Teaching Montessori in the Home

Teaching Method Resources

The Montessori Method

The Montessori Learning Method

Montessori is a very hands-on learning method that allows children to make natural connections with the world around them through self-paced, self-directed learning.  It is typically coined as learning by doing. 

To the untrained eye, it may appear as if learners are not following a rhyme or reason when using this learning method, but really they are.  The environment in which Montessori learning takes place in has been specially prepared and designed with the learning outcomes in mind.  Interactive materials that will teach the skills and information to learners are easily accessible.  Depending on the school or homeschool schedule, learners decide what they want to do and when.  It is a neat concept.

A good way to get a handle on what this method looks like is to visit a local Montessori school.  We did and it was quite inspiring for both us parents and our children.  It really did have an impact on how we selected learning materials and resources - in quality if nothing else.

The Montessori Method is so much more than we have listed here so feel free learn more about it by reading some of Dr. Montessori's own free resources online using the links at the left.  They will open in their own window. You may also wish to purchase some resources that teach you about the method itself or how to adopt and implement it in your own homeschool.  For your convenience you can do that right from this page using the tool at the top. 

Five things to do with our Montessori Card Sets

1. Name the pictures on each.

2. Play matching games with two sets.

3. Sort by topic criteria.

4. Recall narrative details about the topic (Explain all you know about the material.)

5. Relate pictures in the set to one another.

Dr. Maria Montessori

(1870-1952)

Our Montessori Resources

Montessori Art Cards

Montessori Catholic Cards

Montessori Literature Based Cards

Famous people who have used the Montessori Method:

-Larry Page, Co-Founder of Google
-Sergey Brin, Co-Founder of Google
-Peter Drucker, Management Guru
-Prince William and Prince Harry, English royal family
-George Clooney, Academy Award-winning actor
-Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon
-Anne Frank, famous diarist from WWII
-Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia
-Will Wright, designer of The Sims
-Julia Child, famous chef
-Helen Hunt, Academy Award-winning actress
-Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize Winner
-Joshua Bell, American violinist, owner of Stradivarius violin
-Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, former first lady (John F. Kennedy)
-Melissa and Sarah Gilbert, actresses

Download Free Reads about the Montessori Learning Method

Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook by Maria Montessori

The Montessori Method by Maria Montessori

The Advanced Montessori Method by Maria Montessori

Great Informative Sites on the Montessori Method of Learning

Montessori - The International Montessori Index

Michael Olaf - The Montessori Method

Special Features of this Method

• Material is presented to the child as an individual rather than to a group/class

• Uses experiential learning - learning through all five senses

• Uses a broad learning program that focuses on building the learner's independence and self-reliability

• Materials used in teaching are engaging, well made, and generally self-correcting

• Teaches learners how to do things for the sake of the outcome without using rewards or incentives

• Prepares children to smoothly progress into higher learning institutions by teaching them skills of how to get along with others

• Allows for child directed learning and is especially appealing or suited for those learners who are progressing at a different rate then their natural peers.

Weaknesses of this Method

• Very child centered 

• May become too eclectic over time

• Requires special training or extra preparation in order to properly facilitate this method

• One must have a learning environment that can be conducive to this style of learning

• Materials can be expensive or hard to find locally

• Must have storage space for materials

• This method is generally used for Pre-Grade 6 in formal institutions