How to Use a Montessori Spindle Box

Montessori spindle box and spindles

A Montessori spindle box is wooden with ten compartments numbered zero to nine along the back. The lesson also includes 45 wooden spindles and is intended for children who have already done some work with number rods and numeral cards. This lesson introduces the concept of zero and helps children associate the numbers zero through nine with their proper quantities.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Spindle box

1. Sit together with the box in front of you. The compartments need to be empty. Invite the child to help you empty them and lay the spindles out evenly in front of the box.

2. Introduce zero. You can do this by pointing to the back of the box where the number "0" is written and saying, "This is zero. This is how we write zero. Zero means 'nothing,' so we do not put anything in this compartment."

3. Work through the rest of the numbers, assigning spindles as necessary. You can use the same word pattern for the numbers one through nine. Point to a number (one, for example) and ask the child what number it is. Upon receiving the reply of "one," ask her to put one spindle in the one compartment. When the child puts the correct number in the compartment, move to the next number.

4. Allow the child to complete the exercise independently. Once you have introduced the lesson, a child may wish to do the spindle box again on his own. This is good because the numbers will only work out correctly when the proper number of spindles are in each box. This lesson can be repeated and checked entirely independently.

5. Keep the spindle box in an accessible location. The child can and should be encouraged to do the exercise often. However, if you notice that a student insists on placing something in the zero box, you need to help at once in order to prevent further confusion later.