Maria Montessori was brilliant in how she went about teaching children numbers and counting.  Her ability to break down tasks into smaller steps and concepts, in order to help children master all the necessary skills is astounding.  

Learning the Montessori Way is truly the best way!

But for some, especially homeschooling parents who may not have professional Montessori training, navigating the sequence of lessons and materials can be daunting.

Here is a guide to help caregivers and educators navigate the Montessori numbers and counting curriculum.

What you see here is a basic outline and explanation of learning numbers and counting the Montessori way.  

I share the order of materials introduced for the first time, but I do not give much information about variations etc.  With each material I've provided a resource for the presentation and lesson.  

Technically the concept of quantity starts with Montessori sensorial materials, but for the purpose of this post, I'm focusing on Montessori math materials.

Learning the Montessori Way: Numbers and Counting

Numerical Rods

Children begin their math journey using the Montessori Numerical Rods.  

The Montessori Primary Guide offers an explanation and break down of the presentation of the material and several different ways to use it.   Notice how the rods are NOT numbered. Written numerals are not introduced at this stage of learning. 

You will see how Montessori introduces written numerals, and then integrates them with the numerical rods later on.  Each step in the process builds upon previously learned material. 

If you're wondering if this material is worth the investment, be sure to check out all the other ways we use this material in our post, Montessori Sensorial Materials: Number Rods and Red Rods.

There are so many different ways to use the Montessori math materials in this post!

Sandpaper Numbers

Once children have mastered the numerical rods, they move on to Montessori Sandpaper Numbers.  It is at this point that children learn the signs that represent each of the numbers they have learned to count through quantity.  

Carrots Are Orange has a post with pictures demonstrating how the sandpaper numbers are presented, with some other fabulous ideas as well.

After children can identify each of their numbers and count them, the Montessori Numerical Rods with number tiles are introduced.  If using the small set, numbers are provided with it.  When using the large set, the sandpaper numbers were great.

Mama's Happy Hive provides pictures and descriptions of activities that can be done using the numerical rod with number tiles.  Also included in the post is a basic overview of the sensorial materials that are introduced before children begin the process of learning counting and numbers along with some fabulous counting activity ideas.

Spindle Boxes

The Montessori Spindle Box With 45 Spindles is next in line.  This activity is the first to introduce individual quantities while counting.  

Montessori Primary Guide provides a video and step by step instructions for the presentation and lesson of this work.  

Natural Beach Living shares a DIY option of this material, if you can't afford the real deal.  

Numbers and Counters

Montessori Cards & Counters follow the spindle boxes.  

Carrots are Orange shares pictures of the presentation and directions about the lesson and extensions. 

For a DIY version of the material with more information about the activity visit Planting Peas.  

Once the basic presentation and lesson have taken place with an understanding of what's expected, there are endless possibilities when it comes to creating thematic versions of this activity using all sorts of materials.  

Colored Bead Stair

The introduction to the Coloured Bead Stair may just be my favorite part of teaching counting and numbers.  

Planting Peas shares how this material is used with resources.   

If you'd like to see how we use these bead when teaching numbers be sure to check out our Math Activities Using Bead Bars with Free Printables on the blog!

This is one of the most versatile materials that I have encountered for teaching numbers.

Teens and Tens Boards

Montessori Teens and Tens Boards are introduced next.  The Montessori Primary Guide gives basic instructions on the material, presentation, and lesson for the Teens Board.  

For instructions on how to create a DIY version of the Teens Board, visit The Kavanaugh Report.  

Carrots Are Orange provides all the information you need to use the tens board, including pictures to help along the way.  

For more DIY ideas and instruction visit Living Montessori Now.

The Montessori Bead Bars for Teen Board with Box will be necessary to purchase to progress with work using the Teens Board.  

When using the Tens Board, you will want to be sure to have Montessori 45 Golden Bead Bars of Ten to complete the work.

