Whether you’re looking for Montessori materials for a Montessori school, traditional preschool, homeschool, or occasional use at home, there are plenty of materials to choose from online. And with so many online resources, there are now Montessori materials available for all budgets.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Note: This post was originally published in August 2010. It was just updated, but it includes the original comments telling about readers’ experiences with various Montessori suppliers.
The Materials You See in Many Montessori Schools
In pictures of Montessori schools, you’ll often see lots of beautifully crafted wooden Montessori materials. Very often these are from Nienhuis Montessori. Nienhuis Montessori materials are available throughout the world for anyone to purchase.
Many Montessori schools also buy materials from Gonzagarredi. Both Nienhius and Gonzagarredi make their materials from Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)blueprints. The only other AMI approved Montessori material company is Matsumoto, a Japanese company.
In addition to parent subscriptions, Monti Kids has school programs with materials and videos at a number of age levels for classrooms with children ages 0-3.
Less Expensive Sources for Montessori Materials
If you’re looking for materials for a traditional preschool or home setting, cost may be a primary consideration. There are still excellent options for Montessori materials that are practical for your setting.
Here are a number of companies you can check out for the type of materials and price range best for you and your situation:
Alison’s Montessori (I reviewed these Alison’s Montessori value-line materials: Pink Tower, Brown Stair, Red Rods and Stand, Natural Geometric Solids, Sandpaper Numbers, and Small Movable Alphabet – Alison’s Montessori Review. I reviewed Alison’s Montessori value-line Cylinder Blocks and Knobless Cylinders – Alison’s Montessori Cylinder Blocks and Knobless Cylinders Review. I reviewed Alison’s Montessori Pink Tower Stand, Plastic Insets and Templates, Wooden Box for Inset Paper, Binomial Cube, Trinomial Cube, Decanomial Box, and Golden Beads – Alison’s Montessori Review.)
Kid Advance Montessori (A number of Kid Advance materials are available through Amazon
.)
Leader Joy Montessori on Amazon
Affordable Montessori Materials
The Materials Company of Boston
Montessori Supplies (a UK company)
Absorbent Minds Montessori Absorbent Minds Montessori is a UK company with Montessori materials in three price ranges: premium (Nienhuis Montessori), standard (Absorbent Minds), and budget (Discount Montessori).
Adena Montessori WARNING: See Tracey’s, Pamela’s, and Jennifer’s comments below about Adena Montessori.
Specialized Montessori Materials (practical life, Montessori 3-part cards vocabulary cards, etc.).
Many of these materials are inexpensive and easy to add to any home.
Montessori Services
For Small Hands (products specifically for Montessori at home)
Etsy (Once you’re there, search for Montessori.)
Montessori by Mom (started in 2014 and offers monthly boxes of Montessori materials and activities by subscription) Get $10 off a new subscription with the code AFFDECH. Montessori By Mom also has a store with individual toolboxes, activity sets, and single items.
Montessori Print Shop (You’ll also find a number of Montessori Print Shop materials along with John Bowman’s Montessori at Home eBook available as the Montessori at Home bundle in the Living Montessori Now shop.)
The Montessori Company (Get 15% off with code LIVINGMONTESSORINOW)
Callie’s Corner – sister site to Montessori n’ Such (Some Callie’s Corner items are available on Amazon.)
NAMC’s Montessori 3-6 Homeschool Program (learn more about it and get link to a review in this post)
Montessori Research and Development
Polliwog (sandpaper letters and numerals)
There are many wonderful Montessori bloggers with Montessori printables for sale. It would be prohibitive to list them all. You’ll find most of them at Teachers Pay Teachers.
My Experiences with Montessori Suppliers
When I owned my Montessori preschool in the 1980s, I purchased Montessori materials from Nienhius Montessori, Michael Olaf, and Montessori Services. During my children’s elementary years, I purchased some materials from Montessori Research and Development. All my experiences with those companies were wonderful. When I needed Montessori materials to use in a day nursery in England for my master’s degree school placement, I purchased materials inexpensively from Absorbent Minds Montessori, a Montessori Marketplace, and TTS (sandpaper letters). I had great experiences with those companies as well.
As a Montessori grandma, I have a number of wonderful companies I get materials from. I have reviews of a number of them.
