What Makes Montessori Activities Different?

Montessori activities and how they are presented is the reason I became interested in Montessori. The approach to presentation and focus on hands-on learning was so refreshing and original that I couldn’t wait to start practicing Montessori with my toddler. But what makes an activity a Montessori activity?

As a general rule, Montessori activities require the use of specific materials purposefully designed by Maria Montessori for different subjects within the curriculum. All activities and materials adhere to strict principles that form the basis of the Montessori philosophy.

Here are some tips to help you identify authentic Montessori activities as well as the fascinating philosophy that sets them apart from the rest.

What Is A Montessori Activity?

Before we get into all the fascinating aspects of Montessori activities, I think we should clear up any confusion with regards to what I refer to when I use the term: Montessori activity.

Authentic Montessori vs ‘Montessori-friendly’ activities

Montessori knobbed cylinders — Authentic Montessori: Knobbed Cylinders from the Sensorial Curriculum

There is a difference between authentic Montessori activities and activities that are referred to as Montessori activities but are really Montessori-inspired or sometimes accurately referred to as Montessori-friendly activities.

Real Montessori activities are activities that form part of the Montessori curriculum and usually require the use of authentic Montessori materials. These include activities like the pink tower in the sensorial curriculum or sandpaper letters in the language curriculum.

Montessori activities can also be activities that do not require any materials designed by Dr. Montessori but that are routinely practiced in the Montessori classroom. Practical life activities are everyday life tasks like washing hands and setting the table but they form a very important foundation in Montessori teaching because it serves the child’s need to be independent.

I must note that even though practical life activities are not unique to Montessori, the way a child is taught to perform these activities are. The task is always broken up into smaller tasks and the children follow very clear steps in a specific order to complete the tasks. The approach is what makes the activity Montessori.

Characteristics of Montessori activities & materials

The materials have a control of error built in.

Control of error is a prerequisite for all Montessori materials created by Maria Montessori. It just means that the child will be alerted to a mistake without anyone having to point it out. This is important because the child needs to be able to work on an activity independently and should be able to solve the problem themselves.

Control of error also exists in activities outside of Montessori, like puzzles, where a mistake becomes very obvious to you without anyone pointing it out. There will be a puzzle piece leftover or the picture displayed will look wrong.

I have written extensively on the topic of control of error in Montessori in this article.

Montessori materials isolate a single skill

Unlike most infant or toddler activities on the market today, Montessori activities will only focus on developing one skill at a time. This is done to avoid distraction and to make sure a child has the chance to concentrate by only offering one challenge at a time.

You can see the difference when you look at typical ‘baby’ toys compared to Montessori infant materials.

Montessori activities employ all the senses

Montessori believes that humans learn better through their senses and this is carried through to every carefully designed material for every area of learning in the Montessori curriculum. Montessori learning material will require the child to interact with the material by using multiple senses.

Montessori materials foster concentration

Because Montessori materials isolate one skill at a time and use natural materials the end product is usually calming. The unnecessary noise is removed and only a simplified, stripped-down version is presented to the child. This helps children engage more effectively with the activity by focussing only on what is in front of them.

Concentration is like a muscle that requires practice but even busy toddlers are capable of concentrating for long periods when the conditions are just right.

Montessori materials always have an element of beauty

Maria Montessori noticed how children were attracted to activities and materials that were beautifully designed and presented. She also believed that beauty feeds the soul and this was no different for children. Humans appreciate esthetics and its value is in how it makes us feel.

The Montessori materials achieve beauty through simplicity in design and using natural materials.

Montessori activities promote independence

What stands out about Montessori activities is how the child is set up for success by removing unnecessary obstacles so they can start and complete the activity completely independently. This does take some extra planning on our part to make sure this can happen.

Independence is the goal and making sure your child experiences success often is what builds confidence and eventually mastery. Challenge is necessary but it should always be in line with your child’s current skills. Throwing someone into the deep end does not encourage confidence or independence.

