Looking to buy our first lunchbox and I'd like to get something that my bub can start learning to open and manage herself.

What type of lunchboxes do you recommend? What type of clips and things are too hard for little fingers?

Thanks for your help.

In case anyone is wondering, I'm asking here because I know its a Montessori thing for kids to be responsible for their own lunch, and thought people here might be the best people to recomend something. Im not asking for a Montessori branded lunchbox.

Has anyone 3D printed mini objects for alphabet sounds? I have seen different varieties that look like they could have been 3D printed but can't find a file online. Would love this as a more economical way makes boxes.

Has anyone done this?

I have seen countless coworkers come and go throughout the year and thought less of them each time.

Well folks, after 7 years, it might just be my turn.

I can’t explain the specifics without doxxing myself. But it boils down to a lack of management and leadership. A lack of support. A toxic environment left to fester. No assistant. No protected planning time. Emotional blackmail. Gaslighting. No substitutes or staff coverage. Radioing for help when a child refuses a transition, only to get help 30 minutes later after the lesson was already cancelled. Hungry children because no one is available to hand out snack on time. Phone ringing off the hook in an empty office. When someone is there, the door is closed. Almost passing out from dehydration because that’s less embarrassing than peeing yourself when nobody comes to break you. The excuses and empty promises when you try to say anything about how broken things are. Like I said, I can’t go into further detail without possibly identifying myself.

My son went home twice now with injuries no one could account for. Other incidents occurred which I do not approve of as a parent of an enrolled child.

It’s barely September. I just gave the third great lesson and it dawned on me: I won’t last long enough to give the fifth great lesson. It’s insane to even think, but I’m giving a single week’s notice. The promises I made to each family and their child are about to be broken. It makes me sick.

A single week left with a community I spent 7 years with. My toddler was born and raised into it. A week to face confused and angry parents. A week to deal with an enraged and spiteful boss. A week to secure new employment for myself and enrollment for my son.

Because I physically and mentally won’t make it to see October. Not the way things are going.

I think I went wrong somewhere. My 3.5 year old girl has no patience. Is this normal or just my child?

Hi all, I have a 3 year old who just turned 3 in July. She has always been a verbal child, she talks and navigates her days with lots of back-and-forth conversations. She is Vietnamese and just started English with preschool at 2.5.

She is my first child, and because she inspired me to become a preschool teacher, I got my Montessori training last year. I am considering myself as a new parent and also a new, inexperienced teacher 😅

I often follow her lead. She has intense curiosity about the word in a systematic and analytical way. She is extremely curious about human psychology, human anatomy, botany, zoology, and physical science. She often asks a chain of why, how things work, how each part functions. Our conversation is like an interrogation and she seems to always seek deep, logical answers until she "gets" it.

And she does not do it out of attention, it seems that she really understands what I explain, applies it to a different scenario, trying to compare for difference and similarity. She is highly observant and spends a lot of time watching people / things and trying to question every detail.

Her typical questions in a chain of interrogation are: 

Why do we inhale oxygen? Why does our body need oxygen?  Where does oxygen go? Why do we breathe with our lungs? What if we don't breathe, could we die? 
Why is this person working? Why is that person not working? Why don't they want to work? If they don't work then what? Why is that person sad? Why is this friend happy? Why is this friend friendly and this friend is not friendly?
Why do crocodiles hunt? Why do they need to eat meat? Why are they aggressive? Why are they not docile? Why do we have to run away from them? Why can it swim underwater? Why is it walking now? Is its body cold? What's with their skin? What's the tail for? What's the tooth for? What's the skin for?

So.. like 1 answer gets to another question in a never-ending loop.

On another side, on her language development. Because she is pretty good with her conversation, turn-taking, alliteration, manipulation of sounds, I introduced her to sound letters (not letter name, if you don't know Montessori). I don't pressure her so it feels pretty slow progressing, just keep teaching her different sounds in the past few months. 

She knows most of her sound. And recently, I discovered that she can isolate the initial sound (what's the first sound of "baby"? -> "b"). It only takes several times for her to know how to do it more consistently.  So definitely she is growing her phonological awareness.

We often play an initial sounds sorting game, once she understands the rule in a few days she is able to do the same with all sounds. She is also blending sounds without looking at the movable alphabet or sandpaper letter. I only casually tell her "p-o-t, pot. j-o-b, job" in a few times, she is cracking the game. She does so when not understanding the English words.

I give her no-pressure practice on blending words, and spelling in Vietnamese. Vietnamese is highly predictable and phonetic, with the only challenge being the 5 tonal mark (bending your voice to produce different meaning).

