You might be wondering which Montessori materials to make and which to buy. I have links to lots of tutorials for DIY Montessori materials in my DIY Montessori Materials post. I typically tell whether a material is feasible as a DIY Montessori material, although you really just have to decide what works best for your unique family.
If you have a child who’s ready to memorize addition tables, you’ll want to think about making or buying an addition strip board. In Montessori education, children do a lot of hands-on activities with addition before memorizing addition tables. Once the sensorial addition activities are internalized by the child, then it’s a good time to introduce the addition strip board.
There are free printables that can be printed out and laminated to make a DIY addition strip board. I think the main factors to consider when deciding whether to make or buy an addition strip board are your budget and whether your child will respond much better to wooden materials for the addition strip board. I was lucky that I had a nice wooden addition strip board from when I owned a Montessori school that we were able to use in our homeschooling. My children probably wouldn’t have minded a laminated cardstock addition strip board, though.
Beginning Addition
Montessori Print Shop has helpful, inexpensive materials for the introduction of addition, including bead bar addition along with a free printable and instructions for the stamp game.
Montessori Album shows beginning addition, such as number rod addition and bead bar addition, along with the addition strip board and other Montessori addition activities.
You’ll find a number of hands-on addition activities using free printables in my posts on the 15th of the month at PreK + K Sharing.
Free Addition Strip Board Printables
Wikisori has free printables for the addition strip board and other addition activities.
Montessori Materials has some free printables for addition exercises.
Montessori Album has free printables for the addition strip board, addition charts, and addition problem slips.
Examples of DIY Addition Strip Boards
DIY Addition Strip Board Variation (Photo from The Pinay Homeschooler)
The Pinay Homeschooler has a variation of an addition strip board using teddy bear counters.
MontHome has a printed and laminated addition strip board.
DIY Addition Strip Board (Photo from To the Lesson)
To the Lesson has an example of a DIY addition board with addition booklets.
Addition Strip Board Presentations
Montessori Primary Guide has an addition strip board presentation.
My Works Montessori has a video of “Montessori Math Lesson – Addition Strip Board.”
My Works Montessori also has a video of “Montessori Math Lesson – Addition Strip Board Making 10s.”
Addition Strip Board Work (Photo from Making Montessori Ours)
Cherine from Making Montessori Ours tells her recommendations for addition strip boards and shares resources.
Addition Strip Board Work (Photo from The Education of Ours)
The Education of Ours tells about using an addition strip board at home after school in Homework, Taken Concretely and Commutative Property with the Addition Strip Board (photo).
2 Pequeños Traviesos shares how they used the addition strip board in their homeschool.
Addition Strip Board Work (Photo from What DID We Do All Day?)
What DID We Do All Day? has a few posts about the addition board: Memorization of Addition: Commutative Property; Memorization of Zeroes, Doubles, Addition Chart 2 (photo) and Addition Board 4? 6?;
The Adventures of Bear shows their addition strip board along with some earlier sensorial addition work.
Sasha from To the Lesson tells how she brings special meaning to the addition strip board in her classroom.
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Thank you! I needed this post. We’re definitely in the addition phase now and I’ve been struggling with how to help the kiddos, still very new at this Montessori stuff, you’ve provided me with so many resources, so many I’m going to have to set aside more time to visit all the links. Hopefully by next month I’ll be able to incorporate this stuff!
Thanks, Renae! I hope it works well for you. 🙂
You’re hitting on a topic very close to my heart this year, Deb – math – making it fun. Did I tell you we switched to Mont. math? Thanks for linking up again!
Thanks, Rebecca! That sounds awesome … I hope your family loves it as much as I do. 🙂
What a smart way to help kids work on their early addition skills! Thanks for sharing. I’m featuring this tomorrow at the After School Linky Party on my blog. Stop by to check it out and keep sharing! I love your ideas!
Thanks so much for your kind comment and for featuring my post! 🙂
What a neat way to introduce addition. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!
Thanks, Carrie! I absolutely love Montessori math materials … I think they’re such a brilliant way to help math make sense. 🙂