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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I have bought from Hello Wood Products; the oldest latest 23 years so far. They will cost more than some but less than Neinhaus. They are made in the United States and have very good customer service.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with Hello Wood Products, Molly! I added a link to their site in my post.
Hi Deb! Thanks for all the information. I would also like to recommend a place to you. The Montessori Workshop (Pvt) Ltd is a Sri Lankan based company that has been manufacturing a wide range of Montessori learning materials for over 20 years and carries almost the entire requirement of material for the elementary and primary age groups.
They carry some of the nicest & durable Montessori equipment that I have seen at a very good price. I purchased goods from them for my 5 classrooms and the equipments are magnificent. Friendly customer service makes it more attractive.
Every Montessorian should give it a try with The Montessori Workshop materials!
Kind Regards,
Hiranya
Thanks, Hiranya! I appreciate the information!
The Montessori Workshop(Pvt)Ltd is the best place to buy MOntessori Equaipment. all their materials are very high in quality and can be compaired with Certified manufacturers & most of all the prices are very reasonable.I would like to recommend everyone to have a look at their materials and the pricing.you can browse their website through http://www.themontessoriworkshop.com
Thank you,
MOntessorian.
Thanks for letting us know, Dihara! I haven’t heard of others’ experiences with The Montessori Workshop (Pvt), but I appreciate the link so parents and teachers can check it out.
Hi, Deb. You have a nice list going! I wanted to let you know of another supplier of high quality Montessori materials – Young Minds At Play (www.youngmindsatplay.com). Young Minds At Play makes everything in the USA from solid maple and cherry hardwood with a safe beeswax/oil finish. I think you’ll find the materials quite beautiful.
Thanks so much for letting me know about Young Minds at Play, Charlene! The materials look beautiful, and I added Young Minds at Play to my list.
OK, I thought I was done but have ONE more comment in me. Was browsing through my stack of old catalogs (great place to get ideas for a few changes in my room). I loved the old Kaybee catalog photos. I believe they went bankrupt sometime last year however, and should therefore be removed from your list.
Thanks so much, Jennifer! It’s too bad that Kaybee went out of business. I used to enjoy looking through Kaybee catalog photos, too. I removed their link from my post.
I’m also have happy with Montessori Research and Development items. If you are looking for elementary research materials, Priscilla Spears’ items at Big Picture Science (bigpicturescience.biz) are great and their customer service is tops.
My last thought on this whole subject is especially for homeschoolers who may not be used to the delivery times for some materials. Nienhuis, for example, can take quite a while to fulfill an order – it’s not like they have everything on hand all the time and can ship it out immediately like we may be used to from other online buying experiences. Montessori schools plan ahead for their purchases and have greater tolerance for this waiting than a parent who wants to get something on the shelf next week for their child’s workroom.
If you have the luxury to plan ahead, buy in the summer when the shipping deals and summer sales are happening, this can save you quite a bit of money.
Thanks for giving more helpful suggestions, Jennifer! I just added Big Picture Science to my list. And that’s a great point about delivery times. It is different ordering for a homeschool, and your information is definitely good for homeschoolers to keep in mind! 🙂
I have purchased from several companies. I think the key is to do your research first and if necessary call the company to get a feel for its customer service BEFORE you place an order. Have a few questions and see how they handle them, it will give you an idea as to how they interact with customers and can save you a lot of trouble. The truth is you can have a problem with ANY company, but the good ones will resolve your problems to your satisfaction if you let them know what you want. I have purchased from Nienhuis for many items, when I purchased the grammar cards I couldn’t afford the boxes so I picked those up at much less expense from IFIT (Montessori Equipment) and that worked well for me. I purchased my beads from Montessori Equipment also, I think they may have changed styles since then but mine are beautiful glass beads and were a great bargain. I’ve purchased some very well made wooden items from there as well – number cards, checkerboard etc. When I’ve had a problem (twice over 5 years) both times it was resolved to my satisfaction after a phone call.
I have a few Gonzagarredi items from Juliana Group, no complaints there.
When dealing with a discounted line, it helps to ask questions – sometimes the items on their website are not exact representations of the items they are currently selling – due to a change in supplier or for other reason. I always call to confirm specifications before I place the order. Having said this, sometimes you can get a great deal. When Montessori Outlet was just starting up, I got two geometric figure cabinets for super price and free ship – contents not what I wanted but cabinets themselves were fine quality, I already had a geometric figures cabinet so I put aside the M.O. contents and use the new cabinets to house my metal equivalent figure materials, squares, triangles, and incribed and concentric figures.
I buy Practical Life items at non Montessori stores, I’ve been able to find unusual items at good prices many places. Occasionally I’ll look at American Science and Surplus online, have gotten some great bottles, science items, and other fun stuff there. They do not always have the best prices on books though, it pays to compare their book prices with Amazon or AbeBooks.