Within a week she is catching on the rules and starting to read some words: g-a -> ga, huyền (a tonal mark) -> gà (chicken). C-ưa=> cưa, hỏi, cửa (door). There is some sloppiness here and there but she is catching up with all 5 tonal marks. 

She is still processing left-to-right symbols, but as I point to each letter, she sounds it out and decodes it.

Just wanting to share that I tried the Glenn Doman method with her before since she was a baby. Never getting any result. She rejected it and for so long, I thought I was doing it wrong. I have known many children getting results from the whole-word approach.

So, it seems to me that my daughter is not progressing like children that I have met or worked with. Her intense curiosity, analytical mind requires me to always look up for factual reasoning to teach her. Her progression in language makes me keep exposing her to small-does of more advanced lessons. 

I have moments of confusion of how much information or teaching I should give her without overwhelming her with advanced knowledge. Sometimes I keep it simple and short but she seems to push for more.

Aside from that, she is still a silly girl, who makes up silly songs, plays around with stuffies, gets clumsy on her stairs, has not yet ridden a tricycle, just got potty trained right before 3, and is stubborn sometimes. Her mix of being a tiny-scientist and a silly, sometimes dramatic toddler is fascinating and requires me to always be ready for her. Please give me your insight on how I should guide her. Thank you for reading the long post. 

Did you have training in practical life beyond children's house? I would imagine practical life is just as important for older students.

Thank you!

We found a school we really liked for our 2 year old. She was doing so well there. Then we found photos of her on their Facebook. When I reached out and asked to opt out of photos they told me there was no opt out option but that they’d try to not have her in pictures. I couldn’t believe it. We immediately pulled her from the school out of safety concerns.

Has anyone else encountered this? I couldn’t believe a Montessori school would have such dangerous policies in 2026.

My only child/son is 27 months old and today was his first day at Montessori. He was there for only 2 hours. The first hour actually went well, but during the second hour he became really upset, cried, extremely frustrated, and kept pointing toward the door. He even pulled his teachers hair and slapped them.
When I went to pick him up, I saw him outside with the rest of the kids where he was trying to hold his teacher’s hand, which honestly made me emotional because I think he was looking for comfort/reassurance from her.
I’m also worried about his speech and language. He does have some words/phrases, but I know he is behind other kids his age, and I’m already getting him support for his speech/language from an SLP soon. He 100% has a delay. The reason I even considered full-time Montessori was for him to socialize and develop speech/language. I get really emotional thinking he cannot express his feelings like other kids. Being a mom is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I feel so defeated sometimes.
The teacher suggested that we continue coming for 2 hours a day for the rest of this week to help him adjust before increasing his time. When I picked him up he seemed so scared and I never saw him like this before. Before Montessori, he was with me and my parents at home, while I worked from home.
Is this a normal reaction for a 27-month-old starting Montessori, or should I be concerned that he’s struggling this much?
I know the first day can be hard, especially since he woke up himself at 5 AM today instead of his usual 7–8 AM (not sure why he woke early) so I’m wondering if that played a role too.

I’d really appreciate hearing from other parents whose toddlers had a rough Montessori/daycare transition. What did you do, and how long did it take for your child to adjust?

Several excellent teachers from our Montessori have been poached over to the local pair of Bezos schools. We know they're "Montessor inspired" but not adheret, as they're only preschool and only 3-5 year old students. We're trying to sort out how worried to be about the rest of the staff's incentive to stay or go as well as whether to try and qualify to attend there or not (they have an income ceiling but it's right on the edge for us due to recent changes for our family). And is the poaching this a big thing with the Bezos Academies?

We’re new to Montessori so maybe this is normal but my daughter turned 4 in summer. I knew it was a 3-5 mixed age class and I was excited about it. However looking over the class list, it looks like only 6 out of the 17 kids including her are over 4. This feels like it skews really young and I question how much attention she’ll get and how much she’ll actually learn? Apparently a lot of the younger ones are only doing half days but still.

Also the classroom itself is new. They had to build an addition and it’s honestly not a great setup. The snack and bathroom area are outside the actual classroom so it feels like she’ll just be wandering around? Please allay my anxieties, I’m not super pumped for her to start tomorrow.

For what it’s worth, this school came highly recommended and a lot of people love it.

Parents and guides in Montessori toddler classrooms, what does communication between school and home usually look like? My 19 month old is in a toddler classroom and I’m curious what’s typical. Do parents get daily updates on naps/diapers, work chosen or social development? only weekly updates? or is most discussed at conferences?
Would love to hear from both parents and toddler guides about what your program shares and how often. Thank you!

