High frequency words are the most commonly used words in the English language, appearing frequently in texts, conversations, and everyday writing. Recognizing high-frequency words quickly helps build reading fluency, allowing students to focus on new vocabulary and sentence comprehension. Since many of these words donāt follow typical phonetic rules, memorizing them can significantly boost reading […]
Early Childhood
Montessori Push Pinning Activities
The Montessori pushpinning or pin punching activity is a practical life exercise designed to develop fine motor skills and concentration in young children. In this activity, a child uses a small pushpin or punch tool to create holes along the outline of a shape or pattern on a piece of paper. The child places the […]
Montessori Behavior Management
In Montessori education, behavior management empowers children to self-regulate within a prepared environment. The prepared adult guides rather than enforces, fostering a classroom atmosphere where children learn to make positive choices and develop crucial social-emotional skills. This approach minimizes conflicts and encourages a peaceful, cooperative environment, helping children build the foundations for respectful and empathetic interactions.
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Classroom Administration: Behind the Scenes
Effective Montessori classroom administration harmonizes the prepared environment with the prepared adult. This approach ensures that the physical space and the educator’s role complement each other, supporting children’s independence and growth. From classroom setup and maintaining records to fostering parent-teacher relations, these practices create a well-ordered and nurturing environment where children can thrive and reach their full potential.
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The Montessori Cultural Curriculum
The Montessori approach is based on the belief that children learn best when they are given the opportunity to explore and discover the world around them. The Montessori cultural curriculum includes lessons on geography, botany, zoology, science, art, and music. In addition to helping children develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world around […]
Montessori Practical Life Activities
Montessori ‘Practical Life’ activities focus on the care of the childās own person (personal dressing and grooming), care of the environment (cleaning, caring for plants and pets, preparing food), development of fine and gross motor skills, and learning courteous behavior and conflict resolution. The Benefits of Practical Life Activities Independence, Confidence, and Self-Care The activities […]
Montessori Curriculum for Early Childhood
The Montessori curriculum nurtures a child’s natural curiosity and independence across areas like Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, and Cultural studies. In a prepared environment, the prepared adult facilitates hands-on, self-directed learning, encouraging exploration and mastery of foundational skills. This holistic approach supports both academic growth and the development of social-emotional skills, laying the groundwork for lifelong learning.
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Montessori and Preschool Art Activities: An Overview
Preschool Art Activities: Cutting Using hands and tools to change the shape of objects, especially paper Examples: Tearing Paper This is exactly what it sounds like: using fingers to tear paper into smaller pieces. This activity seems quite simple but contributes to the development of hand-eye coordination. Tearing paper also helps strengthen the hand muscles […]
Montessori Art
In this category, we’ll explore the role of art in Montessori education, offer suggestions and resources for setting up a successful art space in a Montessori environment, share a list of common art activities found in Montessori primary programs, and discuss strategies for addressing common challenges in Montessori art activities. Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian […]
Setting Up The Montessori Art Area
When setting up a Montessori art area, ensure that materials for art activities are accessible to children with minimal adult intervention. If an art activity or technique has been presented, then the supplies for that activity should be made available for children to select freely. Montessori Shelves: Organized to Encourage Independence Many Montessori art activities […]
Montessori Art Curriculum
The Montessori art curriculum plays a vital role in young children’s growth and development. Montessori art activities aid in the development of fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and cognitive abilities such as problem-solving and critical thinking. Montessori art activities also foster creativity and imagination, allowing children to express themselves freely and explore their ideas visually.Ā […]
Montessori Sewing Activities for Preschool
Montessori sewing activities for preschoolers encourage problem solving and critical thinking while teaching children a valuable skill with both practical and creative applications.
