Teen Bead Box: Individual Glass Beads 10-19 for Decimal System
A box of coloured bead bars one to nine and nine golden ten bars in glass, for use with the teen boards. Glass beads are what this version buys: they are heavier than nylon, they click rather than clatter, and a child laying out ten and three feels the ten as the substantial thing it is. The colour code is the same one the child will meet in every later bead material, so nothing here has to be relearned. Wood, glass beads and wire, for ages 3 to 6.
“The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, 'The children are now working as if I did not exist.'”
The Teen Bead Box embodies Maria Montessori's principle of concrete to abstract learning, where children physically manipulate beautiful glass beads to understand the composition of teen numbers. This material bridges the critical gap between single-digit numbers and the decimal system, allowing the child to see and feel that teen numbers are composed of a complete ten plus units. The sensorial experience of handling the smooth glass beads engages multiple senses, creating neural pathways that support mathematical understanding.
- Understanding teen number composition (10 + units)
- Linear counting skills from 10-19
- Visual discrimination of quantity differences
- Foundation for place value comprehension
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Through repeated exploration, children develop what Montessori called 'materialized abstractions' - concrete experiences that later transform into abstract mathematical thinking. The organized presentation in compartments respects the child's need for order and supports their mathematical mind's natural tendency to classify and categorize.
How to present it
Follow the Montessori method of presentation for optimal child development.
Place the Teen Bead Box on a mat. Have the teen boards (11-19) ready nearby. Ensure the child knows numbers 1-10 and can identify the golden ten bar.
- 1
Open the box and show the child the ten bar, naming it clearly
Handle the beads gently to model careful movement - 2
Select the 11 bead bar, count it touching each bead: 'ten, eleven'
Emphasize the continuation from ten to eleven - 3
Place the 11 bar next to the teen board showing '11'
Allow the child time to make the connection - 4
Continue with 12-19, always counting from ten
Some children benefit from starting at 1 and counting all the way to the teen number - 5
Invite the child to select and count specific teen bead bars
Start with smaller numbers like 11-13 before progressing
Every Child Is a Little Creator
Heritage
Since 1929
Brands used by
schools worldwide
European brands
AMI
Endorsed
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