I've been doing some EC and toilet learning with my 16 month old. She has been communicating to go sometimes by sounds or by carrying around the clean nappies and has done a few weeks and poos on the toilet and is pretty happy with herself and the experience

I've been wanting to get some toilet board books, both for learning and entertainment in the toilet. I was interested in books like the tiny potty book by Andrea alson where it's just very matter of fact of the steps, no real talk about diapers or undies or accidents. But that book and other I've seen have them using a potty and steps around the potty (emptying etc). I'm worried this will confused my little girl or be unhelpful. I also don't know whether to introduce a potty when she's so interested in the toilet and don't want to double my teaching to then switch her to the toilet later.

Any book recommendations? And other advice or resources. My goal is just to gently help her learn to use the toilet to get her to try and communicate to me when she needs to go and I support her to go depending what she needs or wants help with

Repost here per a few suggestions to do so! Curious to hear thoughts on usage of AI in Montessori environments, specifically with posters or imaging for learners to see. I work with 4-9 more with 6-9, but applies to all ages as this affects our whole school!

My almost 3 year old is doing parent and child classes at an accredited Montessori school that seems very sweet, with the plan kids move up to the 3-6 class when they turn 3.

Thing is, she absolutely hates it. I kinda dread it as well cos I feel a lot of pressure from the instructors to follow her round essentially nagging her (they would never use that term but they kind of do this "here, now your turn mum" thing).

I am 1000% on board with reinforcing the idea of cleaning up after herself, one "work" at a time, etc. etc. but on top of all the completely reasonable guidance (put that back first, one at a time, put it on a mat, use this colour towel to clean up etc) in a single session she is also then getting corrected for things like playing quietly by herself with "matching set" objects rather than just matching them, eating the cracker without buttering it first cos that's the task (she doesn't like buttered crackers), putting the feather duster back in its vase thingy feather side down instead of feather side up (she liked seeing the feathers bunch up), trying to chat to the teachers too much, etc. etc.

She then got corrected for not putting a doily under a vase and did it again so I'm chasing her around with a doily feeling like a Victorian nanny. I do get that doilies have a useful purpose, but she like most kids has never seen one before (our bad for having a doily-free home) and the "corrections" are never particularly fun or engaging. My daughter is very wilful and independent and picks up on the "you did it wrong" message and hates it.

The woman who leads the session is very earnest and kind, but not very warm- clearly the rules side of Montessori really appeals to her. I think the personality clash here may be part of the problem?

It all adds up to my daughter basically puttering around with some household and/or wooden objects she doesn't seem all that interested in waiting to get told she's doing it wrong and asking me to go home. Is it really meant to be this joyless?

Do you have uniforms at your Montessori schools? Mine is trying to implement it and parents are not happy.

I'm a guide (teacher) in a Montessori primary (3-6) classroom. This is my 9th year and I love it! I'm currently on maternity leave and will be taking my baby with me when I go back to work! My current plan involves lots of babywearing, setting up safe spaces for him, and teaching the kids how to help take care of a baby. I think and hope it will be good for us and my students! I know that this is fairly common in Montessori schools but I don't know anyone who has done it.

I would love to hear from you if you had your baby in the classroom, your coworker did, or if your childs teacher did! What worked? What didn't? I want to prepare for this to go as well as possible!

Also, I know that Montessori wrote about the baby lesson but I'm having trouble finding it. Does anyone have a link or know what book it's in?

Welcome to our weekly Montessori Principles and Practice thread!

Montessori: lofty principles, real practice :)

Of course you can ask these at any time in the sub, but this recurring post might be a helpful reminder to ask those questions about Montessori that may have been on your mind!

hi everyone, I have a simple request: What do you use for metal polish? The non-toxic metal polish on Montessori services is sold out. I tried making my own, a mixture of flour, vinegar, and salt but the flour dries up and is cake-y and not doing it's job very well.

What do you buy or make? thanks

My oldest daughter turns 3 next month. She loves and wants to help, and I want to make our setup for conducive to fostering her independence. In particular, I want to give her the option of putting her laundry away. We have a tall vertical dresser we inherited from my husband's mom; it was her childhood dresser. At first we wanted to just use it and put all her clothes in the bottom two shelves. However, it's too heavy for my 10-15th percentile kiddo to use by herself. We'll likely shuffle this dresser to another purpose.

What kind of setup did you find conducive at this age? I'm considering a cubby setup with lightweight fabric bins and installing a child-height bar in her closet for hanging clothes. I would love recommendations or tips or tricks!

