Montessori-Math

Montessori-Math can be an important learning material and the activities associated with it may lay a mathematical foundation for your child.

This material is commonly used in the Montessori preschools throughout the world but it can be easily improvised in the home learning environment even if your child does not go to a Montessori school.

Invite your child- “Let's make some ten golden bead bars today, together”.

Materials Needed:A bag of plastic gold colored beads, available in most craft stores, approximately 6 mm size.

Wire 24 gauge

Wire cutter and round nose pliers.

Note: Another quick option is using earpins where the loop is done in one end already. You may choose 21 gauge 2" (about 5cm) long earpins and in that case use 4 mm beads instead of 6 mm to accommodate 10 beads in the ear pin or bar.Make a loop at the end after stringing the beads.

“Here , we made a ten bar”. Show your accomplishment.

Make ten such ten-bars for future math activities, may be not all in one day, unless your child wants to. Give him more involvement every time in stringing the beads and making this Montessori-Math material.

Make a hundred chain:

A hundred chain can be made joining the bead bars while you make the second loops for each bars.

This is a great activity for children who are learning to associate numerals with quantities but do not have enough experience to manipulate them.

A comparing activity for younger kids (3-1/2 to 4- ½ approx age):

Show him just one golden bead and say -“one”. Show him the bar and say “ ten” bar. Show him the hundred chain arranged as a square and say “ hundred”. Ask him to show you - hundred , then the ten , last- one.

Now you point to the quantity- “What is this?” Let the child articulate. Go with all the three names. When you are sure that the child knows all the three names you may play the "What's missing” game taking turns covering eyes and hiding one item behind. The purpose is to reinforce the names and associating with the quantity. The indirect aim is -just simple fun. This is called the Three Period Lesson.

This is a valuable way of teaching children vocabulary. Children of this age loves nouns and can learn a lot which stay in their subconscious mind giving them an interest to learn about that subject later in life.

At another time you may print the numerals on heavy card stocks and show how we write them, associating with the names.

For older children who are exposed to 1, 10 and 100 this activity of three period lesson may not be needed but length of the chain will fascinate them and can be used to measure different part of the house -like the hall-way or the sofa etc.

Several other games and activities may be introduced incorporating the Montessori-Math theme.

You may also make small tags and write the numerals 10, 20, 30...100 and have the child put the tags next to the bead bars.

The child may discover the correlation of two ten bars with the numeral 20, three ten bars with 30 and so on.

It's always nicer when he finds it out himself than us informing.

Please do not make this a home work issue. If your child does not want to make bead bars with you, wait for another day when he is ready. On the other hand don't you be surprised if your child starts tutoring another young one or even his stuffed toy.

Montessori-Math bead chain will be a favorite learning material to your child because he took part in making it. You have passed on your love of beading and your skill in making some thing for him that is valuable.

To check out another Montessori bead project check out the bead-stair

The mathematical mind is created from with in, has to be self created, we can only facilitate it with appropriate concrete tools and exposure.

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