Here are some of my review posts about my Montessori sponsors and affiliate products:
- Montessori Print Shop
- Montessori Compass
- Alison’s Montessori
- Trillium Montessori
- KHT Montessori
- Montessori By Mom
- Montessori Services
- Every Star Is Different
Here are a few of my product posts with gift guides and Montessori material recommendations:
Montessori Practical Life Materials I Recommend Buying
Montessori Sensorial Materials I Recommend Buying
Gift Guide for Montessori Homeschoolers
Favorite Handmade Learning Materials for Montessori Preschoolers from Etsy
Helpful Comments about Buying Montessori Materials
Check out the discussion at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page about where to buy materials if you live in Canada.
If you’re wondering about the mini Montessori materials, check out the comments in this post for helpful information: How to Start Using Montessori at Home.
Check out the discussion at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page about Kid Advance and Montessori Outlet.
This post is a work in process as I discover new sources and gain feedback. The list of Montessori suppliers is long, so you’ll have to do some comparison shopping for the current prices. Read the comments as well for recommendations from other Montessori homeschoolers!
Have you had experience with Montessori suppliers? I really appreciate hearing about your experiences and recommendations.
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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Has anyone purchased from Grandpa’s Montessori? their products look lovely in photos and their prices are great. Are they good quality?
Hi Jahleel! I just found your comment. I haven’t read comments from anyone who’s purchased from Grandpa’s Montessori. You could try asking at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page. Good luck! 🙂
Thank you for the helpful information. I’m starting my own classroom for 3 to 6 years old next month. I need to buy a classroom package of Montessori Materials. Do you know any one who is selling their materials. I’m looking for used materials for my class.
Thanks for your kind comment! I haven’t heard of someone selling Montessori materials, but you could try asking at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/LivingMontessoriNow. Good luck!
Hi Deb,
I thought I’d share my experience as an international buyer.
Recently, I placed an order with Montessori Outlet. They are very slow at putting the order through. After 2 weeks, I emailed them and was told that it’ll be processed soon. And oh… btw, they don’t do “back orders” for international orders.
It turned out that they couldn’t deliver 2/3rds of my order & can’t guarantee when they could ship the rest, either.
What is frustrating is that when I initially put my order, everything was “IN-STOCK”. Two weeks later, when they said it was “out of stock”, I checked their website. Guess what, it was still listed as “in-stock”, even though, physically it’s “out-of-stock”. Their explanation was, they keep the order open and do “back-orders” for US customers ONLY.
Because shipping cost is extremely high for international orders, I decided to just cancel the entire order. As it will cost too much, if I had to put another order through.
To be fair, they understood my position and they did refund me fully. Although, I lost quite a bit, in the end. I lost a total of $40 in international transaction fee and when they refunded me, I somehow didn’t get the full amount that I paid for (probably the exchange rate had dropped?).
Anyway… Incase you have international buyers out there, they need to take this into account, if they were to order from Montessori Outlet.
Great news, though, I found “Kid Advance”. I was very impressed with their customer service. All my emails and queries were answered promptly. What impressed me the most was that I had put my order through in the evening, went to bed, when I woke up in the morning, I received an email from them, to say that it has been shipped! Outstanding!
They also give 10% off for purchases over $200. Their prices are also great. They have everything in stock, as per their website. Their customer service told me that if it’s out-of-stock, then, it will say “out of stock” and I won’t be able to put my order through (unlike Montessori Outlet). I can’t comment on their products yet, as I haven’t received my order yet. I’m not expecting Neinhuis quality, but, I am very happy with their price, which, I think is probably one of the cheapest for the materials that I purchased.
So far, I have had positive experience dealing with their customer service. I am very happy with how fast my order was processed and shipped. Based on this, I highly recommend Kid Advance. Please note that I am not affiliated & I don’t receive any commission or anything from Kid Advance. I am just sharing my positive experience with them.
