sees me “fixing” their work, it feels demeaning and will make them wonder why they did it in the first place. If it is an older child or a child who has practiced the job often, I will call her back to do a better job, but kindly. “Susan, I noticed you have finished sweeping, but there are still crumbs in the corner. Please sweep them up, then we will come back to this.”

Which chores are right for my child?

The first chores I start with my children are those of personal responsibility. This means putting toys away, putting their dirty clothes in the basket, and cleaning up after themselves. Gradually I add more household responsibilities as is developmentally appropriate. If my children express an interest in something earlier though, I am happy to accomodate!

Here is a handy guide if you need some ideas for where to start:

Defining Space – How Montessori Children Use Rugs

**This post contains affiliate links**

One of the first things some adults notice in a Montessori classroom is the use of work rugs under a child’s activity. The mat is usually not too large; just big enough to contain all the materials a child will need for his activity.

Work rugs are an integral part of the Montessori classroom and one of the fist lessons a child receives. Rugs are typically stored rolled neatly. Showing a child where the rugs live is the first step. Next, the child practices unrolling it. After that, the child very carefully walks around the edge of the rug. We never walk on the work rug, it is only for work. Finally, the child rolls the rug bag up, very carefully, and returns it to its home.

My daughter’s carefully rolled rug. She chooses to make it stand after she rolls it – every time – to make sure she rolled it well.

Purpose of the Work Rug

Work rugs, or mats, define the child’s space. All of a child’s materials belong on the work rug. For extra large activities, children will add a second rug to their area. Work rugs keep the materials orderly, which appeals to a young child’s sense of order. Additionally, it appeals to adults looking to keep some semblance of order! 😉

The rug gives them a sense of ownership. The space is theirs and the materials are theirs. Other children may watch, but need permission to touch.

As a final step to an activity, work mats make cleaning much easier. Since all the materials are located on the work rug, the child need only focus on that one are when cleaning up. Suddenly, cleaning up feels more manageable. This is especially true when there is a bin or tray to return all the items to before returning to the shelf!

Additionally, work rugs limit the number of activities out at one time. Because the first activity is already on the rug, it is difficult for a second activity to come out. Ideally, there are enough rugs for each child to have one. This encourages children to clean up, without a reminder, before moving on to the next activity. An extra rug or two may be useful to accommodate extra large activities, but we try to avoid having too many rugs. This prevents children from getting a second rug for a second activity.

Not everything is exactly on the rug, but my toddler got this set up completely independently.

Work Rugs at Home

Work rugs can be used at home, too! We began introducing the rugs around the time my first was 18 months. When she was that young, I did not expect her to do this independently. I also did not interrupt activities to give her a work rug! Interrupting would have interfered with her developing concentration.

Instead, I would invite her to play with me, especially when I put out new activities. Excitedly, I invited her to play with me. “First, let’s get a work rug!” When she saw how happy I was with the rug, she was happy, too. She gladly helped me unroll the rug, we completed the activity, and she helped me roll the rug. The more often we did this together, the more ingrained it became.

As the second born child, our younger child has always seen work rugs being used with activities. At this point, at age 2, she is much better at using them than our first was at that age. Regardless, in toddlerhood I do not expect children to be independently consistent in using them.

As my first daughter has gotten older, she has developed an appreciation for the work rug, though she does not remember every single time. I asked her why she likes using work rugs, for both play and school, and this is what she told me:

It’s easy for her to know what is her job to clean up
She can show her sister whose activities are whose
It keeps things organized so she doesn’t lose pieces
She can move all her toys away from her sister easily by moving the rug
We let her “save” activities if they are on a work rug

As a parent, I love how much it simplifies things. There are times when my children forget to use a work rug. It is amazing how quickly their clean, tidy space seems to explode. No one knows who was playing with what, where things came from, or where to start cleaning. I’m overwhelmed looking at everything and they’re overwhelmed with the task of cleaning up.

When they have their things on the work rug, there are a lot of times I don’t even need to remind them to clean up! When I do, it is in the context of something else. For example, “We have to leave soon. The toys will need to be cleaned up before then.”

Have you tried using work rugs in your home? How has it worked for you? Still on the fence? I’d love to hear your questions and comments!

Choosing a Work Rug

You have many options if you are looking to add work rugs to your child’s play environment! Some things to look for are:

An appropriate size for your child to play on. Often 2′ x 3′ is a good size
Something that is flexible, so it can be rolled or folded when not in use
Something neutral or light colored and without distracting prints.

