Who is Montessori?

Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was an Italian physician and pedagogue. She thought that there is already an enormous energy and urge for action in the child during the first years. It is motivated by itself to develop and to learn. This idea can be briefly summarized in the following sentence: ‘help me to do it myself’. As a parent, you can respond to this by offering the right toys.

Responding to development themes

Montessori accompanied young children from different social backgrounds, with and without intellectual disabilities. She noticed in all children a drive to learn that they naturally had. In every age phase, Montessori saw certain developmental themes come back: the sensitive period. The more children can be absorbed in the themes that appeal to them at that moment, the deeper their learning experience will be.

Inviting game materials

In order to guide children in freedom to growth in their development, they need a carefully prepared environment with play materials that meet their research interest at that moment. “Freedom in bondage,” Montessori said. A structure is needed, for example by presenting the materials and / or products that are clear and inviting in a fixed place. There are agreements; the children learn more and more to take each other and their environment into account, so that everyone can play concentrated and enjoyable.

Offering Montessori games at home, how do you do that?

5 tips for playing according to Montessori toys:
TIP 1: Use toys made of natural materials, such as wood, paper, metal. Your child will feel that each material is different, so it is a more stimulating experience. And, of course, it’s more sustainable.

TIP 2: With gluing, crafting, painting and drawing, your child can lose his or her creativity and the (fine) motor development is stimulated. To teach your child self-confidence, it is better not to ‘pretend’ how to draw something. This way you stimulate your child to think independently.

TIP 3: Children sometimes don’t need more than their own imagination. Therefore, for example, give your child dress-up clothing as a gift. With a costume, your child can be someone else. But you can also think of small animal figures or trains, with which your child can play alone (also called small world game).

TIP 4: Try to do things with your child. And learn to work together according to the Montessori method.

TIP 5: Let your child learn and discover through play, this way social skills and curiosity are also stimulated. So let your child portray stories with the Montessori method, do and learn!

Montessori Toys Top 5

Make it rain

Make it Rain is a double-sided set with on the one hand number clouds and balls to learn quantities. The other side is provided with the infinity symbol, the lazy 8 to practice children on school learning.
The advantages of make it rain:
• Learn to count
• Add and subtract
• Learns even and odd numbers
• Compare two numbers and find which one is bigger and which is smaller
• Learns about how the rain shower is formed and the importance of the sun in it
• Learns new weather-related words
• Learns about the infinity symbol and the concept of infinity
• A nice introduction to basic concepts of geometry
• Develops numeracy, fine motor brain activity, enriches vocabulary.
Whether it’s play, observation, appreciation, scientific exploration, or any other purposeful activity, the Make it Rain board is an indispensable educational tool in any child’s upbringing.

Stacking figures montessori

Montessori playfully teach children more about numbers and number comprehension. With these stacking numbers of re-wood, children learn to visually recognize quantities of the numbers by stacking the numbers. Ideal material for calculation problems.
The advantages of Montessori stacking figures:
• Figures and calculations
• Space and shape
• Size
• Getting to know the numbers 1 – 10 in the correct numeric representation
• Learn the notation by following the stack numbers
• Recognize the number and its value, the higher the stack number, the greater the value
• Compare stack numbers – towers without counting
• Self-control “Help me to do it myself,” says Maria Montessori

Alphabet board

The wooden alphabet tracking board with the letters of the alphabet helps your child to practice the handwriting skills. Pull your finger or the wooden stick over the engraved wood, perfect for 2-4 little ones to learn to write. Perfect educational toys to refine fine motor skills. Of course, children can follow the letters with their fingers or the stick. Another suggestion is to fill the letters with natural materials, think of corn, split peas, seeds. One side of the board is capitalized and the other side contains the lettering letters of the alphabet.

20 frame

20 frame is a wooden board to introduce the beginning number comprehension and arithmetic in a playful way. Fits in the Montessori philosophy and is ideally suited for kindergarten.
Advantages 20 frame board:
• Learn to count
• Add and subtract
• Learns even and odd numbers
• Compare two numbers and find which one is bigger and which is smaller
• A nice introduction to basic concepts of mathematics
• Develops numeracy, fine motor brain activity, enriches vocabulary.
• Whether it’s play, observation, appreciation or any other purposeful activity, this number and counting board is an indispensable tool in the education of every child.

Figures from re-wood

The 11 digits of Re-wood are cut out in the middle. This makes it possible to fill in the numbers and learn in which direction the numbers are written. A nice preparation for school learning in group 3. But not only can you trace the numbers with this set, you can also have children put the right number of balls on the corresponding number. A convenient way to teach children about number comprehension and quantities. In short, beautiful development material for preschoolers for home, childcare and for school!

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