Thanks so much for your comment, Zara! That’s great information to know! I’ve heard lots of good things about Kid Advance. I’d love to hear what you think of their materials once you’ve received them.
hi,
thank you so much for this list. i am just starting up a montessori school and came across your website. what can i say??? thank you thank you thank you
I just found your kind comment, Sandra. Thanks so much! 🙂
So glad to read all this posts! I am about to make an order and I am so nervous as to where to get it from. I have purchased from Kid advance, and Montessori outlet recently to start off. Note: I only bought a few items. First:
Montessori outlet: I bought from them first because I was looking for a Spanish movable alphabet and they had it! It is beautiful and the box (additional price) makes it so complete. No smell, nor any imperfections. But… The letters themselves are quite thin! makes me feel like my 3 year old might break them by a simple accident. We shall see. I also bought the part one cylinder block and it is gorgeous. It looks just like the one on my Montessori’s own handbook. I also bought the horse puzzle because my daughter is a huge horse and puzzle lover. It is very nice (yet I don’t know any better) My only complain from my purchase was that it took a long time to ship it. I called and was told they only ship on Fridays… I am used to Amazon prime (2 day shipping) and the wait was too much!
Second:
Kid.Advance: I bough from them the small numerical rods in a box, and the numbers and counters. I was just giving them a try. Now I was able to compare quality and just the wood from the boxes when compared with Montessori outlet is so much better looking. No smell, nor imperfections and the shipping is much faster. The prices and shipping charges are also very good.
So now I have saved up a budget to really start and I am reading a ton before I make my purchase. I now know not to buy from Adena.
I have looked at Nienhuis and Kid.advance and the difference of price for a puzzle is from 46.35 to 8.50! This is without the shipping! I don’t need materials to last forever (I only have two gentle kids). But I want to understand why the price difference is so huge…. what do they put in the Nienhuis materials????
Also since I am not trained in the Montessori method (I am reading her books, and reading online…and planning on taking online classes), I am not even sure what I should buy first! Is there a list somewhere that can help me find what is the order of presenting (or perhaps acquiring) materials for beginners?
Thanks!
ps: I also do not get a commission from Kid.Advance or Montessori outlet. I am simply at stay at home mom who is trying to homeschooled.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, Silvana! Comments like yours make it so much easier for parents and teachers who are trying to decide where to order Montessori materials from. It’s true that as gorgeous as Nienhuis materials are, a company like Kid Advance is much more practical for buying materials for home use.
As far as a list of materials to buy for home use is concerned, I recommend John Bowman’s eBook Montessori at Home: http://www.montessoriathomebook.com/Home.html/book/. You don’t need to follow his ideas exactly (each family’s needs are different), but his book gives a great general idea of what to order for using Montessori at home.
I also recommend Montessori Print Shop’s primary teaching manuals for a good idea of the order of presenting materials and clear presentations to use. Here’s a review I published about the teaching manuals: https://livingmontessorinow.com/2012/06/21/montessori-print-shop-primary-teaching-manuals-review-and-giveaway-2-winners/. Have fun!
Deb,
Thanks for your reply. I am looking into the reading materials you recommended. Still, may I ask you (and anyone else who can answer) what is the difference between Nienhuis and Montessori outlet? I was reading M.O. website and they claim to have the original blue prints…. I wish there was a way for me to compare the two because by prices …. well there is no comparing! I am worried to buy things like the cylinders to find out that I can use them because they lack accuracy!
Any recommendations???
Again… What do they put in the Nienhuis materials to make it sooo expensive? Or is it just overusing the brand name???
That’s a good question, Silvana! I don’t have any personal experience with Montessori Outlet. Because I had a Montessori school, I purchased my materials through Nienhuis. For school use, Nienhuis materials are fabulous. They’re made using high-quality wood, the materials are precisely built, and they last a long time. I imagine the differences in price have to do with the quality of the wood and the precision of the materials. Some of the inexpensive materials do have problems with the fit of the cylinders, etc. I’m hoping more parents who have experience with Montessori Outlet will comment.
Once again! Here is some technical information that can help others make informed decisions Since I am not Montessori trained, I use my handy-dandy Montessori method book and look up the description of the Cylinder blocks (kindle book 53% in Differential Visual Perception of Dimensions) . I was a bit afraid because I purchased the first set from Montessori outlet and reading the previous reviews I wondered if I was going to be able to use the cylinders in the extensions….
I checked (using a ruler, and even a scale) and here is what I found:
The block itself (without the cylinders) is not compliant with Montessori’s description. It is about 10 centimeters shorter in length so there is smaller spaces between each cylinder. It is almost 6 cm high and almost 8 cm wide (with a margin of less than a cm. difference) Hence almost accurate.
