Learning to count to 100 with the wooden Hundred Board Montessori!

This stunning wooden Hundred Board Montessori is an educational, foundational and versatile tool to teach counting numbers 1 to 100. There are 10 vertical and 10 horizontal rows of dimples. Four engraved lines divide the 100-number board into four quadrants, thereby grouping each row into five. This allows children to perceive a group of numbers faster, without counting items individually. The process is also called “subitising”.

By the age of 7 a child should be able to count up to 100 and by the age of 8-9 backwards, from 100 to 0. Our bundle awakens love for numeracy and captures gradual and playful learning options for children, who are between 3 and 9 years old.

Introduction of the Hundred Board Montessori

At the introductory stage, around the age of 3–4, start out with the coloured pompoms. Do not rush into the visual layout of numbers yet. Practise making patterns on the wooden board, along with verbal counting to 20 or slightly higher. Diversify counting and patterning experiences in terms of tactile and sensory perception. As an idea, turn the counting coins upside down and use the plain surface as part of your patterns’ building. Offer small wooden balls, beads, stones, marbles, pom-poms, grains. Mix and switch them regularly. Print your own cards with patterns for mosaic activities on hundred dimples. Why not add additional bowls and kitchen utensils, such as spoons and tongs, for more fun?

This basic set of 100 felt pompoms allows you to sort and count based on colour, visually evaluating the amount. For example, “… 5 red balls + 3 blue balls equals… 8 balls.” These are amazing learning materials to promote early maths skills, sorting skills, and self-regulation!

Next stage: wooden counting coins and 1-100 jigsaw puzzle on the 100 board

Usually between 4 and 5.5 years, children master their skills in counting up to 20. And this is where you introduce the first 20 wooden counting coins on the board. The 100 board visually shows that there are more numbers out there. Thus, naturally and intuitively, the child tends to continue counting… as in “22, 23, 24… and what goes next?”

Later on, once the child is confident with counting to 20 (between 5 and 5.5 years old), counting 1 to 100 is starting to pick up speed. The child learns to sequence numbers correctly from 1 – 100, reinforcing rote counting to a hundred. The child develops understanding how to divide numbers in groups of 10s, 5s, 2s, etc. The Hundred Board Montessori visually trains number patterns and allows practising the first mathematical equations.

The 100 counting coins, the “1-100” jigsaw puzzle and the laminated layout of numbers from 1 to 100 enrich the learning experience and prepare the child for school in a sensible way.

Between 7 and 9 years old, if not homeschooled, schools usually teach counting from 1 to 100 and backwards, however, in their own structured manners. Whereas, the wooden Hundred Board Montessori will serve as a strong alternative tool to practice counting backwards in the 1st and 2nd grade at home. 😊

Counting numbers 1 to 100 with high-quality Montessori materials

The warm and earthy scents of the 100 Board activate children’s senses and connect them to nature. It is handmade by Oyuncak House, produced from solid linden and coated with natural oils in traditional ways. The learning material carries a modern design, while still capturing the spirit of the Montessori pedagogy.

Thanks to its resilient quality and long-lasting service, the wooden hundred board is a part of sustainable education. It works really well in homeschooling and kindergartens. Moreover, NeuroToys ranks such boards as heirloom materials that one passes from siblings to siblings. They, in turn, pass it down one day to their own children, filling them up with an emotional magnitude of feelings about their own childhood.

Age: 3-8 years
The set includes: 1 wooden board, 100 organic felt balls (with 10 of each colour), 100 counting coins and 1 puzzle game “1-100” made of wood, 1 laminated sheet with a layout from 1 to 100, 1 cotton storage bag
Language: English, German
Size of the 100 number board: 24 x 24 cm

Additional information to the product

Side note. Solid wood is unique. Thus, every produced piece may quite often vary in colour, natural, structural and discolouration patterns than shown in images of our online store. Sometimes, due to certain textural knots, the result of wood finishing may show cosmetic flaws. Yet, they do not at all downgrade the functionality of the educational toy.

Care instructions. Wooden toys of this calibre might leave oily stains due to their recent production. Hence, keep the wooden item away from valuable items. Preserve it in an eco-friendly carton box, wrap it in clean paper or in a cotton storage bag. Never soak a wooden toy in water. In case it gets dirty, just spray/apply a tiny amount of gentle organic cleaner, wipe it with a sponge or washcloth with a bit of warm water. Ensure to air-dry the toy before storing it or playing with it again. Every once in a while, please replenish the moisture in the wood with boiled organic linseed oil.