And of course the things you make yourself for the room give it character and charm…
Thank you SO MUCH, Jennifer, for all your very helpful information! What a great idea to get a feel for a company’s customer service before placing an order! And I love hearing about your experiences with different companies. That sort of information is so helpful for parents and teachers wanting to make an informed decision about where to order materials from.
A fantastic list, thank you! I usually buy Montessori materials from Amazon for the combination of great prices and free shipping, but after reading your list I’d like to see what I can find going directly to suppliers.
Thanks so much, Matt! Amazon often has great deals, too. I think it’s a great idea for parents to check both the suppliers and Amazon to see where they can get the best deal at the time.
I just bought a bunch of materials from kid advance. I like them and the shipping is quite fast…
I just found this, Tiana! Thanks so much for your comment – I really appreciate hearing about Montessori homeschoolers’ experiences! I’m glad to hear you had a good experience with Kid Advance.
Hey Deb! This is a fantastic list you have prepared for us. I, also, have had a very negative experience with Adena Montessori and posted a review of their products today. Here’s the link: http://mymontessorimoments.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/adena-montessori-review/
I also included a link back to your list so others can find a more suitable Montessori Material provider. I hope they learn from my mistake and purchase elsewhere!
Lori, thanks so much for writing about your experience, posting your link here, and posting my link in your review! I’ve added your link to my post so that it can’t be missed!
I would like to add also that I purchased from Adena Montessori (because I too was attracted by the price) and I have only been disappointed. The dressing frames I purchased literally fell apart the first week of use, the maps are a joke, the colors do not match up and the the pegs fell out days after the first lesson. It was terribly disappointing. Sad really, I had just opened my own school and thought I would be starting it off with quality materials at a good price. I guess it’s true what they say, live and learn.
Thanks for this list.
In PEACE,
Jennifer
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with Adena Montessori, Jennifer! It’ll be very helpful for other parents and teachers to know about your experience.
I just wanted to add that I too had ordered most of my Montessori materials from Adena having been attracted by the price. The quality is not Nienhuis or Gonzagarredi which I was familiar with. I did not expect the premium quality materials, but the worst was the inconsisstancy with the materials which I purchased. For instance, I ordered the world continent map, USA, and the individual maps of each continent along with control charts. (8 total maps) I received maps that must have been from 3 different manufactures out of China. Each map had a different thickness of pieces and different colors. Not one of the map’s pieces fit their respective controls, somthing we didn’t notice until after carefully coloring in several of them. When I contacted Adena and inquired about the control charts that didn’t fit my maps and if they could get me all 8 maps with consistant thickness and colors, I just got the run around. I tried many, many times to resolve the issue and finely just used the maps, some with very thin pieces that are breaking and plastic knobs vs. the ones that are very thick and have wood knobs. I had to trace, color and laminate my own control maps. I also had issues with the 4 sets of knobless cylinders. One set was plastic, the other 3 wood. No resolve again. I would not order for this company again.
Thank you SO MUCH for your comment, Pamela! You and Tracey have helped many avoid problems if they read your comments!
I am starting my very own Montessori class room next month.I always worked with Nienhius materials and those are the best but very expensive.if you can give me a another place less expensive but close to Nienhius very appreciated.
Thanks for your comment, Chani! I had Nienhuis Montessori materials, which I absolutely loved – but yes, they are expensive. I don’t have personal experience with other suppliers for the actual Montessori materials. I know that a number of people have used Alison’s Montessori. You might want to check out Mari-Ann from Counting Coconuts’ post about the materials she’s used. http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/2010/04/all-things-montessori.html. Wishing you the very best with your new classroom!
I saw that you mentioned Adena Montessori on your blog and I wanted to warn others about this company before they make the same mistake that I made along with several others. BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!! The low
prices caught my attention. I made the
mistake of only reading the reviews posted on their website. I googled Adena Montessori and reviews after my purchase and the problems I have had with the company. If I had seen the warnings before; I would have never
ordered from them. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY! YOU WILL BE
HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PRODUCTS. I
placed an order with Adena Montessori on September 24th. They didn’t ship out the package until October 9th or 10th.
Then, I received the wrong order in the mail on October 15th. I
have sent many e-mails and tried calling several times. They do
not answer their phones nor do they respond promptly to messages
left or e-mails. The e-mails I did receive from them were very
generic. When you finally talk to someone they quickly dismiss your
concerns and ask for an e-mail so that they can get off the phone
with you. I am currently trying to get a refund for my money. They asked me to
list all the materials they sent me and then responded with could you photograph them for us and weigh the boxes. Several items that I did order were either damaged or incomplete. The number cards on the Seguin boards boards did not fit the slots and the hundred board was scratched due to how they packaged the materials. I also ordered 81 unit beads and received
50. I did receive 6 items that were NOT on my list. I am hoping to get this mess straightened out soon, but after reading the posts here. I am expecting the worst. What a waste of time and money!