The Sensorial Area of the Montessori Classroom
The Sensorial Area is one of the core academic areas of the Montessori Primary classroom. This area is designed to help children refine their senses and develop their ability to observe, compare, and contrast various attributes of the world around them. The Sensorial area offers children not only the opportunity to explore and discover, but […]
Montessori Language: An Overview of the Materials and Curriculum
The Montessori approach to language and literacy development in early childhood is grounded in the belief that children learn best through hands-on, experiential learning. In a Montessori classroom, children are encouraged to explore language and literacy through a variety of activities and materials. Montessori schools place a strong emphasis on developing literacy skills in young […]
The Montessori Pink Tower: Purpose and Activities
The Pink Tower is one of the most iconic Montessori materials used in the Early Childhood classroom. It is a set of ten wooden cubes, ranging in size from 1 cm to 10 cm, all painted pink. The cubes are designed to help children develop their visual and spatial perception skills, as well as their […]
The 5 Components of Reading
There are five components of reading: vocabulary, phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, and fluency. History of the 5 Components of Reading Instruction Reading instruction in the United States has undergone a lot of changes over the years. In the 1980s and 90s, educators were divided on the best way to teach children to read. The “reading […]
The Scarborough Reading Rope in the Montessori Classroom
The Scarborough Reading Rope is a visual representation of the different strands that make up the process of reading, with the metaphor of a rope being used to demonstrate how all of these strands work together to create a strong, cohesive whole. It was created in the early 1990s by Dr. Hollis Scarborough, a literacy researcher, […]
Phonological Awareness vs Phonemic Awareness
Phonological awareness is about being able to hear and manipulate units of sound in spoken words, including syllables, onset, rime, and phonemes. Phonemic awareness is about being able to hear and manipulate the smallest unit of sound, a phoneme. Phonemic awareness is a part of phonological awareness, and they both focus on the sounds that […]
Big and Small Activities for Preschool
Understanding the concepts of “big” and “small” is a fundamental step in a child’s cognitive development. For teachers and parents looking for quick and easy ways to impart these ideas, here’s a list of engaging “big and small activities” that will not only educate but also entertain young learners. The Pink Tower & The Montessori […]
Montessori Math Curriculum
The Montessori Math curriculum builds a solid understanding of foundational mathematical principles through hands-on, concrete experiences leading to later practice with memorization and abstraction.Ā
Montessori Food Preparation
Montessori food preparation teaches children practical life skills through the use of child-sized tools and age-appropriate activities. By allowing children to prepare their own snacks and meals, food prep activities promote independence, concentration, development of fine motor skills, and healthy eating habits. Montessori education is a child-centered approach to learning that emphasizes independence, hands-on learning, […]
Grace and Courtesy in Montessori
Grace and Courtesy is a fundamental aspect of the Montessori curriculum. It is an essential part of Montessori philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of respect, empathy, and kindness. Grace and Courtesy lessons teach young children how to interact with others in a polite, respectful, and considerate manner. The Montessori Method of education recognizes that learning […]
Managing Overwhelm and Burnout as a Teacher
Being a teacher is both a privilege and a challenge. We have the opportunity to shape the lives of young minds, but the demands of the job can also be relentless. If you’re feeling burned out, you’re not alone. In this post, I’ll share some strategies that have helped me regain my energy and resilience […]
A Tour of Erin’s Montessori Classroom
I recently had the opportunity to visit my friend Erin Roberts in Asheville, NC. I’ve known Erin for about 14 years. We worked together at the Montessori School of Syracuse and she is one of the small handful of people I’ve met who seem to have been born with an intuitive understanding of Montessori. A […]
A Tour of Pine Cottage
I am delighted to feature Pine Cottage from the Montessori School of Syracuse (MSS) in our Classroom Showcase series this week! My Montessori spiritual roots lie at this school. This was the school where I first discovered Montessori. I found a job here as an assistant teacher right out of grad school. I then went for […]
Care of Self for Montessori Teachers
If you have Montessori training for the 0-6 year old levels, then you are familiar with the section in your Practical Life Album called “Care of Self”. This section covers all kinds of exercises to help young children learn to take care of themselves such as dressing, blowing their nose, preparing a snack for themselves, […]
Cooking in the Montessori Classroom
Food preparation and cooking are some of the most fun practical life activities in a Montessori environment! My personal preference is to create individualized food preparation activities that children can choose on their own, rather than group cooking activities that have to be done with a teacher. I want to show the children how to […]
A Tour of Jennifer’s Montessori Language Shelves
