Young children find it easiest to grasp new knowledge when it’s “tangible,” “visible,” and, as N. Zaitsev likes to say, “ear-audible.” If you make this simple learning tool, it’ll be much easier to explain number composition to your little one. Plus, this kind of math lesson strengthens the small muscles in your child’s hand.
So, take several sheets of sturdy cardboard, a set of clothespins, and a marker. On each cardboard card, write a number from 0 to 10.
First, demonstrate: zero is no clothespins at all. One is one clothespin, two is two clothespins, three is three clothespins, and so on.
Once they’ve got that down, you can move on to studying number composition.
Three (3) can be shown this way. Or it can be represented as 1 and 2, as 2 and 1, or as 1, 1, and 1.
Understanding the Number 4
Looking at your photo, I can see a brilliant example! The number 4 card has clothespins attached showing different ways to compose the number 4.
How can we make the number 4?
4 = 2 + 2 (two red clothespins on one side, two blue on the other)
4 = 3 + 1 (three clothespins on one side, one on the other)
4 = 1 + 3 (one clothespin on one side, three on the other)
4 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 (four separate clothespins)
4 = 2 + 1 + 1 (and many other combinations!)
The beauty of using different colored clothespins (like the red and blue ones in your photo) is that children can visually distinguish between the different parts that make up the whole number. They’re not just learning abstract math—they’re physically building numbers with their hands, seeing the patterns, and feeling the weight of each composition.
This hands-on approach makes math concrete rather than abstract, which is exactly what preschoolers need. They can experiment, try different combinations, and discover mathematical relationships through play. And the pinching motion required to attach clothespins? That’s excellent fine motor practice that will help with everything from writing to buttoning clothes.
Try this activity with your child, and watch as those little fingers work and that mathematical mind grows!
Once upon a time, I worked at a Montessori kindergarten in southeast Melbourne for over 6 months. I finally found time to put my impressions down on paper. I had read many books by Maria Montessori herself, monographs about the method, as well as textbooks during my studies at Monash University. I’d also encountered Montessori as a parent. When my son was a year and a half old, some friends and I enrolled in a “parent and toddler” group in Moscow. Misha loved it, but “parent and toddler” is more of an entertainment really—you can’t fully understand the system that way. A child needs complete immersion, ideally attending a Montessori kindergarten for half a day to a full day, at least three days a week.
So, my first impressions. To make this review more interesting, I decided to add sections: “How It Should Be” (that is, what a Montessori classroom should ideally be like—the principles, ideas, and my expectations) and “How It Actually Is” (what I saw in our Montessori kindergarten)! Out of respect for the children’s and their parents’ privacy, I’ll only publish photos of children at work if their faces aren’t visible.
SPACE
How It Should Be
Order is the fundamental principle of Maria Montessori’s approach. Therefore, the space should be clean, bright, and beautiful. Furniture and equipment should be child-friendly, chairs light enough for children to move, shelves accessible and convenient.
How It Actually Was
The Montessori kindergarten where I worked fully complied with Montessori “laws” and principles. It was a beautiful mansion, a real palace for children. Very bright, with natural sunlight rather than artificial light, thanks largely to enormous windows and glass doors. Wooden shelves, chairs, and tables created an atmosphere of naturalness. Add to this the magnificent pines and eucalyptus trees outside and a handcrafted playground covered with special wood chips.
EQUIPMENT
How It Should Be
A prepared environment filled with Montessori-created materials, arranged by zones: sensory, practical life, mathematics, language, geography and world, biology, art.
In such a prepared environment, children learn independently; the teacher’s role is to create the appropriate learning environment. When working with materials, the child returns them to their place on the shelf. Each child has their own workspace—a mat for floor work or a table.
How It Actually Was
All the materials were absolutely new, high-quality, and pleasant to study and work with. However, children didn’t always put them back in place—they often scattered materials and lost “parts.” We teachers had to intervene in the process and “give presentations.” It was very heartening that children threw napkins in the trash, cleaned up sand after themselves, swept the room, dusted, poured water into pitchers, and watered plants.
