Montessori Homeschool Curriculum
The Complete Guide for Toddlers, Preschool, and Elementary
Montessori homeschooling can feel overwhelming at first.
Parents often wonder where to begin, what materials they need, and how to guide their child without formal training.
This guide explains how Montessori homeschooling actually works, what a complete Montessori curriculum includes, and how families teach toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary children at home.
When we first started thinking about homeschooling, we knew that we wanted to raise our children the Montessori way, but we didn’t have a clue what that would look like in reality.
We dreamed big, though.
Aubrey and David Hargis
Montessori educators and founders of Child of the Redwoods
Sunlight streaming romantically through the windows in the morning.
A calm, uncluttered, wholesome space.
Mom baking bread in the mornings and relaxing in the hammock every afternoon as the kids played independently.
Dad coming home from the office to read stories and play “tickle monster.”
Weekends spent together exploring our local culture and doing all the lovely mundane things like grocery shopping and taking nature walks.
And it’s true that in many ways, this is exactly what we ended up with. Montessori can be such a beautiful journey.
It’s also true that eventually reality hit us with a million questions. Would our children thrive without all of the many and often expensive Montessori materials that were available in classrooms? Would our children be prepared, truly prepared, for all that life had to offer them, even if they did go to school eventually? And when would this feeling of overwhelm go away?
If it makes you chuckle, even a little, that two formally trained and experienced educators, one of whom even has a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction and several certifications in Montessori, would enter homeschooling feeling a little disoriented, you’re in the right place. These feelings happen to everyone.
Of course our children were sometimes messy, unfocused, and immersed in pretend play. Of course there were days when we didn’t give any lessons at all. That’s all part of it.
We want to share with you what we’ve learned along the way and how we embraced the complete Montessori curriculum as both educators and parents who are more or less just learning along with our kids. Because you, too, are 100 percent capable of homeschooling with Montessori.
You don’t have to replicate a Montessori classroom.
You don’t need to spend hours every night planning or trying to follow someone else’s Montessori manual from their classroom days.
You just need a clear plan that’s already been prepared.
The rest of this guide will walk you through exactly how Montessori homeschooling works, what a complete curriculum includes, and how real families successfully teach toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary children at home.
In This Guide
In this guide, we’ll walk through the key pieces of Montessori homeschooling so you can see how everything fits together in real life.
You’ll learn:
• What a Montessori homeschool curriculum actually is
• Who Montessori homeschooling works best for
• The ten subject areas included in a Montessori education
• Whether you need Montessori materials at home
• What a typical Montessori homeschool day looks like
• Why so many families choose Montessori for their children
What is a Montessori Homeschool Curriculum?
Montessori homeschooling is an approach to home education based on Maria Montessori’s philosophy of child-led learning, hands-on materials, and deep concentration.
A Montessori homeschool curriculum provides the structure behind that philosophy: a developmentally aligned progression of lessons, activities, and materials that guides your child step by step from toddler through elementary years.
A complete Montessori homeschool curriculum brings all of these pieces together into a clear developmental path, so parents always know what to teach next while still following their child’s interests.
In other words, Montessori works best when the philosophy is paired with a carefully prepared progression of lessons that supports your child’s development over time.
What this looks like in a classroom is a multi-age prepared environment filled with shelves and materials. The teacher, called a guide, gives children lessons when they are ready for new ones and allows the children to make choices about what materials they’d like to work with that day. This is called “following the child”.
What Montessori looks like for homeschooling families is similar: your goal is to gently guide your child by observing their readiness for learning certain skills and introducing lessons that build naturally from one to the next, on their own unique timeline.
You follow your child and trust them to learn at their own pace rather than micromanaging them.
As your child plays with real-world concrete materials, you introduce them to high level vocabulary words early on and eventually help them transition into more abstract concepts as their imagination and concentration gets stronger.
Montessori families aspire to help their children become independent, curious, and confident.
They happily embrace the sometimes messy life at home, and the curriculum allows them the flexibility to make the educational choices that are right for their children while also offering the support they need to know what to teach first, next, and eventually…when to let their child do the teaching!
If you happen to have more than one child, that’s also wonderful. Here’s how the Montessori method actually supports teaching multiple ages at home without duplicating everything or getting stressed over the planning.
In your home, you’ll likely start with a shelf with a few toys you already own, organized for easy access, but you’ll also be adding special materials (like golden beads for math), giving practical life lessons at the kitchen counter, inspecting wildlife in your backyard, or even conducting physics experiments at the playground.