Lawyers cost money … probably more than the order. We need to get this company shut down! Please help spread the word so that other mothers and teachers do not get scammed. Thank you for your help!
Tracey
That’s HORRIBLE! Thanks SO MUCH for telling about your experience, Tracey! I’ll put a warning by the link so people are aware of it. With so many Montessori material suppliers, it’s extremely helpful to find out the personal experiences customers have with different companies.
Your welcome. I just want to help. This has been the worst experience I have had from any company I have EVER bought from in the past. Now, I am looking for a reliable and affordable Montessori company with great customer service (just in case they actually refund my money).
Yours truly, Tracey
Hello, I’m in Australia and recently ordered some materials from Adena without any problems at all… Maybe they’ve improved!
Cheers,
Liz
Thanks for your comment, Liz! I hope they have improved!
Hi Deb,
I’ve recently purchased from Adena (August 2012). I had no problems with them.
I was very worried at first, as I had placed an order with them, PRIOR to reading this review.
But, it turned out fine. I even rang them and spoke to a person. They answered all my email query.
I was also quite surprise to receive my order within 10 days or so, considering it’s an international order.
As for the quality of the product. Well, I didn’t pay Nienhuis price, so, I wasn’t expecting Nienhuis quality. I am happy with what I got, for the price that I paid for.
So maybe they have taken notice and have improved.
Thanks for your comment, Zara! I definitely hope that’s the case!
What a great resource!!!
Have a great iFellowship Day!
Thanks, Penny! I hope you have a great iFellowship day, too!
I’m on the lookout for some math/multiplication tools to help my son. Thanks for sharing. Happy iFellowship Day! 🙂
Larri at Seams Inspired
Thanks for your comment, Larri! Montessori materials are great for teaching multiplication tables because the concrete learning materials help children internalize the concept. Often, they’ll learn the tables without having to work at it. Happy iFellowship Wednesday!
Thanks for stopping by Deb! I always enjoy stopping by your blog to read your posts. You are definitely an inspiration! 🙂
Thanks SO much, Joy! I always love visiting with you!
I have used KidAdvance and was satisfied with the quality for the amount of money I paid. They also have a wonderful customer service dept. I have also used Adena, but didn’t like it as much as KidAdvance.
Thanks so much for your recommendation, Julie! It’s SO helpful to hear about Montessori homeschoolers’ experiences. I really appreciate your taking the time to tell us about yours – and about your customer service experience, which is always important!
Yes, I have quite a bit of experience in purchasing Montessori materials. I posted about my resources and recommendations in April – here’s the link: http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/2010/04/all-things-montessori.html.
Mari-Ann 🙂
Thanks for your comment, Mari-Ann! It’s great to hear Montessori n’ Such (I thought it looked like they had great practical life kits!), Montessori Services, Alison’s Montessori, Montessori Outlet, Polliwog, and Gonzagarredi all worked well for supplying your Montessori homeschool. There are so many suppliers online now. I really appreciate hearing who you used and liked!
Saving this post in my favorites! What a great list, thanks for sharing. We’re actually not a Montessori family or even a homeschool family but I plan to supplement and be very involved my kids education. I am always seeking educational resources and toys. I love many things about Montessori learning and am quite eclectic in my preferences on learning! My oldest starts his pre-K soon!!!
Thanks so much, Michelle! It’s great if you’re supplementing your kids’ education at home – and there’s a lot to choose from! Good luck to your son at the start of an exciting journey!
I have some experience for buying the Montessori materials,the most shop i brough is in Adena montessori,it’s not very well at first,however the service is great. They do like listen to the clients requirest,and i’ve seen their acheivements these years,and we are satisfied with their quality,the teaching tools we used are all from Adena. I like them,and I’ve recommended she to my friends who are the montessori teachers.
Thanks for telling about your experiences, Dily. I’m glad your experiences with Adena were much better than some other customers who left comments here.
Hi
As Adena doesn’t use proper glue, all knobs for puzzles and maps have to be glued in again, unfortunately, I’ve lost some and asked for some extra knobs. I have cylinder blocks from Nienhuis and they have sent me extra knobs for them some years ago, so I know that they send you items to repair their equipment.
The reply from Adena really annoyed me and if anyone ever bothers buying from them, make sure you complain straight away about everything and demand a replacement. I just didn’t bother because I would have had to ask for all new maps. I should have done it, though.
Here is their reply:
Dear Ann
They matched each other when the factory produced the products.If we sell you the knobs separatly,then the rest of the products are useless.
And you could see other company who sell montessori materials ,they also do not sell these knobs separatly.
If you tell us the case within one month ,we could replace them for you.Because It is our duty.But it has been a long time,we could not replace them for you according to our company policy.
Hope your understanding.
We are so sorry for this case.
Chercy.
I’m sorry that happened to you, Ann. That would be very frustrating. Thanks so much for letting us know about your experience. It’s very helpful for parents and teachers to know about those sorts of experiences so they can do what’s best for their classroom or children.