Introduction to Decimal Quantity

There is some flexibility in the Montessori Introduction to Decimal Quantity with Tray.  

Some teachers introduce it before the Teens and Tens Boards. Others introduce it after.  There are some who introduce it at the same time.  Choose whatever works for you.  

Golden Bead Material

Once you do start working with the gold bead material, you progress to creating numbers all the way up to 9,999.  The kiddos love this! 

You can find an explanation of the introduction to the decimal system at Carrots Are Orange.  

For further ideas and resources, visit Planting Peas.  

If you're looking for printables that can be used with the Montessori bead material, be sure to grab my Montessori Bead Bar Bundle!

If you have questions about how to use this fantastic bundle, no worries, be sure to check out How to Use the Math Bead Bar Bundle post on the blog!

This is such a fabulous resource that has been used in so many ways in our classroom!

Hundred Board

The Montessori Hundred Board is yet another material in the Montessori curriculum that teaches counting.  

Planting Peas provides a basic explanation of the work.  

Buggy and Buddy offers more ideas.  

To further work with numbers, consider ideas at The Pinay Homeschooler.  The Hundred Board is a perfect way to transition to skip counting etc.

Materials shared today are those used to teach basic counting and number skills.  

Though introduced to teach these simple concepts, the materials can be used in several different ways as your child progresses through the math curriculum learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, etc.  

If you're considering teaching your children math using the Montessori method, these materials should be top priority on your list of items to purchase.  They really do make that much of a difference.

For those looking for more numbers and counting resources, as well as other Montessori learning tips, be sure to subscribe to our FREE newsletter.

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If you're looking for more ideas and resources to help your children learn the Montessori way, be sure to check out the resources below!

   

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Sensory Oriented Anxiety Kits for Children

We could not function as a family without our sensory oriented anxiety kits for our children.  

They have been that beneficial.

When one or more of our four special needs kids is having an anxiety attack, PTSD episode, sensory meltdown, etc., the kits are what we use to help them through.

How do they help?  

The kits are filled with items that provide exactly the right type of sensory input our kids need when they're having a hard time.  They're filled with things that they love.  

There is no better way that I know of to help regulate and calm a special needs child.

This post contains affiliate links.

Every kiddo is different, so every sensory oriented anxiety kit is different.

Each sensory kit includes items that will provide comfort to each of the senses.

• Visual (see)
• Oral (taste)
• Tactile (touch)
• Olfactory (smell)
• Auditory (hear)
• Proprioceptive (deep pressure)
• Vestibular (balance)

It is only when a child's senses are in complete balance that they can calm themselves appropriately.

Here are four different examples of what you might want to include in a kit for your own special needs child.

 Dinomite's:  Sensory Oriented Anxiety Kit For Kids Who Love Animals

Bulldozer's:  Sensory Oriented Anxiety Kit for Kids Who Love Star Wars

Princess':   Sensory Oriented Anxiety Kit For Kids Who Love Princesses

Sunshine's:  Sensory Oriented Anxiety Kit for Kids Who Love Baby Dolls

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to visit the posts below.

Sensory Resources for Children who Need to Chew

Shoe Tying Tips and Resources

5 Lessons to Teach Kids About Balancing Emotions

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Earth Unit w/ Free Printables

This unit is an introduction to the study of the Earth.  It includes a debut of multiple topics in the areas of biology, science and geography.  

Language studies are focused on the Montessori Pink Series, with extensions to incorporate the study of cursive, vocabulary, and grammar simultaneously.  

In math we are beginning our study of operations.  This unit focuses on addition problem solving. 

Practical life and sensorial skills have been incorporated into activities to maximize and aid in the learning process.

  Here's what's on our shelves!

Earth Unit with Free Printables

Pink Series:  Short "o" with Moveable Alphabet

The kiddos used the Montessori Cursive Moveable Alphabet to spell the names of objects provided in a tray on our learning shelves.  