Jennifer Nichols’ gave us a tour of the materials on her Montessori Language shelves in the Trillium Community Facebook group a few weeks ago and I am delighted to feature her photos on the blog today! Jennifer has a charming little Montessori school in her home, called Whole Child Montessori. Affiliate links are used in this […]
A Tour of Audrey’s Montessori Classroom
This week’s classroom showcase comes to you from Audrey Morrison of The Walden School in Pennsylvania. Audrey shared these photos with us in the Trillium {Community} Facebook group and graciously answered lots of questions! If you’re wondering about something you see on the shelves, you can find more details in this thread. (You will need […]
Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: Science and Geography
Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. This is the gorgeous special interest table akaĀ “The Museum”. We rotate the objects to showcase various leaves, plants, animals, remains, etc. that the children find […]
Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: The Math Area
Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. The firstĀ math shelf with the number rods, spindle boxes and other 0-10 work. The Seguin Boards, Stamp Games, Dot Game, Hundred Board, Number Scroll […]
Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: Language Area
Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! Let’s take a closer look at her language area here. You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. Sandpaper letters (lowercase, capitals and phonograms) as well as Sandpaper letter boards A large […]
Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: Sensorial Area
Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. The pink tower on a special standĀ and the brown stair color boxes and the binomial and trinomial cubes the geometric cabinet and cards. Missing on […]
Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: Practical Life
Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. This is the Practical Life area of her Montessori classroom. Ā Lauren has a great eye for selecting attractive and unique materials. One corner of the […]
A Tour of Lauren’s Montessori Classroom
I am so excited to bring you an updated tour of Lauren’s classroom! Ā A couple of years ago, Lauren shared photos of her beautiful Montessori environment as part of our Classroom Showcase Series. Ā You can see the original post here, and see her stunning outdoor space here. Lauren was kind enough to offer us a […]
An Open Door Promise
By Pamela Green I awoke this morning thinking of my Grandpa, my Motherās father, and of a lesson he had passed on to me many years ago. It was one of the moments upon waking when I could feel myself as a child, the ground beneath my body, looking into his eyes as we sat […]
Movement in the Montessori Music Room
by Carolyn Lucento “Okay! Time for our musical movement activity… but how do I effectively manage the children?” If you find yourself asking this question during Music circle, then check out these tips from Carolyn Lucento of the Magical Movement Company! Carolyn is a long time Montessorian and trained Orff-Schulwerk music specialist. She teaches music classes […]
9 Keys to Writing Effective Progress Reports
I find it helpful to think of progress reports as just one of the componentsĀ in my overall parent relations strategy. Ā Building a strong connection with parents is an essential piece of running a successful classroom and school. Keeping this in mind, we can structure our progress reports in a way that meets our overall goals […]
Disruptive Classroom Behavior
By Pamela Green In my years of teaching I have had opportunities to be withĀ children who seem to bring disruption to the classroom. TheseĀ are the ones who tend to be louder in body and voice, take upĀ more space, make themselves heard before being seen, and atĀ times leave others quaking in their wake. The parents of […]
Social Stories
I was introduced to the concept of Social Stories about 10 years ago by Pat Getz, the support services coordinator at the Montessori School of Syracuse. The Social Stories technique, in my experience, works very well with Montessori Grace & Courtesy lessons. What are Montessori Grace & Courtesy Lessons? “Grace and Courtesy” is the term […]
A Year of Early Language Shelves
I love the early language development area of my classroom! There is a lot of foundational work that comes before children are introduced to letters. Today’s post is about the kinds of activities we have on our pre-literacy or early language Montessori shelves. The Language Area This is a photo of the Language area […]
My DIY Montessori Adventure
I’m delighted to introduce you to Keri today. I came across some of Keri’s work in the Montessori 101 Facebook group and thought she had some fabulous Montessori DIY ideas. I’m sure you’ll be inspired by her amazing work! -Seemi Hello! I’m Keri, mom to two boys, ages 3.5 years and nearly 7 months […]
Classroom Tour: Amy N
Today I am thrilled to feature my dear friend Amy’s room on the Classroom Showcase Series. Amy and I worked together for many years. She is one of the most peaceful, thoughtful, down to earth, and fun people I know! This is an all-day classroom for children ages 3-6 years old. The room is open from 7:30-5:30 daily. The outdoor […]
Music Resources for the Preschool Classroom
You can’t have a preschool classroom without music! But if you’re a tone deaf preschool teacher like I am, putting together a music curriculum can be a daunting task. These are some of my go-to resources for music in my classroom. Free Music Nancy Stewart has a hundreds of free songs available to download on her website. […]
Classroom Tours: Beth Bitts