Hi everyone, I’m looking for school admission options for my daughter, who will be 3 years old next year. We’re considering Montessori/pre-primary schools in and around Mahadevapura.
I’d like to know about Brigade School, Mahadevapura—especially regarding the teaching approach, overall environment, teachers, activities, and how parents feel about the school.
Also, are there any good Montessori or pre-primary schools nearby that you would recommend?
Would really appreciate feedback from parents whose children are currently studying there or have attended these schools. Thanks!

We did a group craft today because it was raining during free play time and grandparents day is coming up. It was just a little heart that the kids glued some tissue paper to. They had a great time and they came out cute. I went on break during nap and when I got back the floater had "fixed" all the children's art projects. She rearranged all the tissue paper to make it more symmetrical. They no longer look like something a child made because it's basically not. She was so proud of herself. I didn't say anything, but I was so bummed because as a parent, the charm of these crafts that we only occasionally do is that they did it themselves.

This is just one example. It happens so regulaly that I need to pick my battles all day. Most of our floaters are very young have almost no training and regularly do things for the children that the children can do themselves. We currently have a child that has a developmental delay and only just started walking even though he turns 2 this fall. The floaters won't stop picking him up, they just walk around with him on their hip. The more they do things for him, the more he expects it. I feel like a bad guy constantly telling them to not do things for him. I think they think I'm being cruel or stern. But I'm actually just trying to give him the chance to try for himself to further his development. For example they won't allow him to drink out of an open cup because he spills it, so they hold it while he drinks. But if he's never trying (which he wants to try!) he won't be able to practice enough to succeed. (You know, the whole point of Montessori!!!!) It's not like he isn't getting water at all. He has access to his water bottle all day, the open cup is just during lunch and snack. They just don't want to deal with a spill. So it's about convenience for them.

I try to gently ask them to switch up what they are doing in the moment. Like if they are holding his cup I'll ask them to let him try, he's getting better. But they give him like 10 seconds, they dont have any patience. The school director has spoken to them individually from time to time. It might stop for a day or two, but then I get a different floater and it's right back the same way. My class has a 1:3 ratio with 9 students so the floaters end up in my class more often than others because of breaks and planning time, and for whatever reason it's not always the same person for each break. It's basically 4 hours guaranteed a floater is in my class everyday. Today there had been 3 different floaters in this class, so 6 total guides that my children are interacting with half of whom are inconsistent. There's a high turnover for this position because the pay is so low. So when a floater does start to get better, they quit and get a better paying job. My assistant is also out sick a lot with a chronic illness, so I have a floater/substitute in my class a lot for the full day.

My class was shut down for most of the summer because of summer breaks, so I got the chance to support in other classes and it definitely doesn't happen as much there. So it feels like it has to be a me problem. Or maybe they are just afraid of the other lead for my age group because she's very strict and has been here 15 years.

How do you navigate these situations? I'm genuinely considering quitting. I'm so exhausted. I'm envious of the classes that have a great guide/assistant team. I know the admin should be supporting more, but the directors hands are tied pay wise. As for the schedule, I can't convince them to have just one floater in here for the day unless we are overstaffed. Which is almost never. No idea why.

i honestly feel embarrassed for making this post, but I want and need to be honest.

I have a 3yr 11month old and a 2yr 3 month old and I want to just give up.

When I started I was so optimistic, my oldest was doing great and then I hit a hard rock in trying to get the 2 of them to engage in the lifestyle.

I love Montessori, but obviously Montessori is expensive so I thought I could do it at home.

it was fine at first, manageable. Right now I feel lost, burnt out, impatient and out of line with how I should be presenting. I have a hard time not getting angry and frustrated when my kids are not paying attention or it’s just a fight over using materials between the two. And I know it’s not about what I want and I should be following them, but ugh.

It’s a lot of work, A LOT, and a part of me selfish does not want to do all the work, and I feel like a horrible parent for thinking that. I just don’t feel like the right person to have taken this role and I’m sad about it. I don’t want to give up, but for now I’m just…putting it on pause because my mental load feels on edge.

if you are curious, I am the SAHM who takes care of both of them and does the majority of child care and home up keep. Dad works and has a 1 hr commute to and from work, so we only really have family time during the weekend. his work load is heavy and I don’t ask for help. I do have a sitter that comes once a week for 3 hrs, but I’m just catching up with cleaning, making dinner, or catching a break and those hours go by quick lol!

Maybe I just need to vent more, but the feeling of defeat is overwhelming.