Mathematics

Is it Montessori? Children’s Abacus Toy

Is it Montessori? Children’s Abacus Toy

In this occasional series, we will look at various materials and methods that are often advertised as Montessori, to see how well they embody Montessori principles.

For this first edition of Is It Montessori? I'm going to indulge in a bit of grumbling about a personal pet-peeve of mine, namely those brightly colored abacus “toys” that are often advertised as Montessori math materials. I have even seen photos of them in marketing materials for schools that purport to be Montessori or Montessori-based.