You could say that the environment was indeed incredibly effective for developing independence. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JcmVuQUOzBM?feature=share
THE CHILD
How It Should Be
Montessori believed children have an innate inclination toward learning, thanks to their absorbent minds.
Additionally, there are certain sensitive periods in a child’s life when they are most receptive to absorbing particular information or mastering certain skills.
Montessori education is child-centred, not curriculum-centred. In a Montessori classroom, each child develops at their own pace.
How It Actually Was
Although some special group lessons for everyone existed, children were generally free to choose what to do.
While three-year-old Evie poured water from one small pitcher to another, four-year-old Alex wrote in his notebook in capital letters “I love my mum,” and Harper worked on addition.
Most of the time, children were busy with activities, but I noticed that Montessori’s philosophy often needed Vygotsky’s added to it, with his zone of proximal development. Suggesting a child do something together (because it’s social and communicative), offering new materials or a new approach, or providing help.
What I Didn’t Like
I didn’t like that sometimes we had to raise our voices at the children. They wouldn’t listen. The impression from Montessori’s books is that directresses (as Maria called teachers) are role models for children and, consequently, speak quietly and calmly.
We often had to “bark” at the children to stop bad behaviour.
What I Really Liked
Personally, as a fan of Vygotsky and the sociocultural approach, I wasn’t thrilled that Montessori lessons are supposed to happen in complete silence. Children love to talk, and through communication with adults, they acquire language. Moreover, following Vygotsky, I believe that language and consciousness are closely connected.
Montessori undoubtedly develops self-regulation and self-control. Children learn to move carefully around the room, to listen for the bell as a signal that the teacher has a special message. They learn to take things and return them to their places. And neatness too. Of course, we can’t overlook that Maria Montessori developed amazing mathematics materials. These materials—the “red rods,” “spindles,” “geometric cabinet,” “golden material”—make it possible to give preschool-age children fundamental knowledge of mathematics
Yesterday, my 3-year-old neighbour visited us. He was allured by the green garden we have and a lot of interesting things it has to offer – pinecones, shells and many other wonderful nature loose parts. A kindergarten teacher at heart, I quickly set up water play with food dyes and eye droppers, and he played with so much engagement.
If you have ever watched a toddler sit in a mud patch, swirl water in a bowl, or run bark chips through their fingers, you can see how deeply they learn through their senses. Sensory play is not just “messy play”. It is how toddlers make sense of the world long before they have the words to explain what they know.
For toddlers, learning starts with looking closely, touching, smelling, listening, and moving. This is exactly what nature invites. When a toddler crouches down to watch ants or scoops wet sand, they are already engaged in early inquiry. They are comparing textures, testing ideas, and noticing patterns. Inquiry does not need a worksheet. It starts with curiosity.
Research in this unit reminds us that toddlers learn best through active, embodied experiences. In Outdoor Learning Environments, Little writes that young children need rich sensory experiences outdoors to build confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills, and that risk-taking is part of healthy development when it is supported thoughtfully (Little, 2017, pp. 19–38). This helps us see sensory play not as an “extra”, but as a core curriculum.
When toddlers stir water with sticks or explore mud, they are also practising fine and gross motor skills, regulating their bodies, and building attention. Even very young toddlers show early inquiry behaviours. A child (let’s call him Hudson), 14 months watches ants with deep focus. This moment of sensory attention becomes an opportunity for an educator to respond to what matters to him, which aligns with the principles of inquiry-based learning. The parent or the educator listens, questions, and guides rather than directs.
Nature pedagogies tell us that young children build knowledge through relationships with place, materials, and more-than-human life. This connects strongly to sensory play. Natural materials such as stones, seedpods, leaves and water are open-ended. They have what Malaguzzi called “affordances”, meaning they invite different actions depending on the child’s interest and intention. The Mudbook: Nature Play Framework also points out that sensory-rich outdoor experiences help children develop ecological connection and care (Childhoodnature, n.d.) . When toddlers feel the coolness of water or the roughness of bark, they are forming these early ecological relationships.