Pink Series:  My Book of Short "o" Sound Words

Using the Montessori Phonetic Reading Blocks provided as a control, the kiddos wrote the words that match the picture on each page of their books.  A control book was provided for vocabulary purposes.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity as part of my Montessori Pink Series Printable Pack 4.  For your free copy, click on the link located at the bottom of this post.  

Pink Series:  Cursive Short "o" Words & Picture Match Up

Pictures were matched up to word cards, hand written in cursive.  As a control each word was written in print on the back.  This activity was proven to be excellent when working to increase vocabulary.

Source: I created the printable for this activity. Montessori Pink Series Printable Pack 4 is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Pink Series:  Short "o" Picture and Phrase Match Up with Grammar Symbols

Kiddos matched up pictures to phrases, using the control provided.  Once the matches were put together, the kiddos analyzed each phrase, determining whether it was an article, noun, verb phrase, or an article, adjective, noun phrase.  

Lastly, they placed the proper Montessori Basic Wooden Grammar Symbols above each phrase.  The kiddos checked their work with the grammar  controls provided.

Source: I created the printable for this activity. Montessori Pink Series Printable Pack 4 is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Word Problem Key Word Sort

It had become apparent that there was some confusion about key words in word problems among the kiddos.  What better way to work on this than to have a key word sort!  

The kiddos placed the correct key words under the addition and subtraction signs.  I drew a plus or minus sign on the back of each key word card as a control.  

The kiddos loved this activity and have jumped at the chance to find pages in their workbook to apply their newly learned skills.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity.  Earth Unit Addition Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Montessori Static Addition Using Stamp Game

The kiddos have been showing interest in learning how to add bigger numbers.  This was exciting for me because it was next on our syllabus.  

Word problems were created about volcanoes and earthquakes to go along with our theme.  Key words were boldfaced.  

The kiddos matched the word problems to the addition problem cards and then used the stamp game to find the answers to each problem.  

I laminated all of the cards and provided erasable crayons in the proper colors of green, red, and blue to write answers.  The answer to the math problems were written on the back of word problem cards as a control.

Source: I created the printable for this activity. Earth Unit Addition Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

I was beyond thrilled when Bulldozer asked to use the stamp game to complete tasks in is workbook!

I love how focused he is in this photo.

Montessori Addition with Carry Over

After learning how to answer addition problems using numbers up to 9,999 the kiddos were introduced to the concept of carry over using gold bead material.  

Princess thoroughly enjoyed this work.  Dinomite eventually came around to it.    The way the activity worked out best was naming Dinomite the "banker" as Princess did each problem.

I just loved watching the excitement on Princess' face as she learned this new skill.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity as part of my Earth Unit Addition Printable Pack 1.  For your free copy, click on the link at the bottom of the post.

Layers of the Earth with Play Dough

The kiddos enjoyed learning about the layers of the earth through books, but when I laid out an activity where they would need to create the layers of the earth themselves, they were beyond thrilled.  

Some thoroughly enjoyed the process, following directions, and putting their artistic talent to use.  One decided that she knew better than the rest of us and needed to do things her way.  

She learned quickly upon cutting her earth model in half, that she probably should have followed directions.

Source: The idea and directions for this activity came from The Chaos and the Clutter.

Land Form & Water Form Match Up

We've done quite a few land and water form activities in the past, but it's always nice to review, especially with fabulous new printables!  

The kiddos used this activity as a memory game but it's created to be used as a matching activity or as nomenclature cards.

Source: I created the printable for this activity. Earth Unit Geography Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Igneous, Sedimentary, & Metamorphic Rocks

I had high hopes for this activity, and the kiddos definitely enjoyed it, but it did not go as I had planned. The Toysmith Rock Science Kit was ordered to give the kiddos a basic hands on introduction to igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.  

My kiddos loved this kit, especially since it came with a pamphlet full of information and testing ideas to be used on each rock.  