Your Montessori life at home will be unique depending on your home spaces and your child’s personality, but if you aim to provide your child with a mix of calming, beautiful hands-on experiences punctuated by joyful togetherness, you’ll be doing it right!
For toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary children, a Montessori homeschool curriculum provides:
A clear path through all subject areas so you’re never guessing “what’s next”
Opportunities for interdisciplinary learning — blending subjects so they feel connected instead of isolated
The freedom to go deeper into topics your child loves, while still covering essential foundations
With Child of the Redwoods, you’re not left with a pile of random TPT printables or wondering if you’ve missed something important. You’re given fully scripted lessons, organized by age and ability. You’ll have immediately printable materials that reflect the authentic Montessori method so you can start using them with your child today.
Choosing to homeschool with Montessori doesn’t require a massive budget or a curated Instagram-worthy space. Your family is ready for this reality right now. It can be your new obsession — with a roadmap to guide you.
Who This Is For
This curriculum is designed for real families, not idealized ones. You might recognize yourself in one (or more) of these groups:
“I want to learn real Montessori!” You’ve read a few books or seen Instagram posts, but you want to understand exactly how to implement Montessori at home.
“I sure do have my hands full!” You’re juggling work, home, and homeschool, and you need a plan you can follow without hours of prep.
“I’m homeschooling two or more!” You have kids in different stages, and you need lessons that can be adapted up or down.
“I’m on a budget!” You want high-quality materials and ideas without draining your bank account.
“I’m new to homeschooling!” You’re worried you’ll “do it wrong” or that you’re not qualified to teach.
If you’re brand new and wondering where to begin, read our step-by-step guide to starting Montessori at home.
What Subjects Are Covered in Montessori
One of the biggest challenges of homeschooling is making sure you’re covering “enough” without turning your days into a marathon of disconnected lessons. The beauty of Montessori is that learning is interdisciplinary. That means your child will naturally explore multiple skills and subjects within a single, well-chosen activity. It ensures that you are offering a well-rounded and high quality education.
A complete Montessori homeschool curriculum includes lessons across multiple interconnected subject areas. In the Child of the Redwoods Curriculum, every lesson is drawn from one or more of these 10 core subject areas:
Practical Life
Practical Life lessons help your child develop independence through real, purposeful activities. These include everyday tasks like preparing food, caring for the home, organizing materials, and helping others. Through these experiences, your child builds coordination, concentration, responsibility, and confidence in their ability to participate meaningfully in family life.
Sensorial
Sensorial activities help your child refine their senses by exploring differences in size, shape, color, texture, sound, and smell. By sorting, grading, and comparing materials, children begin to recognize patterns and relationships in the world around them. These experiences prepare the mind for later work in mathematics, language, and scientific observation.
The Arts
The arts provide space for creativity, self-expression, and cultural exploration. Children experiment with drawing, painting, music, movement, and dramatic play as they learn to communicate ideas and emotions in different ways. Artistic work also strengthens focus, fine motor skills, and the ability to observe details in the world around them.
Life Science
Life Science introduces children to the study of living things. Through hands-on lessons about plants, animals, ecosystems, and the human body, children begin to understand how life functions and how all living things are connected. These explorations nurture curiosity about the natural world and encourage children to observe, ask questions, and care for their environment.
Physical Science
Physical Science helps children explore how the physical world works. Through simple experiments and demonstrations, they begin to investigate concepts such as matter, energy, motion, and cause and effect. These early explorations lay the groundwork for deeper scientific reasoning as children grow.
Humankind
Humankind studies help children understand the story of people across time and place. Lessons in history, geography, and culture explore how humans live, work, and cooperate in different parts of the world. Children begin to see how communities function and how their own lives connect to the broader human story.
Reading & Writing
Reading and Writing lessons support the development of language from sounds to written expression. Children begin with phonemic awareness and gradually build skills in phonics, spelling, handwriting, and creative writing. Over time, they learn to read with understanding and use written language to communicate their thoughts and ideas.
Grammar
Grammar lessons help children understand how language works. Using Montessori grammar symbols and hands-on activities, children explore parts of speech, sentence structure, and the patterns that shape written and spoken language. This work strengthens both reading comprehension and writing clarity.
Mathematics
Mathematics lessons introduce number concepts through hands-on materials that make abstract ideas visible and concrete. Children explore counting, place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, and more through carefully sequenced activities. These materials help children build a deep understanding of numbers rather than memorizing procedures.