I’m delighted to introduce you to my friend Beth Bitts on this week’s Classroom Showcase. You can find more information about Beth on her blog, Simply Sewn. About Beth I have a BA in Social Work and an AMS Montessori Certification. I came to Montessori as a second career after working in child welfare […]
How to Set Up a Classroom in 48 Hours
This week’s Classroom Showcase post is not a tour of a classroom but the (brief) story of how I had to set up my space in under 48 hours when we moved to our current location. These pictures are from 2010. Step 1: Get Some Efficient Movers Friday Aug 20th 7pm (in the garage) […]
Classroom Tours: Lauren Marques
Welcome to Part 2 of the tour of Lauren’s class at Creo Montessori in Arizona. Ā Last week we saw pictures of her outdoor environment. Ā Today, weĀ get to see the inside! Ā Thank you, Lauren, for sharing your lovely space with the rest of us. Practical Life Sensorial Language Math Cultural About Lauren Marques My name is […]
Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: The Outdoors
For this week’s Montessori Classroom Showcase Series, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Lauren from the Creo School in Arizona. I have been admiring her photographs in the Montessori teachers Facebook group for the past year and I am so happy that she has agreed to share them on our blog! Lauren has been […]
Classroom Tours: April Waxler
This is the second post in our Montessori Classroom Showcase Series. Today I’m delighted to introduce you to April Waxler from the Bloomington Montessori School in Indiana. About April I have been a Montessori teacher for twenty years and I have yet to have a boring day. Bloomington Montessori School (in Bloomington, Indiana) has been […]
Montessori Art Trays for Toddlers
Setting up art trays for your child is a fabulous way to introduce different mediums to your child, encourage creativity, build independence, and allow repetition. Let me show you the art trays we have out at the moment in our classroom for children from 16 months to 3 years. You will see that: 1. The […]
Classroom Tours: Miss Stephanie
This is the very first post is our Montessori Classroom Showcase series. I’m very excited about sharing with you Montessori classrooms from around the world! I’ve been in the classroom for over 15 years now and I still don’t get tired of looking at how Montessori teachers have arranged their shelves. I always get a […]
Phonetic Books for Beginning Readers
Finding decodable reading books for early readers can be quite a challenge! Below are some of the books we have in our classroom. The Peacekeeper Series I absolutely love the Peacekeeper Series available on Montessori Services. Each story is set in a Montessori classroom and shows how the children prevent or resolve a conflict. The words are phonetically […]
The Montessori Blue Series for Reading
A few months ago we were gifted a box of treasures by a former Montessori teacher who also happens to be the grandmother of one of our students. Even after a decade and a half in the classroom, I still love this stuff! All that organizing put me in the mood to take photos […]
Montessori Golden Beads
by Jessica RenĆ©e A new visitor to a Montessori classroom will likely notice many unusual and intriguing materials, laid out on wooden shelves, as if calling out to be touched. This is exactly what happened recently at my dual-track school where some classes follow the traditional school model, and other classes follow the Montessori model. […]
Short Vowels: How Much is Enough Practice?
By Cathie Perolman Read more about Cathie’s process for practicing letter sounds here: Are Sandpaper Letters Enough? The Letter Race Game Once a child has mastered some letters and is able to blend sounds into words he is ready for some āheavy dutyā work with three letter short vowel words. As I visit schools and support […]
A Year of Montessori Fine Motor Shelves
“Practical Life” is a huge area of the Montessori Curriculum. Ā It’s about giving children opportunities to engage in real everyday activities such as taking care of themselves and their surroundings, preparing food, cleaning up etc. Ā Real. Life. Stuff. Many Montessori teachers call their fine motor activities Practical Life activities. Ā I think of them more as […]
An Introduction to the Baric Tablets- A Montessori Sensorial Activity
Today I’m excited to welcome Tanya Wright to the blog! She is sharing some information about the Montessori Baric Tablets. This is an elegant Montessori activity that you don’t hear about much, which is unfortunate because it’s an important part of the Montessori sensorial curriculum. The senses are the child’s window to the world; […]
A Montessori Lesson
Today I’d like to introduce you to Linda Karchmar. Linda is a now retired Montessori Guide who owned her own school for 28 years, and taught for 32 years. She has a wonderful online store where she is selling materials from her school, including lots of lovely Practical Life items! You can also find childrenās […]
The Letter Race Game
I’m excited to welcome Cathie Perolman back to the Trillium Montessori Blog! Ā Last time she was here, she gave us a wonderfully detailed look at many of her letter work activities. Ā Today she’s got a great letter sounds game to share with us. Ā This is perfect for students who are in the “second period” of […]
Preliminary Practical Life Exercises
The Practical Life activities in a Montessori classroom are designed to be purposeful work that lead the child to an understanding of his environment and how it works.Ā These activities are appealing to the young child as they resemble everyday activities the child has seen adults complete.Ā The Practical Life Area of the classroom encompasses: […]
Montessori Letter Order: Are Sandpaper Letters Enough?