In Australia, regulatory requirements also highlight the need to balance safety with challenge. Jeavons, Jameson and Elliott explain that outdoor spaces should offer both safety and opportunities for meaningful exploration, including natural materials that encourage sensory engagement (Jeavons et al., 2017, pp.120–143). This means sensory play must be planned, supervised, and supported, not avoided. Safe spaces do not need to be sterile.
Sensory play also supports early communication. When toddlers point, gesture, name textures, or make sounds, they are expressing what they notice. These small interactions strengthen relationships with educators and peers.
Overall, sensory play is a natural entry point into inquiry because toddlers are already doing the work. Our role is to slow down, follow their lead, offer rich materials, keep environments safe but stimulating, and notice the learning taking place. When we do that, sensory play becomes the foundation for curiosity, connection, and early science thinking.
What are your favourite sensory play set-ups in your rooms or centres?
I went into the Toddler Room during the rain, and it was clear the children had so much bottled-up energy. There was screaming, there were behaviour issues, and you could see the educator was trying to run an activity. She even pulled out some sort of balancing cushion for them to walk on. But it was obvious that many of the children just wanted to jump and run. One girl kept running to the little music radio and trying to turn it on so she could dance.
And I had a very reasonable question in my head. Why on earth do they keep children inside every time there is summer rain? It wasn’t even cold outside. It wasn’t hot or cold, it was just rain. Put the children in proper clothing for the weather. It’s called a raincoat. Put on the gumboots and go outside for a walk, for goodness’ sake. Why is this not allowed?
When I was little, we were outside all the time. If you don’t want to dress the children properly, fine, then set up an indoor hall. When I was growing up, we had a Swedish wall, we had rings, we had hoops, we could climb on it, and no one ever fell. People even had Swedish walls in their flats, and many still do. Because yes, sometimes it’s very cold, icy or stormy outside. But that doesn’t mean children shouldn’t move. Everyone understood this, especially in Scandinavian countries. Children need to move, either outside or indoors.
And this is what really annoys me about Australian childcare centres. The owners and managers often think of band-aid solutions or choose risk-averse ways of running their program. I think many educators have barriers that are anchored in their beliefs, stopping them from enjoying outdoor play in any weather. The irony is that ACECQA does not promote indoor play only on rainy days… Look at the resource they recommend – raincoats, gum books, umbrellas, watering cans; chalk; objects to float.
Yet, whenever I wanted to stay out in the rain with the children, the manager would come and ask me to go inside…
Be honest. What happens in your room when it rains?
Options:
We go outside. Puddles are life
Indoors, but we set up climbing and movement play
Mostly indoors because we’re not set up for wet weather
As an early childhood educator, I’ve experienced the full spectrum of emotions that come with this rewarding yet challenging profession. From the overwhelming feelings of the survival stage to the deep sense of fulfilment in the maturity stage, I’ve walked the path that Lilian Katz, one of the most significant scholars in early childhood education, has so eloquently mapped out.
Katz’s theory of teacher development outlines four distinct stages that every educator goes through: survival, consolidation, renewal, and maturity. In this comprehensive blog post, we’ll dive deep into each stage, exploring the unique challenges and opportunities they present. By understanding this framework, you’ll gain invaluable insights to navigate your own professional journey and elevate your teaching practice to new heights.
Stage 1: Survival
The survival stage is where many of us begin our teaching careers. It’s a time of intense learning, self-doubt, and a constant struggle to keep our heads above water. As Katz describes, during this period, teachers are primarily concerned with their own survival – how to manage the day-to-day demands of the classroom, control the children, and keep up with the curriculum expectations.
I vividly remember my own experience in the survival stage. I was standing in the staff room, tears streaming down my face, feeling utterly overwhelmed and unable to control the group. That child with behavioural issues was pushing me to my limits, and I couldn’t seem to find the right strategies to reach them. Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone.