One rug that I have been happy with is the EOFEEL Montessori Work Rug. This rug is 31″ x 45″ and a good size and weight. My only complaint is that these rugs shrunk in the wash. I do like to wash the work rugs regularly to keep them clean and looking nice. Fortunately, they did not shrink so much to make them unusable. EOFEEL rugs also come in a smaller size, which is ideal for smaller activities or toddlers. At the time this was written, the larger EOFEEL rug was $25.44 and the smaller one was $10.43

The last rug I’ve used is this woven rag rug, which is about 2′ x 3′. Compared to the EOFEEL rugs, this is lighter weight and a little less sturdy, but for a cheaper price it seems well constructed. This has not noticeably shrunk in the wash, which I appreciate! At the time of writing this, the woven rag rug is $16.58 USD. The only thing I wish was different is that this rug is striped. It does not affect my children’s play when compared to a solid color mat, but I prefer the aesthetic of a solid colored rug.

Montessori Activities: Open Ended or Close Ended?

I frequently see images and ideas for beautiful, open ended children’s activities. The captions will say how well the activity is aligned to Montessori.

It’s not.

For those unfamiliar with the terms, open ended activities and materials are those that do not have a set outcome or way to use them. Art supplies, building blocks, and pretend play are common examples of open ended activities. Close ended activities are those which have a set way to use them and have a particular outcome. A board game, puzzle, or activities with a set of rules that must be followed are close ended activities.

After much trial and error, Maria Montessori developed a collection of materials designed to educate children. The activities were each carefully designed to show the child one thing. The sandpaper letters give children a sensorial experience when learning letter sounds. Geometric solids allow children to explore three dimensional shapes. Pouring activities allow children to practice pouring.

Building the puzzle map of South America, learning the names and shapes of the countries.

Close ended materials are the easiest way to teach children a new skill. You want them to practice using tongs? Set up a tonging activities. Are you trying to teach colors to your child? The color tablets are a great choice. The moveable alphabet is perfect for letting children build words. None of these activities lend themselves to free play. There are other educational outcomes, such as fine motor development or concentration. However, each material is designed as a closed ended activity.

Some of the benefits of Montessori philosophy and materials include:

Freedom to make independent choices
Explore complex ideas in a concrete way
Supporting a child’s innate sense of order
Give a child a sense of purpose and accomplishment

Open Ended Activities

Open ended activities are also great for children! There are other education methods that have far more emphasis on free play and open ended materials. Waldorf and Reggio Emilia schools come to mind. Open ended play encourages children’s creativity and expression. When children build with blocks, they create amazing structures. Children painting a picture explore color, lines, and other elements of art.

One of the things I noticed when comparing the benefits of open-ended versus close-ended, is the overlap of benefits.

Children learn to express themselves in a variety of ways
Children can navigate emotions and new experiences
They have a sense of freedom and independence
Development of confidence is supported
Children explore concepts without realizing it: for example, exploring the rules of physics when playing with a ball.

My Own Conclusion

I believe children need both. Something I keep in mind is that Maria Montessori developed an educational methodology. In our home, where we are homeschooling, we have a mixture of open ended and close ended activities. In the playroom, close ended activities are things like puzzles and board games. Open ended activities are dolls and building blocks. There is also a mix with outdoor play. Children can often spend hours exploring and playing outdoors in free, open ended play. We also spend time gardening, exploring, and completing different tasks.

When I choose activities for homeschool, I typically choose close ended ones. Our goal is to teach specific skills and support our children’s thirst for knowledge and understanding. I cannot say my children are always excited about new lessons or choosing work. We certainly have our moments!

After school time though, it is not uncommon to find either of my children choosing school activities and practicing skills with their close ended activities.

Montessori Language Activities

The Very Beginning

Even before infant say their first words, they are learning to understand their language- or languages if you’re a bilingual family! Infants learn to understand spoken language, in addition to gestures and facial expressions. As they take in everything, parents and caregivers want to be able to do all we can to support our children’s language development.

Early Montessori Activities

In toddler and primary Montessori classrooms, one focus in the language are is building vocabulary. One activity might be a basket of toy vehicles, such as a train, car, plane, and a bike. The children are free to explore the objects and the adult will name the objects for the child.

The next step will be matching objects to objects. These activities have a few sets of identical objects. The child is shown how to match the objects and may be given the names of each object as well.

After the child has mastered matching objects, she will be introduced to matching object to pictures. The pictures would first be photos of the objects, then possibly the shadow of the object, then an outline of the object.

Finally, children may begin matching with 3 part cards. These cards have a set of control cards, which have an image with a label, such as a photo of a jaguar and the word “jaguar” written below. Then there are a set of photo cards and a set of label cards. The child can practice matching the photos and the label cards to the control card, even before he learns to read.

These activities not only are helping children gain an extensive vocabulary, but are also supporting the development of visual discrimination. This is a skill that will help the child with letter recognition when the time comes.

