How to Make Montessori Object Box Lessons

Montessori object boxes contain attractive, small objects and corresponding small cards with the names of the objects on the cards.

Montessori object box lessons are used to help beginning readers learn and practice reading words. Object boxes are color-coded pink or blue, with the pink boxes containing simpler material than the blue. You can purchase object boxes from a school supplies store, or you can make them yourself from items that you probably already have around your house.

Things You'll Need

• Small boxes with lids
• Unlined notecards
• Scissors
• Black marker
• Small figurines or objects with simple names

Instructions

1. Collect a number of small, attractive objects. These can be miniatures, figurines, or plastic play figures from a child's toy set. The important things about them are that they are pleasant or interesting to look at and have simple names that a child will be able to practice reading. If you are making a beginning reader's set of object boxes, then the objects need to have three-letter, phonetic names. If you are making a more advanced set, then the names can contain phonograms or even be multisyllabic in some advanced cases. For example, a beginner's box might contain a figure of a man or a plastic pig. A more advanced set might have a little duck, a china deer or a small toy boat.

2. Place six of these objects in each small box. You should have a number of these object boxes so that the child has a lot of diversity in his reading practice. Otherwise, he may become bored and abandon the lessons.

3. Cut the unlined index cards so that they will fit in the boxes. They need to be as large as possible so that you can write on them clearly, but they also need to fit inside the boxes easily. Make sure all the cards in a box are the same size.

4. Write the name of each object in a box on a separate notecard. Your writing should be clear and conform to the same rules that the students must follow when shaping their lettes.

5. Place the corresponding name cards in the box with the appropriate objects. These objects and cards will always be kept together in this box. A child will be able to get out the box on her own, then match the objects and the name cards. Most instructors go through the object box lesson with a child at least once before letting them work the lesson alone, but you will need to make this decision based on each individual child's strengths and abilities.

Tips & Warnings

• Object boxes are one of the first reading lessons that a child will encounter in Montessori schooling. Before this, a student should be relatively familiar with sounding out words using the large movable alphabet and with word building.