According to Katz, first-year teachers often struggle with managing behaviour, keeping children focused, and feeling confident in their teaching strategies. They may not fully understand the intricacies of early childhood development or the nuances of effective curriculum delivery. The constant self-doubt and questions like “How do I keep my students engaged?” or “Why do we have so many incidents?” are all too common during this stage.
But fear not, the survival stage is a necessary step in your professional growth. It’s where you lay the foundation for your teaching practice, learning the basics of classroom management and curriculum implementation. With time, patience, and the right support, you’ll gradually transition to the next stage of your development.
Stage 2: Consolidation
Once the initial hurdles of the survival stage have been overcome, teachers enter the consolidation stage. This is where the metaphorical “putting it all together” happens. The focus shifts from your own survival to the needs of the children in your care.
During the consolidation stage, you’ll start to feel more confident in your abilities. The systems and routines you’ve put in place will become second nature, allowing you to focus on providing differentiated instruction and addressing the unique needs of your students. This could include tailoring support for children with anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing challenges, or other special requirements.
For me, this stage of consolidation came during my second year of teaching. I no longer worried about keeping my class under control; I had established effective systems and routines that allowed me to truly focus on the children’s learning and development. It was a liberating and rewarding experience, and I’m sure many of you can relate to that sense of accomplishment.
Stage 3: Renewal
After years of consolidating your teaching practices, you may find yourself entering the renewal stage. This is a time when teachers begin to feel a sense of stagnation and seek out new challenges, fresh ideas, and innovative methods to reinvigorate their practice.
Katz explains that during this stage, educators often focus on their own growth and development. They may attend more professional development courses, workshops, and seminars, or even consider pursuing a master’s degree to deepen their knowledge and skills.
This was the case for me. After several years of teaching, I felt the need for a new challenge. I decided to enroll in a master’s program, where I had the opportunity to collaborate with other educators who were also going through the renewal stage. Together, we explored new educational approaches, such as project-based learning, inquiry-based instruction, and the importance of play in early childhood education.
The renewal stage is a crucial time for teachers to step back, reflect on their practice, and seek out opportunities for growth. It’s a chance to reignite your passion for teaching and discover new ways to engage your students and contribute to the field of early childhood education.
Stage 4: Maturity
The final stage of Katz’s teacher development model is the maturity stage. This is where teachers view their professional activities as a lifelong contribution to the field of education. They reflect on their practices, share their knowledge and experiences, and often take on the role of mentors to younger or less experienced educators.
For me, this stage of maturity has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve had the privilege of working as an early childhood trainer, university teacher, and qualified early childhood teacher. I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge and experiences with pre-service and in-service educators, helping them navigate the challenges and joys of this profession.
In the maturity stage, teachers may participate in advocacy work, contribute to the development of policies and philosophies, or even write books and create educational resources. It’s a time of deep reflection, a desire to leave a lasting legacy, and a commitment to guiding the next generation of educators.
Your Unique Professional Journey
As you reflect on Katz’s model of teacher development, consider where you currently find yourself on this journey. Are you in the survival stage, struggling to keep your head above water? Or have you reached the consolidation stage, where you’re starting to feel more confident and focused on the needs of your students?
Perhaps you’re in the renewal stage, seeking out new challenges and opportunities for growth. Or maybe you’ve reached the maturity stage, where you’re ready to share your wisdom and expertise with others.
Regardless of where you are, it’s important to remember that these stages are not strictly linear. You may find yourself moving back and forth between them, depending on your experiences and the unique challenges you face. The key is to approach each stage with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to continuously improving your practice.
Resources to Support Your Professional Development
As you navigate your teaching career, there are a wealth of resources available to support your growth and development. Here are a few that I’ve found particularly helpful:
In addition to these resources, I encourage you to connect with me on social media, where I share a wealth of ideas, examples of good practice, reflections, and more. You can find me on:
Remember, your teaching journey is unique, and the stages outlined by Lilian Katz are simply a framework to help you understand and navigate the ebbs and flows of your professional development. By embracing each stage and seeking out the resources and support you need, you can unlock your full potential as an educator and make a lasting impact on the lives of the children you serve.