Geometry
Geometry helps children explore shapes, patterns, and spatial relationships. Through activities that involve tracing, constructing, and analyzing forms, children begin to understand how shapes exist in both mathematics and the physical world. Geometry also supports visual reasoning and connects naturally with art, design, and architecture.
Do You Need Montessori Materials to Homeschool?
One of the most common questions parents ask when exploring Montessori homeschooling is whether they need to purchase expensive classroom materials.
The short answer is no.
Authentic Montessori materials are beautifully designed learning tools, and many families enjoy adding them to their homes over time. But they are not required in order to follow Montessori principles or teach a complete Montessori homeschool curriculum.
Many Montessori lessons can be introduced using simple household items. A pitcher and glass become a pouring activity. A set of measuring cups becomes a lesson in volume and fractions. Leaves from the backyard become a botany study.
Over time, some families choose to add classic Montessori materials like the Pink Tower, Golden Beads, or Moveable Alphabet. Others rely primarily on printable materials and hands-on activities at home.
What matters most is not owning every material, but having a clear progression of lessons that helps you guide your child’s development step by step.
Together, these subject areas form a complete Montessori education that develops independence, academic skills, creativity, and critical thinking over time.
Each of these subjects is woven into a Leveled Montessori scope and sequence which offers you a bird’s eye view of the entire curriculum as your child progresses from skill set to skill set within each subject area.
Your scope and sequence also provides documentation of which lessons you have given your child. Most homeschooling parents stress about how to know whether they are “missing” something important. We are parents, after all - busy and distracted at times and with children who often have strong opinions on what they are interested in learning about.
Using a scope and sequence keeps lessons always in focus. It also helps your child progress through the curriculum steadily over time, even if your days look different from week to week.
This is how we provide families a complete, connected Montessori roadmap that makes sense for your child’s age, abilities, and interests.
What a Montessori Homeschool Day Looks Like
Creating a rhythm and routine that works perfectly for your own family will take a bit of trial and error at first, but once you find the right fit, it’s golden! There is no single “right” way to do Montessori at home if you are following your child, giving the lessons, and respecting their natural instincts to learn and grow. So if you’re worried that you’re already “doing it wrong”, try to give yourself some grace. You’re learning. That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do.
That said, most parents rightfully want to start the year strong, and our curriculum is fully designed to guide your days without boxing you in.
You get both step-by-step Foundational lessons for all of those core subject areas plus fully scripted thematic lesson plans that tell you exactly what to say and do. These resources ensure that you’ll never be left in the dark about your role. But also, friend? You also get the flexibility to adjust for your child’s mood and energy level on any given day.
At the center of our system is the Montessori Planning Card System. Think of it like a menu of lessons from which you can use to organize your week:
Each card contains a short checklist of lessons.
You can sort them by subject area, skill level, or interest.
You choose which cards to present based on your child’s readiness and excitement that day.
Many parents wonder what a typical Montessori homeschool routine actually looks like. While every family develops its own rhythm, most Montessori days include a morning work cycle, hands-on lessons, outdoor exploration, and plenty of time for independent discovery.
Sample Homeschool Routine #1 – Ages 2–4
Early Morning: Slow Start & Independence (about 7:00–8:00)
Your child wakes up and eases into the day with independent play. When you come together, you make breakfast side by side. Your child pours their own milk, helps clean up, and works through getting dressed with support as needed. Nothing is rushed. This is practical life, connection, and confidence building all wrapped together.
Connection & Warm-Up (about 8:00–8:30)
You read aloud from favorite books and the current theme, sing songs, and move your bodies together. This is language, rhythm, and joy — a gentle bridge into the work period.
Work Cycle: Focused Work & Choice (about 8:30–10:00)
Your child settles into a long, uninterrupted work period. This includes:
Free play while you quietly prepare and observe
One or two short presentations, like the Pink Tower or paper snipping
Meaningful practical life work your child chooses, such as watering plants or preparing snack
There’s no need to think of these as separate “lessons.” They’re simply opportunities offered within one sustained block of concentration and independence.
Outdoor Exploration & Follow-Up (about 10:00–11:00)
You head outside for a walk, notice something interesting together, and linger as long as curiosity lasts. Back at home, you casually extend that interest through conversation, art, or counting — not because it’s scheduled, but because the moment invites it. You jot down ideas or print materials for another day while your child plays nearby.
