The
Montessori Math Bead Bar Printable Pack Bundle was designed to help my youngest daughter Sunshine learn her numbers, as this is something she struggles with.
Each day she'd select work from our Montessori shelves and become frustrated because it was too hard. She had such a hard time remembering, and always needed someone working with her.
Then there were times when she was really trying to focus on her work, but every little movement and sound around her was a distraction.
She'd lose her focus and then become frustrated because she couldn't pick up where she left off, let alone remember what she was doing in the first place.
Besides the inability to remember number concepts from day to day and her distractibility, Sunshine has extreme delays in fine motor skills.
She suffers from a vision impairment in one eye that also affects her depth perception. Sunshine needed some extra resources!
I can not express in words the positive changes we've seen in Sunshine and her ability to complete number work with Montessori materials since introducing parts of this bundle. It is amazing!
Here's how to use the Montessori Math Bead Bar Bundle to help your own child!
How to Use the Montessori Math Bead Bar Bundle
The Montessori Colored Bead Stair
The
Montessori Colored Bead Stair is very challenging for Sunshine. Her frustration tolerance is so low. When she sincerely tries to do the work and fails, she's devastated.
To help her be successful we've added the
tray so her beads stay in order if she accidentally bumps them, which has been known to happen on several occasions.
We've also added a colored control copy of
My Number Book from the
Montessori Math Bead Bar Printable Pack Bundle.
When Sunshine selects this work from the shelf, she uses the book, page by page to help her put the Montessori Colored Bead Bars in order.
If she becomes distracted, she has her book open to the right page to help her know where she left off.
The book also helps her remember the bead colors and corresponding numbers.
There are also days when counting each individual bead on the bar is extremely difficult.
This book provides the information she needs during those times.
It's the goal to help her progress to doing the work without these extra supports, but it may be years before she's ready to do that.
In the meantime we are working extremely hard to follow her desire to learn more about numbers.
The Montessori Teens Board
It took Sunshine years to be able to master work related to numbers 1-10. On her best days she can complete the work with minimal assistance, BUT Sunshine wanted to learn bigger numbers this year. In essence she was done counting to ten and made that perfectly clear. So, I introduced the Teens Board.
Knowing the
Teens Board would be a challenge, especially when working with the corresponding
bead bars, I created an extra control for her work,
My Teen Numbers Book. Just like the book for numbers 0-10, this book is for numbers 11-19. The control version of the book has all beads colored in with corresponding numbers.
Sunshine LOVES this book with her
Montessori Teen Board and
beads. The smile on her face when completing the work melts my heart.
The added resource helps her work independently.
If she gets distracted, if she forgets what number comes next, or if she just cannot count those darn beads, let alone create bigger numbers with them, she can get back on track and still feel successful.
The Montessori Tens Board
Just last month, Sunshine asked if she could work with the
Tens Board. Knowing she'd need extra resources to be successful, I pulled the tens cards from
My Montessori Number Book 0-100 as an introduction to the work.
Just as she had used the teens book as a control for the teens board, she used this book for the tens board.
We started with one board and then progressed to two.
She's still trying to learn the names of the numbers, but the book provides her with the visual cues she needs.
The Hundred Board
Sunshine isn't anywhere near ready to start working with the
Montessori Hundred Board, but when she is the extra support and resource she needs is ready to go. (She actually already uses it as a book to practice identifying numbers she's working on with other materials.)
My Montessori Number Book 0-100 includes all numbers 0-100. As she's working on completing the Hundred Board she can have this book open, advancing through the pages, with visual reminders of what numbers come next.
If she becomes distracted or frustrated she has her book there to help her refocus and remain calm.
Writing Out Numbers
Sunshine loves to write, even though her skills are extremely limited.
Knowing I didn't want to squash her enthusiasm, but instead encourage it, I made sure that all numbers were written out in each book.
A coloring/traceable copy of each book is provided in the Montessori Math Bead Bar Printable Pack Bundle for Sunshine to practice her writing and coloring skills.
Whether she uses actual beads or a control book, she's able to enjoy the process.
When my older kids expressed excitement for the books, I created a third version of the books in the bundle.
In this version, a single line is provided instead of the written out number, so they can practice spelling number words.
The
Montessori Math Bead Bar Printable Pack Bundle has been such an incredible resource in our classroom. I honestly don't know what we did without it.
It provides such independence for Sunshine as she completes number work using the Montessori Materials.
When learning time isn't in session, she can be found carrying around one of the books flipping through the pages practicing her numbers.
This post has highlighted just a few of the resources in the Montessori Math Bead Bar Printable Pack Bundle.
For information about other parts of the bundle, be sure to visit my post, Montessori-inspired Math Activities Using Bead Bars for more ideas.
If you'd like to see how others use this bundle, be sure to click the links below!
Montessori Math for Preschoolers Bead Bar Number Ordering Puzzle from MOMtessori Life
Montessori Math Printables Review from MOMtessori Life
The Montessori Math Bead Bar Printable Pack Bundle comes in print and in cursive. We use both sets in our classroom. Click on the images below to obtain your own copy today!
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