How to Prepare Montessori-Inspired Addition Activities Using Themes

Traditional Montessori addition materials are fabulous ways to help children easily understand and learn math facts. But you can extend those materials and add interest with DIY hands-on activities that follow Montessori principles and use themes.

I’ve published lots and lots of Montessori-inspired addition activities using themes (and often free printables). I’ll share many of them here today to give ideas of how to prepare DIY addition activities. The first activity includes all resources. For all the other activities, just go to the activity’s link to see all the details and resources.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you.)

Hands-on Addition Activities Using Themed Printables and Themed Objects

Preparing and Presenting a One Fish, Two Fish Addition Tray

One Fish Two Fish Addition (Montessori-Inspired One Fish, Two Fish Math Activities Using Free Printables)

(This was my first published addition activity on the 15th of the month using themes. Because I didn’t publish as many activities for each theme at that time, I included more details about presentation. I’ll share those here today to give an idea of how to prepare and present a themed addition activity.)

Materials (and preparation tips):

• One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss. For an activity like this, I’ll typically stand the book on the shelf next to the activity tray.
• One Fish, Two Fish, Equals Three Fish free printable by Libby Allen at Teachers Pay Teachers
• Materials for printing, cutting, and laminating printables (Thick glossy photo paper is fine to use in lieu of laminating if you’ll be using the activity at home and don’t expect heavy use.)
• 8 Goldfish crackers for the activity
• Container of Goldfish for snack.
• Activity tray. (I found this inexpensive tray at my local supermarket. Now I most often use a wooden Multicraft tray or Montessori Services tray or basket)
• A small container for 8 goldfish (I often use small bamboo condiment cups or large bamboo condiment cups.)
• You’ll need a low shelf or shelves for the activity trays in your classroom or home where the children can easily reach them, allowing for freedom of choice in their activities. Activity trays on shelves are wonderful ways to have activities available when children have an urge to repeat an activity or are drawn to an activity because of the needs of a sensitive period.
• Especially if you have more than one child, it’s helpful if you have a few rugs in the room so a child can lay out the materials for an activity on a rug on the floor. The rug is helpful for defining the child’s workspace. Rugs can be rolled up and stored in a container in a corner of the room. (I use Montessori Services rugs.)

Presenting the Activity (One Idea)

• If you’re presenting to a large group, go to the rug container, get a rug, and roll it out on the floor in front of you. For an individual child or small group, it’s helpful to use a rug if you’re presenting an activity on the floor.
• I’d always bring the book to the rug and read that first.
• Go to the shelf where the activity tray is located, pick up the tray with both hands, and carry it to your rug or to a table.
• For a large-group presentation in a preschool, generally the children will be seated in a circle. Present the activity facing toward the group. If you’re presenting to an individual child, have the child sit to your left if you’re right-handed so that you don’t block the child’s view with your arm.
• Lay out the numerals 5-8 along the top of the rug or table, starting at the left and working to the right.
• Lay out the addition fishbowls in mixed order below the larger numbered fishbowls.
• Choose an addition fishbowl and read the equation.
• Count out the correct number of Goldfish on each addend. When you have the sum, read the equation with the answer: “2+3=5.”
• Pour the Goldfish back into the blue container, and place the fishbowl equation under the correct answer.
• In Montessori education, activities are presented slowly with precise movements. As few words as possible are used. In another preschool environment, you may want to adapt the presentation according to your own teaching style.
• Often at this point in a group presentation, I’ll ask someone in the group if they’d like to put the Goldfish on another bowl. I might go around the group giving the children turns. With an individual child, I’ll let the child join in when he or she feels ready.
• There’s a built-in control of error with this activity because there will be exactly 6 cards under each numbered fishbowl if the activity is completed correctly. You could tell the children there will be 6 cards under each numbered fishbowl at the end.
• I would probably tell the children that they could take a specified number of Goldfish from a container on the shelf near the activity when they completed their activity. I’d probably have another container with Goldfish for snack. Again, I’d tell the children how many Goldfish they could each take. You could have the specified number on each container if you wish.
• When you’ve finished presenting the activity, put the activity away on the shelf. Always show how to clean up and put away an activity when you first present it. If you had a rug out for the activity, roll the rug up and put it away.

How to Prepare Montessori-Inspired Addition Activities Using Themes – Themes for Any Time and Themes Through the Year

You’ll find addition activities here for a variety of seasonal and holiday themes through the year as well as themes, such as dinosaurs or transportation, that work at any time.

