• START HERE!
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

1+1+1=1 logo

Never planned to homeschool, now wouldn't trade it for the world

  • 1+1+1=1 logo
  • HOME
  • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews
  • CURRICULUM BY 1+1+1=1
    • COUNTRY BY COUNTRY
    • ANIMAL ABCS
    • TOT SCHOOL PRINTABLES
    • KINDERGARTEN @ HOME
    • KINDERGARTEN LITERATURE UNITS
    • YOU CAN READ SIGHT WORDS
    • YOU CAN READ WORD FAMILIES
    • RAISING ROCK STARS PRESCHOOL
    • RAISING ROCK STARS KINDERGARTEN
    • RAISING LIL’ ROCK STARS THROUGH THE BIBLE A-Z
  • FREE PRINTABLES
    • MONTESSORI
    • READ FOR A REASON
    • THEME BASED
    • JUST COLOR!
    • CALENDAR CONNECTIONS
    • ALPHABET
    • NUMBERS
    • SCIENCE
  • START HERE!

Montessori Minute ~ Great Questions

Montessori Minute Great Questions
This is a guest post written by John Bowman, author of Montessori at Home!

I received some great questions from an enthusiastic parent, and since they are questions many parents have, it seemed like a good time for a post. Dee writes:

Hello John, Thank you for your eBook. I am enjoying reading it and getting set up to do Montessori at home with my toddler and 4 year old! I had a few questions I hope you could answer…

How many materials to set out and how rapidly to introduce? I know you suggest preparing a few materials and introducing them to get started, but I am wondering how quickly to do this (eg. 1 new presentation a day?) and how much material to set out in a small home?

I know in a Montessori school almost all the materials would be out, but in a home, that sounds like it might be chaos. I can see from some of the blogs that people have a variety of set ups from 1 to 3+ bookshelves. Is there a rule of thumb for how many materials?

How long to leave a material out and remove it if it’s not touched? How do you decide if your child has “finished” with a material?

What do you do when a child wants to mix up materials from more than one activity? Or just play with the materials in a way that is not part of the demonstration (eg. my daughter wanted to “cook” with the beans from the pouring tray).

Thanks so much. I am looking forward to adopting more Montessori but want to do it in the best way possible! Look forward to your advice.

Thanks for the great questions and your sincere interest in doing the best for your kids, Dee, let’s get right into it.

Many parents write about what to do with a toddler and an older child in the house. It’s a challenge, patience is key. The older child needs a place to display his materials where the toddler can’t reach them. A separate space, like separate rooms if possible, really helps so he can concentrate on what he’s doing. Toddler nap time is always an opportunity! Getting the toddler occupied is important, because otherwise he will dive right into what’s going on. Group projects, like cooking, where both children can have their own contributions to make, can help the kids learn to cooperate. If you are blessed, you will have a few precious moments occasionally when you and the toddler can be busy while your 4 year old works on an activity independently! Things probably won’t be ideal until the toddler is at least 2 1/2 or so and can have similar activities, so you do the best you can.

It is better at home to start slow and find materials your kids are really interested in, rather than put a lot of things out at once. This is how I started with new Montessori preschools, also. Look for activities that attract and hold their interest and attention. Leave these out on the shelves. Add new materials slowly. 1-2 new items every week or so seems about right. Follow your child’s interests. If your child is working with what he has, great. If he is looking for something to do, put something from the book together. Start with Practical Life and Sensorial activities, these have a universal appeal to young children. Introduce new materials at a pace that works for your child.

There are no firm rules about how many materials to have out. Make the best use of your space and do your own thing. Focus on materials that truly help your child focus attention. Try to keep your shelves from becoming cluttered, jam-packed storage areas. Displaying materials with a little space between them adds to their aura as special items. Follow your children’s interests – that is the key to Montessori. You will see when a material has outlived its time of interest.

As long as your kids don’t abuse the materials (involving them in making them really helps here), and as long as they put them back together properly and back on the shelf when they are done, I believe in letting them do their own thing with them. Children need a mix of skills-based, pretend / imaginative, and creative play. It’s all important to their development. To truly follow the child – the Montessori prime directive – we need to make room for all of it and go with the flow. If your child shows more interest in cooking, for example, as your child did when doing an activity, switch to a cooking activity. If she wants to pretend play, let her. If he would rather do some art, let him. Go with the flow, and use the book to support your child’s interests.