This post is written by my friend Cathie Perolman, a long time Montessorian with over 3 decades of experience! Today she is sharing her language program with us. I have been very inspired by Cathie’s work and have used it as a basis for the organization of my own language shelves. I’m sure you will get a […]
Free Montessori Printable Puzzle Words
There are over one hundred sight words in this collection. Ā They are color coded in groups of ten so you can easily keep track of which set the child is working on. Ā https://www.instagram.com/p/CBP3nYhl-EE/ Ā Ā Ā
Free Montessori Printable: Label the Environment
These are a great addition to your reading shelf. Ā There are a few levels of difficulty so you can do this with a range of readers. Ā The simplest set would correspond to the “blue” reading level (blends and multi-syllables). Ā The second set has words that include phonograms highlighted in red. Ā The most […]
Free Montessori Printable Phonogram Sentences
Ok my friends, this is a HUGE printable and may be my favorite of the lot. You get THREE sentences for EACH of the Montessori phonograms. Ā Yeah, THREE… EACH. Ā This took forever to put together and I love it. Ā I hope you will too! Ā The sentences do include a few basic sight words like “the”, […]
Free Montessori Printable Phonogram Sorting
Three pictures to go with each of the standard Montessori phonogram sandpaper letters. Ā The phonogram sound may be found at the beginning, middle, or end of the word. Ā
Consonant Blends Word List: Free Montessori Printable
A whole lot of word lists to add to your phonetic reading shelf! Ā A variety of beginning and ending blends are represented. Ā
Free Montessori Printable Beginning Sound Sorting Cards
Ā These cards can be used for a variety of early language activities. Cut out and mount on colored paper to coordinate with your letter sets.Ā I do not like to teach the sound of the letter X in the initial position and so this set does not include any pictures for X. Ā All the other […]
Introduction to Montessori Geography
Introduction to Geography: A Montessori Approach The Montessori approach utilizes hands-on learning, independence, and exploration. When it comes to introducing young learners to geography, this method proves to be both engaging and effective, fostering a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world. Children are introduced to geography through tactile and visual experiences, such as […]
How to Start a New Class
How to Start A New Class Today’s post is about what we do during the first few days in our classroom. This post ended up being a lot longer than I had originally planned. It’s also coming a few weeks late since all of you are back to school already. But, I hope it helps […]
Organizing Thematic Units and Seasonal Supplies
Last month I wrote about how I use a unit studies approach to our “cultural” curriculum. Ā I love how it has simplified my organization system. Ā I used to keep my materials categorized by curriculum area. Ā For example, all the language materials were in one cabinet, all the practical life materials were in one spot, and […]
Organizing Art Supplies
Organizing Art Ideas Pinterest is now my organizing tool of choice for all curriculum ideas. I have a board dedicated just to art, but I tend to add more art pins to my Unit studies boards. This makes it easier to decide when to use a particular activity. But before Pinterest, I had binders […]
8 Tips for Organizing Practical Life Supplies
Woohoo! Only a Montessori teacher can understand the rush of owning tiny bowls and pitchers and tongs. In the early days, you think you can’t possibly ever have enough. And then the day comes when you realize, by golly, you have to stop accumulating them because there’s no room left in the ~ahem~ fourth dimension. […]
Organizing in Four Dimensions
Over the years, Iāve collected a lot of classroom materials. I mean, a lot. If youāre a teacher, thereās a good chance you know exactly what Iām talking about. It starts with a few cute trays, a stack of themed printables, some thrift store finds that might come in handy one dayā¦ and before you […]
The Evolution of My Montessori Record Keeping System
I have been working and observing in Montessori classrooms for a good fifteen years now and I’ve seen dozens of different ways to keep track of the mountain of information generated on a daily basis. I’m also a bit of an information junkie and I collect ideas like they’re about to run out (have you seen my Pinterest boards?!) […]
Working with the Easel
We love everything about painting at the easel! Over the last few weeks we’ve been exploring tints. What happens to blue when you mix it with white? I love how this little guy left the top right quadrant of his paper blank and declared his painting finished. Check out some of these old videos of […]