Transition to the Rest of the Day (after 11:00)
The formal morning naturally winds down. Lunch, rest, free play, and afternoon plans unfold without pressure. Learning continues organically, but the “work day” is complete.
Sample Homeschool Routine #2 – Ages 5–7
Early Morning: Independence & Daily Care (about 7:00–8:00)
Your child wakes up independently and plays in their room. When you come together, you make breakfast side by side. Your child serves themselves, cleans up afterward, and gets fully dressed on their own.
Connection & Warm-Up (about 8:00–8:30)
You read aloud from books connected to the monthly theme and other requested books. You sing favorite songs and have a short dance party together.
Work Cycle: Concentration, Lessons, & Choice (about 8:30–10:00)
Your child enters a long, focused work period that includes:
Constructing with Legos while you quietly review Montessori Planning Cards
A Parts of a Sea Star lesson using 4-part cards, including matching, reading, and discussion
Making a Parts of a Sea Star booklet with writing and coloring
Practical life work, such as noticing dry soil and watering specific plants
Preparing and serving snack, followed by shared clean-up and playful language through a rhyming poem
All of this happens within one sustained block of focus, movement, and independence.
Outdoor Exploration (about 10:00–10:30)
You take a neighborhood walk led by your child, who observes, names, and explains plants along the way.
Focused Follow-Up & Planning (about 10:30–11:00)
You return home for a brief Math Minute using an addition word problem and Montessori beads. Your child then reads silently while you research botany lessons inspired by the morning’s interests and prepare materials for the next day.
Transition to the Rest of the Day (after 11:00)
The structured morning closes. Lunch, outdoor play, social time, and errands unfold naturally, with lessons offered later only when your child shows genuine interest.
Sample Homeschool Routine #3 – Ages 8–9
Early Morning: Independence & Contribution (about 7:00–7:30)
Your child wakes up independently and prepares a simple breakfast for themselves. They also boil water for your tea, choosing to do something kind for you. While eating together, you talk through the day’s plans, and your child asks for extra time to work on their superhero comic strip.
Connection & Theme Exploration (about 8:00–8:30)
You settle in for a read-aloud from your current theme, Prehistoric Life. You pause to discuss herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs and how paleontologists determine what different species ate.
Work Cycle, Part 1: Preparation, Math, & Creative Flow (about 8:30–10:15)
Your child sketches a dinosaur in their science notebook while you review Montessori Planning Cards and prepare materials. You then present a Montessori multiplication lesson using the Stamp Game. Your child records their work, challenges themselves with larger numbers, and applies the math to a superhero-themed word problem.
This flows directly into a long, uninterrupted creative work period on their superhero comic strip, including planning, drawing, writing dialogue, researching reference images, and coloring with attention to detail.
Snack & Social Language (about 10:15–10:30)
Your child prepares snack, serves you as well, and you eat together while brainstorming silly superhero sidekicks.
Outdoor Exploration & Scientific Curiosity (about 10:30–11:15)
You head outside for a nature walk. Your child sketches an unusual rock formation in their Nature Journal and wonders whether it could be a fossil. Back at home, you use the Lesson Explorer to find a physical science lesson on fossil formation and gather materials for a sediment layering experiment to do another day.
Work Cycle, Part 2: Completion & Reflection (about 11:15–12:00)
Your child returns to their comic strip to finish panels and design a title page. Together, you review the morning’s work — math, art, and nature study — and decide what to place in their portfolio and what to keep accessible for ongoing projects.
Transition to the Rest of the Day (after 12:00)
The morning work cycle ends. You move into lunch preparation and an afternoon that stays flexible: outdoor play, a library visit, or continuing creative work, all without pressure.
By now you may be starting to imagine what Montessori homeschooling could look like in your own home. Every family develops a rhythm that fits their children, their work schedules, and their energy throughout the day.
If you’d like help discovering what kind of homeschool rhythm might work best for your family, you can take our Homeschool Routine Quiz to see how Montessori learning could fit naturally into your days.
The Child of the Redwoods curriculum makes these routines simple by organizing lessons into planning cards that help you choose what to present each day.
The beauty of Montessori is that once your child is engaged, they can work for long stretches without interruption. The curriculum gives you everything you need to prepare the environment, introduce a lesson, and then step back while your child practices and explores independently.