Sound Games

Before actual letters are introduced to children, we play sound games with them. This helps build phonemic awareness. Often this game is called I Spy. This is a very easy game to play at home with your toddler, too.

We start with a basket of objects, ideally an object that has each beginning sound in the alphabet. Examples might be an apple, ball, cat, die, elephant, and so forth. For a very young child, I would invite the child (or children) to choose an object. I would say, “Oh, you chose a cat,” emphasizing the beginning sound. Then I would say, “I Spy with my eye something in Susan’s hand that starts with a /c/.” The child would typically respond with an excited, “Cat!”

As they become more familiar with the concept, I will invited them to choose a few objects to line up, name the objects, and ask them to find the object that starts with one particular sound. Eventually we will move on to more object and practice hearing the ending and middle sounds in words.

Sandpaper Letters

Sandpaper letters are the main material used in a Montessori classroom to teach letters. These are only introduced after a child has strong phonemic awareness.

While different guides introduce the letters differently, a few things are always the same. Firstly, we only use lower case letters. Most letters a child will encounter will be lower case, so this will be the most useful. [Note: while we focus on lower case letters, letters that must be upper case will be properly capitalized.]

Secondly, we never use the letter’s name. Children will eventually need to know the letter’s name, but to learn to write and read, the sound the letter makes is most useful. Thirdly, the vowels will only be given short vowel sounds to start. Long vowels will come later with other lessons. Finally, all the consonants will be on a pink board; all vowels are on blue boards.

When giving the lesson, the teacher will silently trace the letter and give the sound it makes. The child is invited to repeat this and a three period lesson will be given.

The Next Steps

After letter sounds have been mastered, children will be introduced to the moveable alphabet. We use this material to let the child build words, starting with simple consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words. As they become more confident with this, we will introduce simple consonant blends.

Reading will come later. Children will often begin reading the words they build back to themselves and adults. Early reading activities are often more matching activities, matching simple CVC words to their pictures.

From there, children learn more ways to spell and write words, develop more fine motor skills for better penmanship, and begin reading books.

This Space is Mine! Definition of Space with Work Rugs

What is a “work rug?”

Montessori classrooms use work rugs, also called mats, to define space. They support a child’s desire for order. Before choosing a floor activity, children retrieve a “work rug” or “mat” and lay it across the floor. Then they may choose their activity and set it up on the rug. Their materials are expected to stay on the rug, which helps keep the materials orderly and makes clean up a little easier – all the pieces are in one place!

Additionally, children have a sense of ownership of the materials they are using. Other children are taught to respect their classmates’ rugs and only touch when invited or after asking.

Introducing Rugs at Home

We first introduced rugs in our home when our first was a little over a year. At that age, I did not expect my daughter to use it on her own. It starts with modeling. When she got a new toy, I’d always show it to her on the rug. Eventually a little sister came along, and our first was also modeling how to use a work rug.

Using a work rug does not come naturally to a toddler. They are far more impulsive than older children and when they choose an activity without first getting a mat to work on. Still, every time I engage a toddler in an activity, I let them know I am getting a rug fist.

As they grow out of the toddler stage, I begin reminding children to get a rug before using a material. “Oh, I see you want to play with this! Let’s get a mat first!” is an easy reminder.

Now that my oldest is school aged, she appreciates using a mat under her activities, whether for homeschool work or for play. She reminds her sister that it is “her space,” and keeps all her materials and toys together. When she is cleaning up, it is easy for both of us because we know she usually only needs to put away whatever is on her rug. Then, she carefully rolls it up. Her favorite part is making sure it can stand on it’s own. It is a sign she has rolled the rug well.

Benefits of a Rug

My kids love that when the have to clean up, they know exactly which toys and materials they are responsible for. But one of their favorite things is “saving” their toys for later.

Since the rugs have become almost sacred, they feel confident leaving a toy or material on a work rug while they run off to do another task, such as have a meal or use the bathroom. Or perhaps it is the end of the day and they’re really not quite done setting up the dolls. The children have faith that their sibling or classmate will leave their materials alone in their absence. When the child returns to work or play, their things will be waiting there for them.

As a parent, I appreciate having a limited number of rugs available. We have a total of 4 rugs for 2 children. Half are for school and half are for play. When one of my children is done with one toy, putting it away is not always top of their priorities. But with a limited number of rugs, it becomes necessary. Rather than reminding them to put their things away, it just happens. There is no room on the rug for a second activity, so away it goes.

My kids and I love having work rugs in our home. It’s one of the first things I recommend to parents struggling with with order (or siblings!) and toys. Have you implemented rugs in your home?