By Ms. Fritzie Sebial
Montessori Materials – they might be viewed as toys but are actually scientifically designed to develop very specific areas in a child’s mind. Children are most always engaged in these materials because it brings them great joy and accomplishment, thus developing strong minds and a very positive sense of oneself. Montessori Materials are divided into different areas of learning, each of which is very beneficial to the child’s development.
Hierarchies of numbers are impressed upon the children ( a unit is a single bead, 10 is a bar of 10 golden beads, 100 is a square of 100 golden beads and a 1000 is represented by a cube), making reading and writing numbers easier.
Children also use this material in what we call the “Bank Game”, which introduces the concept of borrowing/exchanging. As the children master the symbols and quantities, they start working on the different operations. Thus, making this one of the most important material in the classroom.