Large Number Rods

What are the Montessori Large Number Rods?

The Montessori Large Number Rods are ten rods, which differ in length. These rods are divided into blue and red sections. The shortest rod is 10 cm and is only red in colour, the measurement of each rod increases by 10 cm. The longest rod is 1m and each section of the rods represents the number of the rod.

This is a very important activity and is one of the very first activities done with our children. Children are required to do the Red Rods before the Number Rods.

The directress shows the child how to carry each rod individually to the floor mat, holding it down close to her body. Once all of the rods have been placed randomly on the floor mat, the directress asks the child if he remembers previous work done with the Red Rods. She tells the child that they will be building a stair with the Number Rods just like the Red Rods from shortest to longest. She usually starts to build the stair and the child finishes it.

Once the Number Rods have been built correctly, the directress does a three-period lesson with the child. She uses one number that the child knows, for example, one and two numbers he doesn’t know, for example, three and five.

Three-period lesson with the Large Number Rods

First period: the directress introduces each Number Rod individually, she counts the sections of each rod and says the number, and then asks the child to repeat the number. She isolates each rod by placing it to one side.

Second period: the directress spends a lot of time in this period. She asks the child to count each section of each rod individually and name it. She may muddle them up and ask him again.

Third period: in this period the directress places each rod in front of the child one at a time, asking him to name each one. She isolates each rod by placing it to one side.

The directress consolidates the lesson by placing the three Number Rods in front of the child, asking him to tell her the names of the numbers once again.

Looking for more Montessori activities?

Here is a list of all the Montessori Maths activities including Early Maths, Introduction to the Decimal System, Seguin Boards, The Hundred Board, The Short Bead Stair, Bead Chains, The Snake Game, Group Operations, The Large Number Rods, Recording with the Small Number Rods, The Short Bead Stair, The Strip Boards, The Boards, The Stamp Game, The Abacus, The Dot Game, and Fractions. Just click on the page you want to learn about to go there.