Lima Bean Ghost Addition (Montessori-Inspired Friendly Ghost Activities)

Spider Addition (Free Spider Printables and Montessori-Inspired Spider Activities)

Chick Addition (Free Spring Printables and Montessori-Inspired Spring Math Activities)

Add the Flowers Activity (Free Flower Printables and Montessori-Inspired Flower Math Activities)

Monster Trucks in the Mud Addition (Free Transportation Printables and Montessori-Inspired Transportation Math Activities)

Add the Apples Activity (Free Apple Printables and Montessori-Inspired Apple Activities)

Valentine Addition (Free Valentine Learning Printables and Montessori-Inspired Valentine Activities)

Owl Addition (Free Owl Printables and Montessori-Inspired Owl Activities)

Adding with Pandas (Free Panda Printables and Montessori-Inspired Panda Activities)

Dinosaur Number Line Addition and Subtraction/Hatching Dinosaurs (Free Dinosaur Printables and Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Math Activities)

Math Fact Families – Leaves and Trees (Free Leaf Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fall Leaf Activities)

Alligator Addition Activity (Montessori-Inspired Alligator Unit with Free Printables and Activities)

Montessori Bead Bar Addition Clip Cards with DIY Owl Clothespins (Montessori Addition and Subtraction Resources for Preschool Through Early Elementary) – not a themed printable but uses themed clothespins

Brain Addition with Miniature Brains and Bead Bars (Free Brain and Growth Mindset Printables and Montessori-Inspired Brain Activities)

Penguin Adding to 100 with Hundreds Chart (Free Penguin Printables and Montessori-Inspired Penguin Activities)

Hands-on Addition Activities Using Themed Printables and Non-Themed Objects

Dinosaur Addition Word Problems (Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Fun with Free Printables, Water Beads, and Glass Gems)

Ladybug and Apple Addition Activities Using Dots (Montessori-Inspired Addition Activities Using Dots {Free Printables})

Robin’s Nest Addition with Montessori Bead Bars (Free Nest Printables and Montessori-Inspired Nest Activities)

Spider-Themed Puzzles for 2-Digit Addition (Free Spider Printables and Montessori-Inspired Spider Math Activities)

Moon Spinner Adding with Bead Bars (Free Moon Printables and Montessori-Inspired Moon Activities)

Frog Addition with Regrouping (Free Frog Printables and Montessori-Inspired Frog Math Activities)

Hands-on Addition Activities Using Themed Printables Only

Olympic Medals Addition Activity (Montessori-Inspired Olympic Math Activities)

Ladybug Addition Activity (Free Ladybug Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ladybug Activities)

Hands-on Addition Games Using Themed Printables

Five-in-a-Row Fire Edition Addition Game (Free Fire Safety Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fire Safety Activities)

Raccoon Addition Roll and Cover Game (Free Raccoon Printables and Montessori-Inspired Raccoon Activities {Kissing Hand Unit})

Roll-and-Stamp Recycling Addition Activity (Free Recycling Printables and Montessori-Inspired Recycling Activities)

Animals of the Arctic Roll and Bump Game (Free Arctic Animal Printables and Montessori-Inspired Arctic Animal Activities)

Duckling Addition Dice Game (Free Duckling Printables and Montessori-Inspired Duckling Activities)

DIY Montessori Cards and Counters Using Themes

You’ll find many other themed math activities in my DIY Montessori cards and counters post.

Montessori Math Activities 

See my Montessori math activities post for links to online Montessori albums, free Montessori math videos, DIY Montessori math materials (including Montessori Addition Strip Boards), and Montessori-inspired math activities.

This post is part of the 2018 Montessori Series!

See more math activities from Montessori bloggers here:

• 40+ Montessori Math Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten | Natural Beach Living
• Montessori Math Bead Cabinet ~ Free Montessori Printables | The Natural Homeschool
• How to Prepare Montessori-Inspired Addition Activities Using Themes | Living Montessori Now
• Montessori Number Counting Mats – Printable & Activities | Mama’s Happy Hive
• Supporting Montessori Math Learning at Home | The Kavanaugh Report
• Montessori Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication Booklets | The Pinay Homeschooler
• Hands-on Free Roll it, Write it, Count it Printable Mat Every Preschooler Will Love  | Uno Zwei Tutu

Does your child (or do your students) have a favorite themed math activity?

Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy! I’m also one of the coauthors of the book Learn with Play – 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun & Learning!

The Montessori at Home! eBook and Montessori at Home! eBook and Materials Bundle are AMAZING resources! You can learn more about them here. Buy them in the Living Montessori Now shop.

If this is your first time visiting Living Montessori Now, welcome! If you haven’t already, please join us on our Living Montessori Now Facebook page where you’ll find a Free Printable of the Day and lots of inspiration and ideas for parenting and teaching! And please follow me on Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards), Twitter (blog posts by me and others along with the Parent/Teacher Daily and other interesting information), and Google+ (post updates). You can find me on bloglovin’, Instagram, and YouTube, too.

Name:

Email:

…and get free geography album, Mom Bloggers eBook, and monthly subscriber freebie! 

 I respect your privacy

And don’t forget one of the best ways to follow me by signing up for my weekly newsletter. You’ll get two awesome freebies (and a monthly subscriber freebie) in the process!