Montessori Mom

"The child who has learned to read has entered a new world of independence — one word at a time."

Today's lesson is a wonderful mix of hands-on discovery! We'll explore a simple hot and cold science experiment, play the beloved Alphabet Game, introduce early reading with Reading Boxes, learn to tell time with a homemade clock, and enjoy some fun finger plays and group games. There's something here for every age and stage — so let's dive in!

🎒 Materials You'll Need

• Ice cubes and a mitten or glove (for the science experiment)
• Sandpaper letters or a regular alphabet set (Sandpaper Letters on Amazon)
• Small objects for reading boxes (toy cat, bat, hat, rat, duck, lock, ring, king, etc.)
• Small organization drawers, shoe boxes, or plastic containers for reading boxes
• Label cards (handwritten or printed) for each object
• A clock with removable numerals — or materials to make one: a large paper plate, Velcro, poster board, brass brad (Montessori Teaching Clock on Amazon)
• Chalk (for the outdoor clock game)
• Paper and markers
• 👉 Delmach Sandpaper Letters on Amazon
• 👉 Learning Clock on Amazon

🔎 Free Printouts

Use these free printable resources to extend the lesson:

• 📄 Clock Face Printout — A blank clock face for hands-on practice
• 📄 Clock Face 12–5 — Practice reading times from 12 to 5 o'clock
• 📄 Clock Face 12–5 Cards — Matching cards for clock times
• 📄 Clock Face 6–11 — Practice reading times from 6 to 11 o'clock
• 📄 Clock Face 6–11 Cards — Matching cards for clock times
• 📄 Blue Reading Cards A — Phonetic reading practice
• 📄 Blue Reading Cards B
• 📄 Blue Reading Cards C

🧊 Part 1: Hot and Cold Science Experiment

This delightful little experiment introduces your child to the concept of insulation — and it only takes a few minutes!

What You'll Need

• Ice cubes (or snow!)
• A mitten or glove

How to Present

Have your child put on a warm glove on one hand only. Give your child an ice cube in each hand. Then ask:

• "Which hand feels cold first?"
• "Which ice cube is melting faster?"
• "Why do you think the gloved hand feels less cold?"

This is a wonderful, concrete way for young children to experience how materials can slow down the transfer of heat. The glove acts as an insulator — it keeps the warmth of their hand in and the cold of the ice out. Simple, memorable, and full of wonder!

🔤 Part 2: The Alphabet Game

This classic Montessori game is perfect for one child or a small group, and children absolutely love it. It reinforces letter sounds through movement and play.

What You'll Need

• Sandpaper letters or a regular alphabet set
• A table

How to Play

After your child has learned most of the sounds of the letters, spread out 5 to 10 well-known letters on a table. The teacher (that's you!) moves to the opposite side of the room.

Call out one of the letter sounds — for example, the sound "b" makes. One child goes to the table, finds the matching letter, and brings it back to you. Celebrate the success and continue!

💡 Tip: A child who is adept at this game can take on the teacher's role — calling out sounds for the other children. They love this responsibility!

Advanced Variations

• Add more letters to the table to increase the challenge
• Have the child find the letter by its name instead of its sound
• Mix it up — sometimes call out the name, sometimes the sound

📦 Part 3: Reading Boxes — Labels and Objects

This is an advanced lesson for children who have completed moveable alphabet spelling exercises and are ready to read.

Reading boxes are one of the most beautiful first steps into reading. By matching written labels to real objects, your child discovers that those little marks on paper actually mean something — they stand for real things in the world!

Setting Up Your Reading Boxes

You can make reading boxes using small organization dressers with clear plastic drawers, shoe boxes, or any containers with lids. Each box or drawer holds a phonogram group — a set of objects and labels that share the same sound pattern.

Phonogram Groups to Introduce (In Order)

Start with simple pure phonetic words:

• cat, bat, hat, rat

Words ending in double consonant -ck:

• duck, lock

Words ending in -ll:

• doll, bill, pill (use a candy as a pretend pill), gull

Words ending in -ss:

• kiss (candy type), cross, lass, moss

Words ending in -ff:

• muff, puff

Words ending in -ing:

• king, wing, ring, sling

Challenge words:

• button, cotton, mutton

How to Present

Place each phonogram group together with its matching objects. Introduce each label and object to your child, then let them work independently — matching the correct labels to the objects. Start with the easy phonetic words and work your way up to more difficult ones.

💡 Tip: Some children will dive right into this without a formal presentation, and that is perfectly fine! Follow the child.

🌎 Part 4: Spanish Corner

You can do Reading Boxes with foreign language vocabulary too! Pairing objects with their written word builds strong comprehension skills for later reading in any language.

At this point, your child knows the alphabet and has worked with the moveable alphabet. Here are some simple Spanish words and objects to start with:

• boca (mouth) — use wax lips!
• foca (seal) — a small toy seal
• roca (rock) — a small rock

You can also begin labeling classroom objects in Spanish after English words are mastered. It's important to build confidence in the primary language first, then layer in the second language naturally.

🕐 Part 5: Telling Time — Rock Around the Clock!

Learning to tell time is a wonderful Montessori math activity that connects abstract numbers to the rhythms of daily life. Here's how to present it step by step.

Making Your Own Clock

If you don't have a clock with removable numerals, it's easy and fun to make one:

1. Take a round, flat piece of cardboard or a large paper plate. Place a small piece of Velcro evenly spaced for each of the 12 number positions.
2. Using poster board, make 12 small circles. Attach the opposite Velcro texture to the back of each circle. On the front, neatly print the numbers 1 through 12.
3. Make the clock hands from heavy-duty paper — one long hand for minutes and one short hand for hours. Color them in a contrasting color to the face of the clock. Attach both with a brass brad so they can move freely.

How to Present the Clock

Your child should be able to count well and recognize numeral symbols 1 through 12 before beginning.

Step 1 — Number Placement: Assemble the clock with all numbers in place. Bring it to your child's work area. Slowly remove each number (1 through 12), then put them back one at a time, starting with 1. Invite your child to try. If they're not interested, put it away and present again later.

Control of Error: The numbers don't line up in the proper order on the clock face.

Step 2 — Introducing O'Clock: Once your child has mastered placing the numbers, set the long hand on the 12 and the short hand on another number — say, 3. Tell your child: "This is called 3 o'clock." Show another time, such as 5 o'clock. Then ask: "Can you show me 3 o'clock? How about 5 o'clock?"

Step 3 — Reading the Time: Show your child a time, such as 10 o'clock. Ask: "What time is this?" If this is tricky, return to Step 2 for more practice.

Step 4 — Finding the Time: Ask your child to set the clock hands to a specific time. "Can you show me 3 o'clock?"

💡 Tip: When writing times, use the format 1:00 (rather than "1 o'clock"). This makes the transition to reading digital clocks much easier later on.

Clock Drawing Extension

Using blank clock face printouts (see the free printouts above!), write a time under each clock — such as 1:00, 3:00, 10:00, 6:00. Slowly show your child how to draw the hands on the first clock: the long hand pointing to 12, the short hand pointing to 1 (with a small arrow at the tip). Then invite your child to do the next one independently.

Advanced Time Lessons

• Present the half hour, then the quarter hour
• Do minutes last — counting by 5's, 10's, and 1's
• Count the minutes around the clock by ones, fives, twos, and tens

🎁 When your child can tell basic time, an old-fashioned wristwatch with hands makes a wonderful and meaningful gift!

🎶 Part 6: Group Time Games & Finger Plays

Hickory Dickory Dock (with Clock Arms!)

Use your own arms as the hands of the clock while you recite this rhyme — children love acting this out together!

Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock,
The clock struck one, (Put your arms at one o'clock)
The mouse ran down,
Hickory Dickory Dock.

Repeat the rhyme, replacing "one" with "two," then "three," and so on. Let the children take turns calling out the time!

Hours/Minutes Outdoor Clock Game

This active game is perfect for outdoors with chalk and a large space:

1. Draw a large circle on the driveway or playground.
2. Mark the numbers 1 through 12 around the circle, just like a clock.
3. Have someone call out either "hours" or "minutes."
4. If "hours" is called, the child hops clockwise from number to number, counting by ones: 1, 2, 3, 4… up to 12.
5. If "minutes" is called, the child hops from number to number counting by 5's: jump to 1 and say "5," jump to 2 and say "10," jump to 3 and say "15," and so on.

Advanced variation: Do this game counterclockwise and count backwards!

🎸 Rock Around the Clock

"Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley has a wonderful first verse for this activity — play the song and sing along!

"One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock, rock,
Five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, rock,
Nine, ten, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock, rock,
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight."

🤫 The Silence Game

End your group time with the classic Silence Game — a beloved Montessori tradition. Invite the children to become perfectly still and silent, listening to the small sounds of the world around them. It's a simple, calming way to close an active lesson day.

📚 Read-Aloud Corner

Felix, What Time Is It? by Annette Langen — This book has beautiful color illustrations and teaches children about time and how to use clocks. Best of all, it includes a clock with moveable hands that reinforces your hands-on lesson perfectly!