You don’t need to stress about “covering it all” every day because the lesson plans and planning cards ensure that over the course of weeks and months, your child gets a rich, balanced education without daily pressure or burnout.
Observe
Choose
Present
Follow-Up
Why Parents Love Montessori Homeschooling
Parents have been teaching Montessori lessons at home ever since Maria Montessori first published The Montessori Method in 1912. What draws families to this approach is not just the academic results, but the kind of people children become as they grow.
Montessori children learn to take responsibility for their work, concentrate deeply on meaningful tasks, and approach the world with curiosity and confidence. Over time, families often notice changes that reach far beyond academics.
Children begin to:
• take initiative without being asked
• solve problems independently
• stay focused on challenging work
• treat others and the environment with respect
• develop a genuine love of learning
For many families, these changes are the reason Montessori becomes not just an educational method, but a way of life.
Over the years we’ve worked with thousands of homeschooling families who wanted exactly this kind of Montessori experience at home. Many loved the philosophy but felt overwhelmed trying to piece together lessons, materials, and planning on their own.
That’s why we created the Child of the Redwoods Curriculum.
It brings together Montessori philosophy, a clear developmental progression, and practical tools that help parents know exactly what to teach next while still allowing children to follow their natural interests.
Instead of piecing together random activities or searching endlessly for ideas online, families receive a complete Montessori roadmap that supports learning across all ten subject areas.
When we ask our members what they love most about the Child of the Redwoods Curriculum, the feedback is overwhelmingly emotional. They have a newly emerged confidence that they have never experienced before. Not only do they understand how to embrace the Montessori way of life, they are relaxing into the silly, playful everyday experiences children learn the most from.
They tell us that they are less stressed because they the fully scripted lessons and beautiful printable materials make teaching easier. They’re no longer trolling the internet for ideas or downloading random bundles of unrelated printables wondering how to use them effectively. Everything is clearly explained while leaving room for spontaneous, joyful energy at home.
Here’s how one of our members described their personal transformation:
“My son loves his toy garbage trucks and trash cans. One day, I watched him play with them alone for at least three hours. Before beginning to play, I gave him some glass vase gems. Within play, thanks to knowing about not interrupting, I watched him count, sort, scoop, pour, and fill the gems. These are all part of the scope and sequence for Pre-K and K, and I didn't have to plan a thing. Talking about amazing!?!!!”
- Sadiya
This is exactly what we want for you, too.
Common Questions
Do I need expensive Montessori materials?
No. While authentic Montessori materials are beautiful and effective, they’re not required to get started. Many of our lessons include DIY or budget-friendly alternatives, and our printable materials are included in your membership. You can begin with simple, household items and add classic materials over time if you choose. If you’d like a deeper explanation, you can read about how to do Montessori affordably at home.
How much time will this take each day?
Most families spend 1–3 hours on formal Montessori work, depending on age. The rest of the day is filled with life skills, play, reading, and outdoor exploration, all of which are still “school” in the Montessori sense. Our curriculum adapts to both short and extended work cycles.
Will my child be “behind” if we follow this instead of a traditional curriculum?
No. Our scope and sequence is designed to meet or exceed typical academic expectations, while also nurturing skills like independence, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Montessori children often develop deep conceptual understanding that serves them well if they transition to other learning environments.
Can I start if my child is already 8 or 9?
Absolutely. You can enter the curriculum at any age between 2–9. The lessons are adaptable, and the Planning Card System helps you quickly match work to your child’s current level, not just their age.
What if I’ve never taught before?
That’s the exciting thing about having so many fully scripted lessons at your disposal. They walk you through exactly what to say and do. You don’t need to be certified as a teacher or Montessori guide to homeschool with success.
Experience the Magic Today!
Get Started Today
If there’s one thing we want you to know about Montessori homeschooling, it’s this: you are 100% capable of it. You don’t need any of those trendy things on social media or to invest in all the classic materials.
Anyone can learn how to give these brilliant lessons and help their children grow in a joyful, respectful way.
The key to making it all happen is to have a strong plan in place — one that’s simple to follow, flexible to use, and rooted in love and respect for your child’s natural learning process. You have what it takes, and the Child of the Redwoods Curriculum is here to give you that confidence in your journey.
A Montessori homeschool curriculum should give you clarity, flexibility, and confidence as your child grows, and you can start today.
Teach your first lesson tomorrow. Watch your child bloom with the magic of Montessori!
Choose your plan and enroll today. You’ll have instant access to all themes, lessons, and printable materials.