What is the purpose of work mats?

Working

with

mats

is

one

of

the

first

things

children

are

introduced

to

when

they

first

enter

Montessori

school.

Learning

how

to

use

mats

is

an

introduction

to

following

steps, as well as an early control of movement activity.

Montessori

work

mats

define

a

child’s

workspace.

This

means

that

the

work

mats

“section

off”

the

area

in

which a child’s activity will take place.

The

mats

are

an

integral

part

of

Montessori

activities.

When

a

child

carries

their

mat

to

the

floor

and

lays

it

out,

it

signifies

the

beginning

of

the

activity.

When

the

child

rolls

the

mat

back

up

and

returns

it

to

the

basket

or

rack,

the

activity

has

officially ended.

The

mats

also

serve

as

a

preparation

for

reading

and

writing.

Children

are

shown

to

place

the

materials

on

the

mats

from

left

to

right

and

top

to

bottom,

the

same way they will read and write in the future.

Work

mats

also

teach

children

to

respect

each

other’s

space

and

each

other’s

work.

Children

learn

to

walk

softly

around

the

work

areas

of

their

classmates.

Likewise,

they

feel

respected

when

their

own

work

area

is not trampled on.

There

are

times

when

children

cannot

complete

their

work

in

one

sitting.

Having

their

work

on

a

mat

lets

them

keep

their

place

in

the

activity

while

alerting

their

classmates

to

be

careful

not

to disturb the material.