Why Montessori Elementary Math Materials for home and school?
Montessori math materials for home and school express mathematical ideas spatially, visually, auditorily, kinesthetically (with movement), and logically. In addition, Montessori math materials encourage active learning through guided discovery which leads to greater understanding and memory recall.
When working independently with the Montessori math materials at home or school children discover the rules and processes for themselves. Repeated work with the material results in mastery of abstract concepts in concrete ways. This trains the brain to think mathematically. Because a child manipulates the material with built-in control of error, he self-corrects his work. Accordingly, he gains confidence and independence, which results in satisfaction and intrinsic motivation to learn.
How Do I Get Started With Montessori Elementary Math Materials?
Which math materials for your home or school classroom should you purchase? How do you use the materials once you have them?
I know the confusion and overwhelm. After 20+ years in Montessori elementary classrooms, building small schools, and homeschooling my children I know which math materials will give your child a solid foundation in mathematical concepts and operations. I recommend ten math materials for your home/ school with the most versatility and “bang for your buck”!
These elementary math materials are used for kindergarten through third or fourth grade so once you have the materials you are prepared for all of lower elementary!
My top ten essential Montessori math materials for home and school are:
- Decanomial Bead Bars
- Golden Beads and Numeral Cards
- The Stamp Game
- The Small and Large Bead Frames
- The Multiplication Bead Board
- Multiplication Checkerboard (with Decanomial Bead Bars)
- The Division Bead Board
- Racks and Tubes Division
- Fraction Circles
- The Geometry Stick Box
*This post contains Amazon affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on purchases through links at no added cost to you.
Decanomial Bead Bars
The Decanomial Bead Bar math material for home and school comprises colorful bead bars from 1-10. In the simplest application, the bead bars give children an understanding of a quantity-number connection. Once he recognizes the number and quantity, he plays other games with the bead bars that reinforce liner counting and introduce addition, multiplication, and subtraction.
- Use the bars to count teens and by tens.
- Add two beads together to learn addition facts and discover the commutative property of addition (2+4=6, 4+2=6)
- Lay multiples of the same bead bar and learn multiplication facts as well as the reverse factors for the same product (4×6=24, 6×4=24), and do multi-digit multiplication problems.
- Practice subtraction facts.
- Square numbers.
- Concept of a square root. (Upper elementary)
- Polynomial expansion. (Upper elementary)
Click HERE for specific lessons with the Bead Bars.
The Golden Beads and Numeral Cards
The Golden Beads math material with Numeral Cards is the most concrete to teach number sense, place value, the decimal system, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They represent the decimal base-ten counting system we use daily.
The child experiences a spatial, visual representation of the decimal system that impresses him deeply. He engages in movement and repetition through guided exploration and discovery enabling him to construct meaning for how the decimal system works. Once introduced to the concept of the decimal system, he uses the Golden Beads for a variety of numeration, place value, and operations work:
- Build, read, and write numbers up to 9,999.
- Make exchanges from one place value to the next.
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division equations with exchanges into the thousands place.
- Square roots of numbers up to 999. (Upper elementary)
- Divisibility of numbers. (Upper elementary)
The Stamp Game
The Stamp Game teaches mathematical processes for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division into the thousand’s place. It is more abstract than the Golden Bead material because it no longer represents a quantity with individual beads. Instead, there are wooden or plastic square tiles each with a numeral written on them representing the quantity they stand for 1, 10, 100, or 1,000. A repeated color pattern demonstrates place value. This color pattern continues throughout the Montessori math curriculum.
The Small and Large Bead Frames
The Small and Large Bead Frames consist of colorful beads on wires as shown above. The color of the beads on each wire represents its place value. Ten beads of a lesser value can be exchanged for one bead in the next place value. The Bead Frames can be used to do addition, subtraction, and multi-digit multiplication; but not division. The Small Bead Frame allows equations into the thousands and the Large Bead Frame allows equations into the millions.
Children in lower elementary begin with the Small Bead Frame and move on to the Large Bead Frame typically in second or third grade. Upper elementary children use the Large Bead Frame for multi-digit long multiplication.
The Multiplication Bead Board
The Multiplication Bead Board teaches multiplication facts. The board allows for up to 100 beads (10×10) to be placed in arrays that represent products of different factors, assisting children in not only memorizing the facts but also in the concept of taking a number a set number of times, and in visualizing multiplication. Correspondingly, the Division Bead Board demonstrates a set number of beads shared with a set number of groups.
To Purchase the Multiplication Bead Board click HERE.
To purchase the Multiplication and Division Board bundle click HERE.
The Multiplication Checkerboard with Decanomial Bead Bars
The Multiplication Checkerboard teaches multi-digit multiplication. It is a board or cloth mat filled with green, blue, and red squares visually representing the mathematical place value hierarchy of numbers.
Number tiles show the number being taken (the multiplicand) at the bottom of the board. Also, a tile on the side shows how many times to take the number (the multiplier) in an equation.
Children place bead bars on the checkerboard squares as shown above to represent the product. The child sees that a set number is being taken a given multiple times. He sees a visual array of beads and can easily count them to find the product.
The Division Bead Board
The Division Bead Board teaches memorization of division facts. The board allows for up to 81 beads to be shared among a divisor of 1-9 represented by green wooden pegs called “skittles”, which are placed at the top of the board. The process is a distributive division resulting in a quotient based on the share of what each “skittle” received. It assists children in memorizing the division facts, understanding the concept of an equal share divided among a number, and visualizing division.
To purchase the Division Bead Board click HERE.
To purchase the Multiplication and Division Board bundle click HERE.
Racks and Tubes Division
The Racks and Tubes material teaches long division with dividends into the millions. It is sometimes called Test Tube Division, Division Hierarchical Material, or simply Long Division Material. There are tubes containing colorful beads (green, blue, and red) that are used to represent the dividend (the amount to be divided or shared) in a division equation.
The tubes sit in racks that are colored according to the numerical hierarchy (simple family, thousands family, millions family). The child creates dividends (amounts to be shared) by filling little cups with beads to be shared among a divisor represented by wooden “skittles.”
To purchase the Racks and Tubes Long Division material click HERE.
The Fraction Circles
The Fraction Circles consist of red plastic or wooden circles representing fraction pieces from one whole to tenths. Children learn concepts of fraction families, equivalence, improper fractions, mixed numbers, and operations with fractions using the circles.
The Geometry Stick Box
Lastly, The Geometry Stick Box contains wooden sticks of different lengths and colors which when connected create any shape or angle needed in geometry investigation. When used with geometry drawers, geometry puzzles, nomenclature cards, or task cards this math material not only makes geometry concepts beautifully visual but entices children to investigate further.
In conclusion, this list is a showcase of the core math materials used in Montessori classrooms and homeschools all over the world. I hope it brings clarity to the methods used by Montessori teachers for over a century and highlights the brilliance of their simplicity and versatility. Many of these materials can be made by the creative DIYer, but if you choose to purchase a quality set of wood or durable plastic, it will last decades with proper care saving our earth and our pocketbooks!
Which Montessori math material would benefit your child’s learning best? What is your child’s biggest struggle in math? What support would you need to implement Montessori math materials in your homeschool or classroom? Have you used Montessori math materials before? What worked, or didn’t work? Comment below!