The cylinders are in almost perfect dimensions with a minus 1 or 1.5 mm difference each, which makes them in general very accurate when compared to each other. In weight they do go a bit off with not a steady progression in grams. Actually going 0.2 g to 0.3 between each But I might have to question my kitchen scale too as it was not able to read the weight for the smallest piece. I am still doing research before buying the other blocks. Can someone measure the Nienhuis block and tell me how long it is?
Thanks so much for the information, Silvana! I’m not sure how long it will be before someone with a Nienhuis cylinder block reads this and replies, though.
And one more thing…. If you are so kind as to satisfy my curiosity.. If you have a Nienhuis red rod set, could you please tell me the width?
Thanks in advance!
I don’t have my Nienhuis materials any longer, so I can’t help with that, Silvana. I hope someone with Nienhuis materials is able to help. Good luck!
Another place where you can order materials from is Cabdev Montessori http://www.cabdevmontessori.com . I would compare these materials to Nienhus- they are of very good quality and their prices are somewhat comparable to them. (Some are higher and some are lower.) I have ordered from both companies.
I have also ordered from Montessori Outlet; even though their products are very affordable there quality is not always the greatest. For example, some of the knobless cylinders do not fit into the cylinder blocks or the red box of knobless cylinders are cut slightly on an angle, so they don’t sit properly when stacking them. (which is very frustrating to the children). I would ONLY recommend purchasing from Montessori Outlet if the measurement don’t have to be exact.. for example the pink tower stand, color tablets, metal insets, sandpaper letters etc.
I will be ordering my materials from now on from Nienhus or Cabdev.
Thanks so much for your comment, Kim! That’s the sort of information parents and teachers need to make the best decision for their unique situation.
I recently ran across a great etsy sight that sells wonderful homemade natural wooden toys that were inspired by Montessori and Waldorf teaching principles. It’s called Miini Moh and they also have a page on facebook that shows some of their items. If your looking for these type of toys, you might want to check it out. Really creative items.
Thanks for letting us know, Joan!
I am in Canada and wanting to get some Montessori materials for my home for my son to have in our playroom. We do not love close enough to any Montessori schools so I would like him to have the experience here at home. How important is it to have the exact Montessori prescribed materials (like depths, space in between cylinders, etc). I can’t afford the expensive websites. Does anyone hae any ideas for some sites that ship to Canada that have good quality materials for good prices?
I just found this, Jen. I asked your question at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LivingMontessoriNow/posts/584784228229505
I love this list! Thank you for the resources.
I have to advise though that I recently did purchase several items from Montessori Outlet, and it has been a terrible experience. The materials (that I have actually received) are pretty nice, but their service and order process is horrible. I’ve worked in card regulations and whatnots, but what they do is completely against visa and mastercard regulations and very bad business.
To give an idea; I placed my order back in December, I received no indication of when items were shipping out (which is against regulations). They pulled the money from me in December (not just an authorization, the transaction posted). I just randomly received a piece of my order today, with no indication that it even shipped, and the packing slip was the only thing that alerted me to the remainder of my order being on backorder. I have no ETA of when the backordered items will be shipped to me. They have my money and I have only a piece of my order.
If you don’t mind waiting months, and not knowing when you receive your items, then order from them. But personally, I don’t like the way this business is run at all, and I wanted to add this to the comments on this list for anyone looking at purchasing from them. I looked them up on Yelp too, and several people on there complained about the same thing.
So buyer beware! The products are decent, but the cheap prices are not worth the hassle IMO.
On a second note: I ordered the missing products (small wooden letters with box), plus several more items, from Alison’s Montessori and shipped everything out right away! Can’t wait to get to work!
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, Emily! I really appreciate it. 🙂
I’ve been looking at materials from http://www.montessori-home-schooling.com/
Do you recommend them? I have no idea how to tell what’s good since I am new to the concepts of homeschooling and of Montessori.