Your home will never be a Montessori school, that’s not what you’re aiming for. If you do activities regularly – usually imperfectly – things will click often enough for your kids to get major benefits from them. Montessori materials are largely designed to auto-educate, meaning a child can use them independently. It takes awhile to get things started, but keep at it and you will see your kids respond and get the hang of it. It will always be a little messy, and that’s fine.

Montessori schools take awhile to get running well with a new group of kids each year, so don’t ever feel bad if things don’t go as planned or your kids don’t respond as you thought they would. Keep at it, be consistent, and have fun.

Hope those ideas help. If any readers have ideas to add, please share, thanks!

John Bowman’s eBook, Montessori At Home!, a big eBook showing parents how to do Montessori early learning activities at home.

© 2013 John Bowman


My thanks to John for writing this extensive article for us here at 1+1+1=1! I invite you to ask him any questions you may have in the comments below and he can hopefully answer them for you. If you have an article you hope he will write for us in the future, please let us know in the comments also! Be sure to let him know if this article was helpful-we all love encouragement, right?


Did you miss earlier Montessori Minute Posts?

  • Introducing Montessori Minute
  • Where Do I Start?
  • Sensory Activities
  • Understanding Dr. Maria Montessori
  • A Preschoolers Guide to Home Improvement
  • The Three Part Lesson
  • What is Montessori?
  • Developing a Positive Self Image
  • Concentration & Normalization
  • Toys vs. Learning Materials
  • Q & A with John Bowman {answers to questions left on the Sensory Activities post}
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
0 Shares

Filed Under: Montessori Tagged with: Guest Posts, Montessori, Montessori Minute

Newer Post
Skylanders Giants 1st Grade Printables
Older Post
Just Color ~ Valentine’s Day Love

Primary Sidebar

oneplusone300x150
ABC Crafts for Uppercase Letters-300x250

Recent Posts

Comparing Popular Homeschool Spelling Curriculum

Comparing Popular Homeschool Grammar Curriculum

10th Grade Mid-Year Homeschool Curriculum Changes

Free Easter Printables for Kids – I Spy

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Kindergarten Literature Unit

Bear Wants More – Free Printable Collection

Footer

1plus1plus1

What a day! We moved @kyler_hinson into college to What a day! We moved @kyler_hinson into college today at @greenvilleuniv! Such a fun new chapter beginning for him! He moved out here a couple of weeks ago to train with his gymnastics team so I got my crying out then. I’m purely excited for him today!!! 

So thankful for this awesome school, everything about today was just perfect! We are all so happy with his choice and future here. 🧡🧡🧡
Kyler leaves tomorrow to head to @greenvilleuniv t Kyler leaves tomorrow to head to @greenvilleuniv to begin his NCAA gymnastics journey with @gupanthersmgym and I am beyond excited for him, although it is bittersweet, of course. 

His amazing coach for the past 10 years has been such a constant in Kyler’s life and it’s hard to imagine him not having by a daily place in Kyler’s life. 

His gym had a little surprise goodbye party for him and one of the awesome gym moms made the sweetest video filled with memories of Kyler’s gymnastics journey. The love for him  from our gym family just blows me away. We have been so blessed to be surrounded by many families and teammates through the years who have been amazing. He truly has had a home away from home for the past 10 years.

Thanks @lisabethcooper for EVERYTHING you did. ❤️
My daddy left this earth to be with Jesus on July My daddy left this earth to be with Jesus on July 9. It has been a rough couple of weeks to say the least. It was a shocking end although he had been sick and was in the hospital. We fully expected to bring him home but septic shock stole that from us. 

The first photo is my final photo with him, taken on our cruise back in late May. The rest are a few favorites of mine from my childhood and another from a cruise.

Although things have calmed, nothing feels right. My momma lives close to us now (she is 6 miles from us) and soon will live in the house she and my dad were building in our backyard. Praise God we got them moved into their rental back in April, His timing is everything. We got to have our final cruise as a family right before daddy got really sick. On the night we lost him, we were all able to stand around him and pray together and share our hearts with him before his body was done. 

Oh how I wish he would be living in the house being built in my backyard and that we would have had the years we expected and hoped to have. I trust God’s timing while also being devastated. I miss him terribly.
Happy graduation to Kyler! So thankful my graduate Happy graduation to Kyler! So thankful my graduate chose a family cruise for his graduation celebration! He traded a party and family grad gifts to be able to take his lifelong best friend with our family! (That’s the “extra” kid you’ll see in our photos)

My parents generously took our family on @royalcaribbean Wonder of the Seas and it was incredible! We went to Coco Cay, Honduras, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.

