Montessori at home is possible with the right Montessori toys. In Montessori schools, children are exposed to Montessori materials and Montessori classrooms from a young age. Montessori at home is a way for parents to create a Montessori environment for their children outside of the traditional school setting. There are many benefits to Montessori at home, including the ability to customize the learning environment to meet the individual needs of each child. Montessori at home is also a great way to save money on tuition costs. The following is a list of the best Montessori toys for home that cover all 4 main educational topics. These toys are intended for kids from 3 to 6 years old.
Affiliate Disclosure: The Smart Parenting Guide is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we get commissions from qualifying purchases.
Is Montessori really worth it?
The short answer is yes. In the last few years, several studies revealed that children from Montessori preschools excel in reading, math, vocabulary, problem-solving, and executive function. For children to gain such impressive results, a school must strictly follow the Montessori curriculum. In schools with low-fidelity Montessori curriculum, children's results were not that impressive and were comparable with conventional preschools.
What are the benefits of the Montessori method?
Usually, family's education level and socioeconomic status significantly impact the children's school achievements. Researchers found that the Montessori program equalizes children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. This means that the Montessori method improves academic achievements even in disadvantaged children.
Another study revealed that children from Montessori preschools are more physically active throughout the day than children from conventional preschools.
Montessori is a holistic approach to a child's development, where the goal of education is not only to gain academic knowledge. Montessori education boosts all sides of a child's personality: intellectual, physical, emotional, and social. This approach doesn't provide children with an isolated knowledge on a particular topic but helps create an integral experience.
Children in the high-fidelity Montessori preschools benefit both socially and cognitively compared to the conventional preschools and the lower-fidelity Montessori schools, which don't strictly follow the Montessori curriculum.
What are the negatives of Montessori?
The biggest drawback of Montessori education is the lack of licensing in the field. Since the word "Montessori" cannot be trademarked, every school can use this name even if it doesn't strictly follow its philosophy. Nowadays, the Montessori name became a marketing trick to draw attention and gain clients. The quality of education in various Montessori school is not even.
The only way to find a trustworthy school with authentic Montessori philosophy is to look for an AMI or AMS certified facility. Association Montessori Internationale and American Montessori Society prepare professional Montessori teachers. To receive the certificate from each of these organizations, the school must neatly follow the Montessori curriculum.
Even though the Montessori curriculum has proven to be highly efficient in a child's development, only its proper implementation will give good results. That is why there are so many negative reviews about Montessori education on the Internet. Not every Montessori school provides an adequate level of education. Also, always get known with the teacher in the class which your child is going to attend. Because for small children, the right teacher is half of the success. A great alternative might become Montessori homeschool with a highly engaged parent.
Are Montessori toys better?
Montessori toys are simple, structured, and inviting. They encourage a child to explore various physical concepts and to learn more about the world around him. Playing with Montessori toys, children acquire several skills, such as independence, setting a goal, and achieving it, problem-solving, creativity. Such toys serve the individual needs and interests of every child. Because Montessori toys are visually appealing, kids usually love them and show a keen interest in using them.
However, there is a prerequisite for that. Such toys work best in a prepared Montessori environment. If you put the pink tower in a toy bin with other regular toys in your child's room, he will not play with it. To fully exploit Montessori toys' developing potential, parents should reconsider the whole concept of the playroom.
For small children works best the following statement: "The lesser toys - the deeper play." That is why it is better to have a few toys displayed on a shelf and change them regularly. Then the child will not be overwhelmed with all the choices and will focus better on toy exploration. In such a setting, Montessori toys will truly work and engage your child. Just remember when giving the Montessori toy for the first time, show your child how it works and then let him explore.
What are Montessori toys?
Montessori toys for small children fall into a few core groups depending on the educational goals. These groups are practical life toys, sensorial materials, math toys, and language-promoting toys. Moreover, science, culture, and art materials are essential parts of the Montessori curriculum for preschoolers and kindergarteners.
Practical Life – These Montessori toys help children develop gross and fine motor skills as well as self-care skills such as brushing teeth and putting on socks.
Sensorial – The Montessori sensorial materials help children develop and refine their senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. They also learn to discriminate between different textures, sizes, shapes, colors and weights.
Math – Montessori math materials help children develop spatial awareness, understand numbers and operations, and learn basic geometry concepts.
Language – Montessori language materials help children develop phonemic awareness, learn vocabulary, practice sentence structure and build reading comprehension skills.
Montessori toys and materials for home
The most important part of the Montessori philosophy to introduce at home is active listening, respectful attitude towards your child, and a peaceful environment. You can facilitate your child's learning about the world by following Montessori's basic principles: follow the child, allow for freedom of movement and exploration, allow them to fall into concentration without interruption, respect their person.
Montessori materials are usually rather expensive. Nevertheless, there is no need to buy unique Montessori materials for home if you do not have the comprehensive Montessori set up at your place. Montessori materials work best in a neatly designed Montessori classroom.
The best Montessori-inspired activities at home are those from practical life. When a young child does chores at home, helps prepare dinner, or brushes his teeth as a part of self-care, he trains a vast number of cognitive and motor skills. No other activities could teach those skills in such a comprehensive way. Thus, practical life activities boost a sense of order, responsibility, goal setting, and achievement, all of which are essential for future learning at school. In other words, practical life activities improve the emotional-volitional qualities and executive control in a small child. When well-developed, these qualities are prerequisites for school success.
However, Montessori at home is becoming a popular choice for parents looking for an alternative to traditional schooling. If you are determined to create a Montessori toys set up at home, below are the best Montessori toys for home that cover all 4 main educational topics. These toys are intended for kids from 3 to 6 years old. With these Montessori toys, your child will have everything they need to thrive in a Montessori at home environment.
