Montessori Classroom

It is true that we cannot make a genius. We can only give to teach child the chance to fulfill his potential possibilities. (Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, 1995)

Now, more than ever, citizens of the 21st century need to be not only skilled at what they do, but they need to be informed and capable of great thought. Like the great thinkers of the Enlightenment, they need to creatively embrace the quest for truth. They must be capable of great love and compassion for the cosmic interdependence of life on Earth. Gone are the days of rote learning and memorization. Instead, children must be given real life scenarios in which to apply their learning in new situations.

Montessori in the Home: Through the Eyes (Ears, and Nose) of the Child

Maria Montessori would have cautioned that children not only hear everything, but they also see, imprint, and even mirror our behaviors. The child is watching the adults around her/him from birth. Everything we do, everything we say is locked away in her/his memory. In her book, The Child in the Family, (1956) Montessori makes her point very clearly:

The child is sensitive and impressionable to such a degree that the adult ought to monitor everything he says and does, for everything is literally engraved in the child’s mind. (p 40)

Parents need to understand how important behavioral modeling is for their children. Discrepancies between home and school environments can be challenging for students. The role of parents is to put their beliefs in what their children should do and say into action. This means becoming an active role model for their own children.

Montessori at Home

More and more, I meet and speak with parents who embrace the Montessori method, and wish to implement the Montessori philosophy and methodology in their homes. To do so successfully, it is important to have a well-prepared environment.

Here are some helpful guidelines to consider when creating the Montessori environment at home.



Everyone’s home is unique, and every Montessori prepared environment in the home will reflect those nuances. Although the home Montessori environment will have its own flavor, all Montessori prepared environments have the following features in common:

They are attractive,orderly and clean.
Have a place where children can store and organize personal items
Have adequate open space for children to easily move around.
Have children access their Montessori materials from low shelves so that they can also help maintain the order on these shelves.
Maintain appropriately-sized tables and chairs so the children can sit and move with ease.

Famous Montessorians

• Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founders of Google, credit their Montessori education for much of their success
• Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis wife of the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy
• Julia Child Master chef
• Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize-winning novelist
• Anne Frank, famous child diarist from World War II
• Prince William and Prince Harry of Wales
• T. Berry Brazelton, noted pediatrician and author
• Melissa and Sarah Gilbert, actresses

Maria Montessori Quotes

• "Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed”
• “Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world”
• "We cannot create observers by saying "observe," but by giving them the power and the means for this observation and these means are procured through education of the senses”

How can I prepare myself to teach my child?

One of the first things to do is find a quiet space to do the activities with your child with child sized chairs, table, bookcase for books and supplies, and a small area rug.
Make a firm date and time every week or day to do the activities. Try to stick to your schedule.
You can use some of these activities for a playgroup.
Make sure the family takes a field trip at least once a month.
A great book to prepare you for the Montessori method of education is Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. It is a delightful fictional account of the Montessori philosophy used in the life of a misunderstood girl. It’s probably even at your local library. It is really insightful to the approach that we will be using.
Most of all, believe in yourself. Parents are natural teachers!

How will the material be taught?
The preschool materials will be presented within the Montessori approach using equipment that can be made according to the directions provided. Every activity is developed to promote the joy and wonder of learning. Following the Montessori philosophy and methodology will give your child the tools of self-discovery and learning. The ultimate goal is to provide life long learning that is fun and joyful. The program will integrate the following 10 areas of development to teach and reinforce the lessons.

10 Areas of Emphasis


Everyday life skills, which include development of the 5 senses
Development of small and large muscles
Art
Math readiness
Reading and language readiness
Science, including biology, chemistry and physics
Foreign language
Finger plays and dramatic play
Singing
Family and group activities

Preschool Matching and Sorting Games

Sorting objects or toys according to size helps children develop their intellect. These lessons are not only fun, but are building blocks for later learning. Montessori used sorting, matching and classifying as a means to academic learning in math, reading and science.

Here are some facts about matching and sorting puzzles:

Noticing different shapes or patterns helps children categorize.
Discriminating items from smallest to largest helps with math concepts of less and more.
Sorting and matching are muscle and mind exercises.
Understanding sequencing from smallest to largest, or largest to smallest, helps children discern subtle differences.
Using the material from left to right helps with reading and writing skills in many cultures.

The Mystery Bag in the Montessori Classroom

The Mystery Bag is a versatile and essential material in the early childhood and lower elementary Montessori classrooms. The Mystery Bag is simply a bag (or box) in which the Montessori teacher places objects that the students cannot see. The students then use their sense of touch to explore the object without removing it from the bag. Eventually, depending on the lesson, the students or the teacher will reveal the object. It can help to develop the sense of how things feel (stereognostic sense) and refine all of the senses overall. It stimulates and cultivates the student’s intellectual curiosity and has endless options for use in the classroom (i.e., the type of bag or box used, the items placed in the bag, the curricular area being taught). Even a toddler will enjoy exploring objects and vocabulary with the Mystery Bag material.

In the Montessori early childhood classroom, one lesson idea for the Mystery Bag begins with the teacher placing objects in the bag, such as a large sea shell, a piece of coral, and a sand dollar. Though related, the objects are different in texture, size, etc. The student is shown the objects before they are returned to the bag. The student is then asked to find the object that is smooth, large, etc.

The Mystery Bag can also be used to reinforce the geometric solids from the sensorial area in the Montessori classroom. A student can close her/his eyes and be asked to find a particular geometric solid from the bag. Montessori students could do this with the teacher or with another student. A Montessori teacher can also place objects related to current studies in the bag. For example, the objects listed above (a large sea shell, a piece of coral and a sand dollar) could be used while the students study ocean life in the geography curriculum.

Language can also be explored with the Mystery Bag. In an early childhood classroom, students may take turns feeling an object in the bag (without removing it), and describing it to others. An advanced student could record this work on lined paper. A variation to this would be for students to take turns taking the Mystery Bag home, and choosing an object based on a theme chosen by the teacher (e.g., it could be an item that begins with the letter "A", and continues with each child through the alphabet). The student would write clues and bring the Mystery Bag bag to school with the object and clues to present to their classmates for guessing what's in the bag. In the Montessori lower elementary classroom, this activity may be presented as a way to practice adjectives. Students may record short, descriptive sentences about their mystery objects.

Once you begin to explore the Mystery Bag, you will find infinite possibilities for ways to use it in the Montessori classroom!

Welcome to My Blog

This is officially my first entry in this blog on Montessori! I want to thank you all for taking an interest in the information I have here. As this is my first correspondence, I thought it is best to let you know what I will be doing here. I want one centralized place for people interested in Montessori-related topics can chat, ask questions, or just keep informed. This blog is going to cover a great deal of information, and I hope all of you can get what you need here!

As for me, I am Jeya Karthik, a Montessori educator who is trained to work with children from three to five years of age.

Welcome and enjoy!