Montessori activities and materials are based on reality

You will never see animals wearing clothes or fantasy characters in Montessori-friendly books. Neither will you find toys that make unexplained sounds or anything that is not true to life in a Montessori classroom or home.

The Montessori philosophy is to educate children about the real world before introducing fantasy aspects created by other people’s imagination.

It is important to note that children under 6 have great difficulty distinguishing between real and imaginary. Introducing them to imaginary aspects might be confusing or even frightening to them (books and television).

Montessori also prefers using wood furniture instead of plastic because wood represents reality. Plastic furniture is too light and doesn’t represent the realistic weight of a table or a chair. It doesn’t require a realistic level of effort to move or lift the chair.

Montessori materials also introduce concepts as concrete ideas first and later moves to the abstract. This can be seen in the sensorial materials like the pink tower or the knobbed cylinders where concepts of dimension, weight, and volume are introduced in concrete form. Children can feel the weight and shape of the object and can judge the dimensions based on what they can see and touch. These concepts will later become abstract when they learn how to write weight or do mathematical equations with volume.

Montessori activities build practical skills

Purposeful activity and hands-on experiences are prioritized in Montessori because they help children build confidence, fine motor skills, concentration, and a sense of order. This is especially important for young children (as young as 12 months) to feel like a valued person in the family.

These activities usually have a designated area in the classroom and most teachers will tell you that it is the preferred place for most children under 6. They simply love activities like washing tables, setting the table, flower arranging, and polishing mirrors. The process seems to be what they enjoy more than the outcome.

These are also the easiest activities to implement at home since you don’t need any pricey special materials. Just make sure that you have tools that are scaled to size so your child can use them.

Are you interested in learning more about Montessori Principles? Then I urge you to read this article The 5 Key Principles of Montessori (written by me)

Five areas of Montessori materials & activities

A Montessori classroom is divided into five different learning areas with shelves for displaying different categories of materials.

Math materials
Language materials
Sensorial Materials
Hand-eye coordination activities
Practical Life Activities

At what age can I start Montessori activities?

Most people are unaware that Montessori can be implemented from infancy. The first materials available to infants are Montessori mobiles. These are not only beautiful but very smart in their design. If you want to learn more about Montessori mobiles and when to use which one – Read this!.

Whenever I get asked which activity to introduce at what age, I share the link to this list. It is the most exhaustive and comprehensive list of activities compiled by Simone Davies – an accomplished Montessori teacher and the author of the brilliant book ‘The Montessori Toddler’.

How to set up a Montessori Activity?

Montessori pouring activity — Montessori Practical Life activity: Water pouring excersize

Montessori is very clear on the guidelines for presenting an activity to a child. This is to ensure the success of the activity – to make sure the goal of the activity is achieved.

The first step is to make sure you have everything the child will need from start to finish.
Then you have to place all the items needed on a tray with the different components separated and each placed in a container/bowl/basket within the larger tray.
The next is the layout. Components need to be placed in the order the child will use them – always starting from left to right. Always present the activity in its undone state.
The last step is to make sure it gets the attention of the child by making it look visually appealing.

What are Montessori-friendly activities?

Montessori-friendly or Montessori-inspired activities are activities that follow the same principles as Montessori but are not authentic Montessori activities. These activities are either open ended, based in reality, focused on one skill and borrows from the wisdom of Montessori.

Examples of activities that are Montessori-friendly are:

Building puzzles
Painting and drawing
Play dough/kinetic sand
Building blocks/lego/magnatiles
Cooking & baking
Gardening
Cleaning
Pretend play – dress up, grocery shop, doctor, etc.

Examples of open-ended toys are:

Transportation – cars, trains, planes, etc. (close to reality with no batteries)
Animal figurines
Balls
Gross motor equipment (climbing structures, swing, jump rope, hula-hoop, balance beams, etc)
Dolls (representing humans)

What is a Montessori toy?

Maria Montessori only created learning materials and thus there are no items that can accurately be referred to as a Montessori toy. The term might be applied to play objects that are in line with the Montessori philosophy and adhere to the same principles as Montessori learning materials.