RELATED:
14 (+4) Montessori Toys for 2 Year Olds You Must Have At Home
12 (+4) Must-Have Montessori Toys For 1 Year Olds
Montessori Practical Life Toys For Home
Montessori practical life materials encourage independence, improve self-esteem, and feel of dignity in a small child. They coordinate and harmonize a child's behavior, teach them to behave in social situations and culture. Toys in this category are not really toys. These are various tools like kitchenware, housekeeping tools, self-care, etc. Practical life activities include water transfer from one jar to another, buttoning and fastening, cleaning metal objects, caring for cut fresh flowers, walking the line, training silence, and social life dialogs.
- Working Rug
- Mortar and Pestle Set
- Windshield wiper blade
- Wrapping Paper
- Citrus Juicer
- Mini Dustpan
- Knife and Cutting Board Set
- Garden Tools
Montessori Sensory Toys For Home
Sensory toys include toys for the differentiation of size, weight, color, shape, sound, structure, odor, taste, temperature. These toys are essential to enrich the sensory, language, knowledge about the world around. Such experience provides a solid foundation for further academic studies.
- Knobless Cylinders
- Knobbed Cylinders
- Geometric Solids
- Sound Cylinders
- Binomial Cube
- Thermic Bottles
- Color Tablets
Montessori Math Toys For Home
Math toys are tightly connected with sensory toys. For example, blue-red rods are similar to the red rods from the sensory area. Blue-red rods help children learn to count when discovering the concepts of size and number using the red rods. Montessori math toys show children connections between the arithmetics and geometry and help to learn the core math concepts (for example, golden beads).
- Numerical Rods with Number Tiles
- Spindle Box
- Decimal System Bank Game
- Sandpaper Numerals
- Stamp Game
- Hundred Board
- Teen & Ten Boards
Montessori Language Toys For Home
Language toys include sand-paper letters, moving alphabet, various picture cards, tracing materials, etc. Language also develops through materials from the other three areas through enriching child-teacher conversations.
- Movable Alphabet
- Sandpapers Letters
- Letter Formation Sand Tray
- Magnetic Letter Board
- Vocabulary Builder Flash Cards
- Letter Puzzles
Montessori Culture and Art Toys For Home
Culture and art development are part of the language category as they improve vocabulary, speech, and hand coordination that boost language development. For example, continents globe, puzzle map of the world, or identifying flags enriches a child's understanding of the world, sparks discovery interest, and widens the geography vocabulary. In the art section, children learn to use scissors, paintbrush, glue, pin punching, create crafts, use musical instruments, and sing songs.
What is the best age for Montessori?
Many Montessori schools offer curriculum for children from 1 year old and up. In toddler classes, children learn mostly practical life skills, like water pouring, cutting vegetables, watering flowers, etc. These activities boost their independence and skillfulness. It always depends on a child, whether he is ready to start preschool that early.
Usually, children require a more extended environment and interaction with peers around the third year of life. In Montessori education, the preschool class admits children from 2.5 years of age. Many Montessori schools hesitate to take children older than three years as they adjust to the Montessori system harder than those under three.
Also, young children have a particular type of memory that assimilates into the child's personality. And Montessori education utilizes such ability in full with its philosophy and the prepared environment. The sensitive period for such memory disappears at 6 years. Thus, almost certainly, Montessori school won't admit a child after he is six. In conclusion, the optimal time to start Montessori education is 2.5 years old, and up to 6 years; the younger, the better. But you can introduce the Montessori philosophy at home right from your child's birth. From this, your child will only prosper, as well as your parenting experience.
RELATED: Kindergarten Readiness: Check & Prep At Home
Montessori homeschool curriculum
If you seriously intend to perform the Montessori homeschool program, there are some things for you to consider beforehand.
Montessori method was initially developed for a big group of children in a specifically prepared environment with predetermined room and windows sizes. Usually, the Montessori preschool group has around 25 to 30 children. This size is given by the specific needs of children of this age, their need for socialization. Children feel comfortable in such classrooms; they are exposed to various social situations and learn to interact with different people. Specially prepared classrooms are the core of the Montessori method.
Montessori homeschooling might occur incredibly challenging due to the high cost of materials, their variety, and the need for a particular set up. Convenient, commercially available Montessori curriculums help to overcome such issues.
There is a significant advantage of Montessori over other homeschool curricula. Montessori philosophy is not only an educational method but also a lifestyle. Choosing to homeschool with the Montessori curriculum, parents would need to adjust their behavior and attitude toward their kids accordingly. Montessori education requires patience, active listening, courtesy to kids. Raising children in such a positive environment is a precious gift to them and their future.
It is beneficial for the parent to take a Montessori assistant training course provided by AMI or AMS. It is relatively inexpensive but will give a lot of insight into their homeschool system. Moreover, on the AMS website, there are plenty of resources on Montessori education and philosophy.
Resources for the Montessori homeschool
Depending on the child's age, the Montessori homeschool program will differ in activities, but the core philosophy will always remain the same. If you have a small child under the age of three and would like structured information on implementing Montessori at home, definitely check out this website. There, you will find all core principles of the Montessori method.
There are well-prepared educational resources for children aged from 3 to 6, including free printables at the AMI website. Moreover, they are preparing a membership program, where will be lots of affordable Montessori printables and resources.
If you consider the Montessori online program, you should check out this blog post from the Christian Montessori Training Program. This article provides a comprehensive overview of several Montessori homeschool online programs.