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How to Use Montessori Colored Bead Bars to Practice Counting

Montessori colored bead bars are lengths of beads strung on stiff wire. These bars vary in length from one to nine beads, and they are used as part of several different Montessori math lessons. The beads help children learn to count while visualizing the numbers that they are saying. They also are used in some simple mathematical processes, geometry introductions and can even be used to demonstrate how to square numbers.

Things You'll Need

  • Number cards, 1 through 9
  • Colored bead bars, 1 through 9
  • Floor mat
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Instructions

    • 1

      Have the child count the beads on the bead bars. He can do this in any order that he likes. The important thing is that he counts every bead on each bar and knows how many beads are on each bar.

    • 2

      Assign each bead bar its proper number. As the child counts the beads, she should assign the correct number card to each bead bar. She can lay out the bead bars and numbers on the floor mat as she works through them.

    • 3

      Line up the bead bars and their numbers in order. Place the one bar at the top with the 1 card next to it. The two bar and the 2 card should go underneath. Continue this pattern until all nine bead bars are lined up with number cards next to them. They should be recounted rather than simply lined up in order from their previous counting.

    • 4

      Encourage the child to repeat these exercises as many times as he likes. He can do them more than once before putting the lesson away, or he can do it on subsequent days.

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