The beauty of the Montessori method and the concrete materials is that there is an order within each activity itself.  The order in which the materials are presented is a progressive order of difficulty that challenges the child’s intellect, increases his attention span and hand and eye coordination.  Before there is any thought to variations we must remember first things first!  The child will need to have mastered the initial presentation with a material before being introduced to an extension or variation.  As the children progress through the materials then we can add variations and extensions as their interest increases.

Mastery is achieved through repetition with the materials.  “Normal children repeat such exercises many times.  This repetition varies according to the individual.”  (The Montessori Method, p. 173)  It is through this repetition that mastery is obtained and the child begins to pay attention to details by grading and sorting materials by their height, diameter, length, color, width, etc.   As Montessori guides we need to encourage the child to return to the materials and repeat the exercise.  It is much like a piano lesson.  You go to a music lesson once a week for 30 minutes.  It is not in the lesson itself that you master the music but through repetition or practice.  Then there is the joy within the child when he/she has mastered a particular work or when they have made a discovery with the use of the material.

“Order is one of the needs of life which, when it is satisfied, produces a real happiness.”  (The Secret of Childhood, p. 52)

“The sensorial materials establish a solid base for the language and mathematical materials to follow.”  (Montessori Today. Lillard, Paula.  p. 37)

When you show an extension with the materials or allow them to make discoveries then the child builds concentration and self-discipline within the challenge. So in conclusion, why do we encourage extensions or variations and experimentation with the work?

1.    To create interest in a specific work so a skill or concept can be internalized

2.    To challenge the child to think “outside the box”  or initial presentation

3.    To assist the child in using his imagination and encourage creativity

4.    To build the child’s vocabulary with adjectives and comparative words such as long, longer, longest, etc.

5.    To build within the child a mathematical mind and vocabulary with the geometrical cabinet, solids, comparisons in diameter, height, etc.

The photos above are some of the extensions that I have done with children learned through my training and some the children have created themselves.  The images below are excerpts from a photo book of Sensorial Extensions from our online store.    Take the time to encourage extensions and watch as your students develop a joy and love of learning!