Montessori Materials

Montessori Materials

A Montessori education is focused on teaching for understanding. Active learning through hands-on activities and exercises rather than “book learning” is emphasized in order to encourage the development of the creative and analytical mind. Dr. Montessori always emphasized that the hand is the chief teacher of the child. All equipment in a Montessori classroom allows a child to use their hands in the learning process. The tactile and kinesthetic system of learning permanently reinforces the skill to be learned – ‘muscular memory’ is a strong tool in the classroom. The special equipment that Dr. Montessori used is called “auto-didactic” which means “self-correcting”. Today, we refer to these tools as “Montessori equipment” or just “materials.”