The Tools of Montessori Preschool
An authentic Montessori Preschool classroom is divided into sections known as workstations. Each section contains carefully designed activities that are indistinguishable from toys. They can be used by young children for several years because they are applied in progressively more advanced ways. Typically made of wood, they entertain, teach, and encourage a love of learning.The Best Montessori Preschool Workstations
These are a few of the most effective workstations found in an authentic Montessori setting:The Pink Tower - Consisting of 10 cubes of increasing dimensions, the Pink Tower teaches children about sizes, sorting, and counting. It is visually self-correcting, which helps children confidently teach themselves.
Cylinder Blocks - These 10 cylindrical blocks fit in a specific order inside their storage case and have a knob on one end. The knobs are designed to be gripped like a pencil, building fine motor control.
The Broad Stair - Also called the Brown Stair, this group of 10 wooden prisms stacks together to form a uniform tower of steps. It is designed to teach proportions such as width, length, and height, among many other uses.
Knobless Cylinders - This workstation contains 4 boxes of cylinders, each box a different color, and containing cylinders with different proportional aspects. Like all authentic Montessori tools, this activity is self-correcting and used for a variety of lessons across several years of education.
Binomial Cubes - From simply stacking cubes to learning more advanced mathematics, this box of 8 cubes teaches 3-dimensional skills, the ability to follow a printed pattern, and the basic principles of geometry.
Trinomial Cubes - More advanced than the binomial cubes, this activity contains pieces of varying dimensions that will fit the container in specific orders. Both trinomial and binomial cubes can be mathematically described with geometric equations, introducing children to more advanced concepts as they grow.
All authentic Montessori preschools will use workstations of a similar type, although some schools include additional tools that are inspired by the Montessori Method such as tactile rugs, kitchen areas, and more. Using activities with multiple applications allows children to devote more of their playtime to education and less adjusting to new sets of tools.