Best part about family cruise is the laughter and time away together. It truly is unlike anything else and I’m so so grateful! I took hundreds of photos, narrowing it down to 10 was hard!
His final state championship meet! Still so hard t His final state championship meet! Still so hard to believe our boy is a senior and moving on to college gymnastics next year at Greenville University in Illinois. We couldn’t be more excited for him and the journey ahead while soaking in these final moments with him as he closes out his final season as a junior gymnast.

He is the NC state champion one final time and hit an all time high score at this meet. We have regionals next and then nationals, and then his junior gymnastics career is done!

#krashthegymnast
Merry Christmas! We enjoyed the past few days so v Merry Christmas! We enjoyed the past few days so very much. So much laughter and joy. Christmas with littles is fun but Christmas with bigs is a whole different joy I love these kids of mine! ❤️❤️❤️
It’s the beginning of an emotional year as a gym It’s the beginning of an emotional year as a gym mom. His final season as a junior athlete has begun with his first meet this weekend. He’s been doing the sport he loves since he was 6 and here we are starting the final year before he competes in college! He had a great first meet hitting 4/6 events and winning the all around and several events. I just love watching him, I’ll miss being able to go to all of his meets next year so I am soaking up the moments this year!

#krashthegymnast
Back together again! I’m so happy for these two! Back together again! I’m so happy for these two! My oldest son Paxton has not been able to have his dog Melody in the rental house he has been in due to issues with his roommate’s dogs. But he has a new rental home and Mel will be the only dog! He just picked her up and they are both so so happy! A day they have been waiting for for way too long. We adore Melody and don’t mind her being with us at all but the bond between these two is indescribable so we are happy they get to be together again! ❤️
Their annual trip to the mountains! I just love th Their annual trip to the mountains! I just love their tradition and love that it was enhanced by going with Pop Pop (my husband’s dad) in his RV this year! They sent me these great photos! 🍁🧡🍁
His final region 8 gymnastics camp. So many “las His final region 8 gymnastics camp. So many “lasts” occurring this year. Swipe to see his first region camp back in 2017! 

His final competition season begins in November!
We are a little over 2 weeks in with @studydotcom We are a little over 2 weeks in with @studydotcom and I wanted to share a small update. 

Click the link in my profile to read my blog post: Why We Chose Study.com for Homeschool. In that post I promised to be transparent and give updates along our journey. Consider this the first update! We switched courses for 9th grade science already! I originally had her in Physical Science and honestly it was too much, too fast - even I was a bit overwhelmed when I went in and did some of the lessons and quizzes. We have switched her to earth science for now. All other courses are going really well and both of my kids like the format. I LOVE the parent dashboard and how easy it is to keep up with them. 

I’m thankful so far because my life is busier now and my kids are older, having something they are independent with is so helpful for them and for me. We communicate often and I’m checking in and very involved but I don’t do the actual teaching. 

So, overall it’s going well so far. Stay tuned, I’ll continue to share!

#homeschoolhighschool 
#homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoolingmama #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
#homeschoolteacher #homeschoollookslikethis #homeeducation #homeeducator #howwehomeschool #homeed 
#homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschoolersofinstagram #homeschooled #homeschoolcollective #homeschooladventures #affiliate #sponsored #studydotcom
I can’t believe my youngest child is entering th I can’t believe my youngest child is entering the high school years. We have made some changes and choices that are totally new to us! Click the link in my profile to read more!

#homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoolingmama #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolfun #homeschoolkids #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
#homeschoolteacher #homeschoollookslikethis #homeeducation #homeeducator #howwehomeschool #homeed #homeschoollifestyle #thisishomeschool
#homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschoolersofinstagram #homeschooled #homeschoolcollective #homeschoolideas #homeschoolinspiration #homeschooladventures #homeschoolhighschool
Missing two kids (working) but had a fun night out Missing two kids (working) but had a fun night out to eat with my parents to celebrate my husband’s birthday a  couple days early! Love my time with them! ❤️
Around this time last year I shared the first phot Around this time last year I shared the first photo. I was prepping @compassclassroom History. We ended up using American and Modernity and today I published my full review on my blog! Link in profile!

#homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoolingmama #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolfun #homeschoolkids #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
#homeschoolteacher #homeschoollookslikethis #homeeducation #homeeducator #howwehomeschool #homeed #homeschoollifestyle #thisishomeschool
#homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschoolersofinstagram #homeschooled #homeschoolcollective #homeschoolideas #homeschoolinspiration #homeschooladventures #homeschoolhistory #compassclassroom
I tried explain these friends to my daughter last I tried explain these friends to my daughter last night. It was hard to find words. 

They have been a huge part of our life since before having children, and we have walked through life together, even when they all lived here in NC and we lived in Philly for 11 years. We began as the “young married couples Sunday school class.” We have been back in NC for 8 years and although we live an hour from all of them, it’s still the same. We get together every month or so, and although we were missing a few last night, we are always thankful for everyone who can make it. 

Lili, being our youngest, doesn’t know them as well even though she has been around them on and off her whole life. She’s finally old enough to really get it and appreciate how much they mean to us. Last night as we drove the hour home we explained the long story of our deep friendship and how thankful we are. ❤️ 

Love y’all beyond words and missed those of you who weren’t there last night. ❤️
Our 8th grade year-end post is up on my blog (link Our 8th grade year-end post is up on my blog (link in profile). I definitely didn’t like all of our choices, but I loved most of them. 

Lili was pretty independent this year for homeschool, but we did a few subjects together: logic, government, writing. I loved the addition @compassclassroom for history and vocabulary. We always love @teachingtextbooks for math. @iew wins for writing and grammar with us. You’ll see in the post I didn’t like what I chose for science. She took another course from @theanimcourse and continues to love them. We loved the books we read for logic and government, see post for those!

#8thgradewithladybug #8thgradehomeschool #middleschoolhomeschool 
#homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoolingmama #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
#homeschoolteacher #homeschoollookslikethis #homeeducation #homeeducator #howwehomeschool #homeed #homeschoollifestyle #thisishomeschool
#homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschoolersofinstagram #homeschooled #homeschoolcollective #homeschoolideas #homeschoolinspiration #homeschooladventures
Athlete of the Year! Kyler’s end of year gymnast Athlete of the Year! Kyler’s end of year gymnastics awards ceremony was today and once again he received this award from his coach! It still means the world to me, knowing the bond these two share and how blessed we are to have him as Kyler’s coach. He’s been his coach since he was 8, and we enter their final year together in the fall. Time flies. 

#krashthegymnast
My parents took us on a cruise. It was amazing and My parents took us on a cruise. It was amazing and we are so thankful! Ten pictures barely sums it up, but Instagram won’t let me share a thousand. So here’s a tiny peek into our fun week.

Sailed on @royalcaribbean Harmony of the Seas and everything was outstanding except for the teen program - it sucked (compared to Carnival). But the rest was wonderful! We love cruises and the last one they took us on was in 2019, it was so fun to be back on a ship!
Silver medal at nationals on parallel bars in the Silver medal at nationals on parallel bars in the Junior Elite 17 year old division! So so proud of his fight! 

He had a fall on his first day(Thursday) of competition and sprained his thumb/hand and we weren’t even sure he could compete day two. He competed today and hit all 6 events! He pushed through and really focused on parallel bars since he was sitting in 6th after day one. Well, he did even better and pulled his placement to 2nd!! 

#krashthegymnast #region8mensgymnastics
Birthday dinner with the grands. Celebrating my Ap Birthday dinner with the grands. Celebrating my April/May babies! Pax is 21, Lili is 14, and Kyler will be 17 next week!
Follow on Instagram

Terms of Use & Copyright Info

The content (including photos) within this blog are not to be used without my permission. You ARE allowed to pin photos on Pinterest with a link back to the post. I appreciate pins!

I am honored when others post about my blog with links back to it, please leave a comment and link back to where you did this, I'd love to see your blog or website!

If you have questions about copyright in terms of my printables, please see a more detailed Terms of Use here!

Disclaimer & Privacy Policy

Some posts on this blog contain affiliate links.

1+1+1=1 is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Occasionally I receive products in exchange for a review or giveaway post. These posts are always labeled as reviews and/or giveaways. I never feature a product we don't use and enjoy ourselves.

Any advertisers I feature as sponsors are also only companies I stand behind.

All opinions expressed on 1+1+1=1 are solely mine.

Please see our Privacy Policy here!

Copyright © 2025 · Darling theme by Restored 316

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT