Start With Confidence! The 3-Part Montessori Roadmap We Teach

If you’re just starting out with Montessori and feeling like a teakettle about to simmer, you are in very good company.

So many of the parents who find us have spent late nights scrolling through Pinterest and Instagram, saving pictures of perfectly curated Montessori homeschool rooms, drooling over beautiful wooden toys, and reading books like The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies. (Which is not just a bestseller—it really is a wonderful place to begin if you’ve got little ones at home!)

But here’s the honest truth no one really tells you at the beginning.

You can’t buy your way into Montessori. And you definitely can’t guess your way in, either.

Montessori is not just a pile of beautiful activities. It’s not a style of toy. It’s not even about how your shelves look.

Montessori is a way of seeing your child—and then making thoughtful, grounded choices about how to respond to their current skills, their interests, their emotional needs, and their development. Cue: the teakettle at a rolling boil!

That means when we skip over observation and leap straight into printing out parts cards, ordering sandpaper letters, and trying to build an entire homeschool classroom from scratch… we burn out. 🤦‍♀️

Today you’re going to learn a better way.

Here’s the Montessori Roadmap we teach inside our Child of the Redwoods Curriculum™—a 3-step process to help you start with confidence!

Step 1: Observe

Before anything else, you must observe your child. This is literally Montessori 101, but sadly many parents avoid it completely when starting out. Don’t let that be you!

When you step back and watch for even just five minutes, you are looking for not just what your child can do, but what draws them in. What do they return to again and again? Where do they linger? When do they disengage or push back?

You can do this casually…while your child is getting dressed, for instance. Are they struggling with zippers or confidently doing it alone? Do they ask for help putting on their socks or brush you off?

Inside our membersite, parents use Observation Templates from our Foundations of Montessori: Primary Course to track these moments. But truly, a piece of notebook paper and your own presence is all you need to start!

Step 2: Add a Bit of Structure

Montessori isn’t rigid, but it does thrive on rhythm and routine. Here’s why.

Children love knowing what to expect. A consistent daily flow makes them feel grounded and safe.

That doesn’t mean you need a schedule written to the minute. Instead, think about making certain times of your day more appealing for big movement, rest, nourishment, and uninterrupted time for work. Then you can build your day around those natural anchors.

When chose anchors as a homeschooling family, we drew pictures of each of these activities and taped them to the inside of our front door! Those visuals allowed even our youngest child to become aware of the flow of our family’s day-to-day.

Step 3: Choose Materials and Lessons

Now that you’re observing and you have a simple flow to your regular days, this is where the magic of Montessori materials can really shine.

First, let’s bust a myth: you do not need 100 Schleich animals or five versions of the movable alphabet. Got it? More materials do not equal more learning.

Alternatively, start with one quality material or one lesson that aligns with what you’ve observed. Just one. Watch what happens. Then go from there. For example, if you’ve noticed your child is struggling with snaps while putting their coat on, you’re going to provide specific materials not just to teach snapping but to build hand and finger strength.

This is where the Child of the Redwoods Curriculum™ becomes such a lifeline. Our members get a complete, fully scripted sequence of lessons for ages 2–9, with clear guidance on when to present each one. Every activity is intentionally interdisciplinary so language, math, science, and the arts all weave together in a way that’s both beautiful and natural.

From the dressing frames to the pink tower, or the geometric solids to the grammar symbols, you’ll always know where you are in the Montessori sequence! And your child will always show you where you’re headed next.

Ready to start?

Take our free Homeschool Superpower Quiz and get a gentle nudge toward your next best step.

Love this so much? You can also try the Child of the Redwoods Curriculum free for 7 days. We’d love to welcome you inside.

P.S. The water’s at the perfect temp now — go make yourself some tea! 🫖 ☕️