Montessori Teen Board is a great way to introduce the concept of teens to a child. Not only children see how tens and ones are being build to make teens, but they are also physically building teens themselves! We are using a traditional Montessori Teen Board (bead-bars and beads sold separately here), which is a foundation for this style of education. This material is wonderful, as it is extremely concrete, allowing your child to visually and physically build numbers both numerals and quantity.
In Montessori math curriculum, numbers are perceived as:
(1) a quantity – actual spindles/marbles/beads your child is holding, which represents a true quantity – what a number really is. The language you would use when addressing quantity is “This is“
(2) a numeral – a symbol people came up with to represent such quantity on paper. The language you would use when addressing a number/numeral is “This says “
A Teen Board is essentially (2) sets of boards, (9) bead-bars of ten and loose colored beads from one through ten. You would arrange the boards to the left of a rug, and have a child set up numbers in order one through ten to the right of the rug.
โTHE PRESENTATION:
 “this says 10โ |
 “this is 1-ten barโ |
 “this says 1โ |
 โthis is 1โ |
|
 “1+10=11” |
Show a child how to make a first teen: eleven, by pointing to the first number ten on the board โthis says 10โ. Then, show a child one string of beads and count the beads in a one-ten-bar: โthis is 1-ten bar.โ Then, pick “one” wooden numeral from a right column and say: “this says 1.โ Point to one tiny bead and say โthis is 1-bead.โ Then have the child slide a wooden number “one” on top of ten written on the board.
“One and ten makes eleven.”
Proceed similarly, showing a child that twelve is made up of number ten and two (one-ten bar and two tiny beads).
Have the child slide a wooden number two on top of a ten board, making twelve.
Making thirteen.
Start with introducing (3) teens at a time, concluding with a Montessori 3๐ ฟ๏ธ๐ Three Period Lesson. (Read how to present a3๐ ฟ๏ธ๐ Lesson here).
Gradually, add more teens, finishing with nineteen. 
Nineteen, just like eleven is made up of one-ten-bar and nine-beads!
I started introducing beads and ten-bars even before Adrian’s third birthday (read here), but I would say, three years old is a good age to start introducingย Montessori Teen Board.ย Keep in mind that you would want to present this activity few times before a child gets a solid understanding of teen building.ย Also, keep in mind that children need movement (especially younger ones who have difficulties sitting still), so you might want to move numbers across the room (or place them in another room), and ask a child to get up and get them. The younger the child, the shorter should be the distance you let them walk with numbers. Childrenย love putting items in different places and bringing them back again later.ย
Movement = Fun = better absorption of information = faster learning!
Have you downloaded my NEW eBook? It has everything you need to know to get started on your Montessori journey, as well as a CURRICULUM outline reference guide, the order of lessons, and the age when they should be introduced, in my opinion. See details HERE.
Also, check out HERE Homeschooling The Montessori Way Yearly membership in case you are exhausted from swimming in the vast ocean of irrelevant information and saving activities you never get to! I am here to help! WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER!
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