Hi Emily! I haven’t seen the materials in person, but I have a blog post from when NAMC started their homeschooling program. In my post, there’s a link to a review by Lori from Montessori for Everyone. Here’s my post link: https://livingmontessorinow.com/2011/02/17/montessori-homeschool-tips-and-download/. I hope that helps. 🙂
For fear of being labeled a worker at Adena Montessori I’m a little hesitant to post this, BUT I actually just had a great experience with them. While setting up my primary classroom, I shopped and shopped online, comparing prices, etc. Adena has ridiculously cheap prices compared to most companies, especially once you consider that purchases over $500 qualify for free shipping. After making a HUGE purchase from them, I got two e-mails as order confirmations and the second was so unprofessional-sounding that it made me nervous and I immediately “googled” their company’s name and found this post, along with others, containing horrible feedback about Adena. I was SO sick waiting for my order to come in. It arrived quickly, though, in three large boxes that I ripped through nervously as fast as I could: everything was beautiful and “best case scenario” except for a world parts control map (which was perforated due to being packed on top of the puzzle’s knobs) and the third set of color tablets which, although in perfectly fine condition, had plastic enclosures as opposed to the wooden enclosures of the first two sets and the third set that was pictured on their website. I have yet to contact them about these two “issues” due to a busy holiday weekend. I have high hopes that my complaints about these two products will be satisfied, though I will mention here if they aren’t. As for other places, I found an ebay seller called guru4accessories who ships beautiful materials from Canada. I bought the botany and animal puzzle sets from them and was very pleased with their quality. I bought some items from Montessori Services and was really pleased and am waiting on a small, INCREDIBLY slow order from Montessori Outlet. I think my order from Adena, as large as it was, shipped out the day after I placed it. As for consistent quality/customer service from Adena, who knows? Maybe they’re just hit or miss.
Do not bother with Nienhuis Montessori. At the very least, do not buy from them directly. I have colleagues who have been waiting a year for ordered materials. I recently ordered over $2,000 in materials from them and received a confirmation that my order was successfully placed. A month later, no items arrived. I’ve sent them two e-mails with no responses. I have called twice. Eventually they claimed the item would be shipped out next week but would not offer my a written confirmation. Their terms of conditions state that they will only honor written communications and will not be held to verbal agreements. Despite this the representative claimed they do not do written confirmations for shipping dates and even claimed that asking for a written confirmation of shipping date was the “strangest” request she’s had in forty years. In business, providing shipping information should be a basic practice.
DO NOT BUY FROM NIENHUIS MONTESSORI. There is no guarantee you will get your materials in a reasonable time. Again, I have colleagues that have been waiting for a year!
I have purchased from a company in Canada called Affordable Montessori Material Inc. I have had a flawless experience. The products were all delivered nicely and their customer service is great! They also have a nice collection of materials on their website. Give them a try!
Sorry if this is a really late response, but what is their website? I’m always looking for cheaper, but decently made materials for our homeschool. Thanks!
Mary
Hi,
I just made an order with Adena a few days ago before I found your website. I’m crossing my fingers now waiting for the package. I have one curious question: do they ship the package via confirmation delivery or just drop off it at the front door? Thanks!
My children were lucky enough to attend a Montessori school through age 9. They ordered materials from a company that was family owned. I want to say two siblings started it for a younger brother but that was many years ago. Does anyone know the name of that company and if it still exists? It seems as if quality was good but prices were lower than Nienhaus. .
I think the company you are referring to is Michael Olaf, which now no longer offers materials. They are now focused on publications. It’s a shame because they sold super high-quality materials at reasonable prices, along with beautiful connections to the Montessori philosophy.
On January 15, 2016 I ordered a Montessori math material from this business called a “Decinomial Bead Bar Box.” This item is supposed to contain 55 set of 10 difference colour beads: 55 red bead strings, 55 green bead strings, 55 pink bead strings, 55 yellow bead strings, 55 light blue bead strings, 55 purple bead strings, 55 white bead strings, 55 brown bead strings, 55 dark blue bead strings, and 55 gold bead strings. I paid nearly $160 CAD for this item. When I received my material, the red, pink, yellow, light blue, purple, brown, dark blue and gold strings only had 51 strings each, while the green and white ones contained the proper amount. This material cannot be used properly by children without the proper amount of strings. I have contacted Adena Montessori several times since receiving my incomplete set. They have argued with me that “it should have come with the proper amount.” They have made me send pictures and explain to them time and time again what I am missing. At this point they refuse to send me the missing materials that I need to complete my set. I have just filed a complaint with the BBB in hopes to resolve this! I will never EVER order from this business again!!
This is very helpful! I’m wondering if you know how the quality of the Standard materials line from Absorbent Minds compares to others, such as Alison’s or Nienhuis.