Since the kiddos had expressed a desire, I put together a mini testing kit.  Missing from this photo was the glass half full of water, where the kiddos tested each rock to see if it would float.  

A list of rocks and their reactions to each test was printed on the back of the pamphlet.  Sadly, no rock floated, no rock was magnetic, even when using our largest and biggest magnet (not shown in pictures). No rock  bubbled when vinegar was used to test acidity, per recommendation of the pamphlet.  

The kiddos still enjoyed the process of the testing, but only the streak test yielded any results.  

Don't get me wrong, this set is perfect for identification purposes, but when it comes to doing more than that,  I wish I had splurged on a bigger set with more rocks.

Layers of the Atmosphere

Over the past few months we've learned a lot about the atmosphere, but I wanted to be sure the kiddos could visually understand why there are layers, and what they are like in comparison to each other.  

The kiddos poured the contents of each measuring cup into the tall vase provided.  (It's kept in a plastic container to prevent from rolling around while the tray is moved.)  

No matter what order the contents are poured, they will separate because of density, and represent each of the layers of the atmosphere.  I love that this activity has practical life and sensorial components.

Source:  Details and directions about this activity can be found at Line Upon Line Learning. 

I created the printable for this activity. Earth Unit Geography Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

A Rain Cloud in a Jar

As an introduction to one of the many parts of the hydrosphere, we learned about clouds and rain this week through a hands on experiment.  Bulldozer was thrilled as the experiment combined two of his favorite practical life activities.

I'll admit the experiment was pretty cool to watch and definitely provided some visual stimulation Bulldozer always seems in need of.

Source:  Details about the experiment and directions can be found at Coffee Cups and Crayons.

Classification of Living Things

I was a little worried about teaching the content within this activity, and was relieved when I stumbled upon simple and beautiful aids with examples and helpful hints when presenting everything.  

The best part about all of this was that the kiddos really loved the activity, even though it included using scissors and glue.  I love combining practical life skills and biology!  

Kiddos were asked to cut out the names of each part of the classification system of living things and glue them on to the strip of paper provided, just like the control above.  To ensure that the kiddos understood the biology concepts behind this activity, I provided the example of the bird etc.

Source:  The printables for this activity were created by Montessori Print Shop and can be purchased for a small fee.  I assure you, your purchased is well worth it!  

  

Kingdoms of Living Things

To further enhance the study of the classification of living things, we studied the break down of the kingdoms of living things.  

Bulldozer thoroughly enjoyed this activity, as did the other kiddos.  By the end of the unit study, all of the kiddos could identify each kingdom from memory.

Source:  The free printable for this activity was found at Elementary Observations but is no longer available.  

I created the picture printable for the kingdom cards.  Earth Unit Biology Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Characteristics of Vertebrates

This activity has been quite popular with Dinomite and Bulldozer.  We've had many sets of animal cards over the years, but we've never had a set of cards that really breaks down the characteristics of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians in words AND pictures.  

I bring you an activity that does just that!  The cards are colored coded as a control.

(Dinomite was wearing sunglasses because of an infection in his eye.)

(You may notice cards in the printable are not the same color as cards in our set.  I altered the colors to make it more Montessori-inspired, but did not print out a second set for our classroom.)

My favorite moment with these cards was when Bulldozer realized he's a mammal.  He went through the characteristic examining himself and his mother, nodding with a little shock,

"Why yes!"  The moment was priceless.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. Earth Unit Biology Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Sorting Invertebrates

Welcome to our first set of ALL invertebrate sorting cards!  It's important to learn about vertebrates, but equally important to learn about those without a backbone.  

The set includes poriferas, nematodes, platyhelminthes, annelids, cnidarians, arthropods, mollusks, and echinoderms,  

These cards are created to be used as nomenclature cards, but can also be used for matching, sorting, and memory games.  This time around we're sorting.  I love it when I can teach Dinomite something new about animals!

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. Earth Unit Biology Printable Pack 1 is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

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We hope you enjoy your free printable.

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