Most licensed daycares in Ontario run some version of a play-based, emergent, or HDLH-aligned program. That’s the dominant pedagogy in the sector, and for good reason — it matches the provincial framework and respects children as capable co-constructors of their own learning.
But many directors we work with have started adding Montessori materials into their rooms. Sometimes because a parent asked. Sometimes because a new RECE brought training. Sometimes because they visited another centre, saw a Pink Tower being used beautifully, and wondered if they could get the same depth of engagement from their own three-year-olds.
The question we hear next is always the same: can we actually mix these? Or do we have to commit to one philosophy?
The short answer: yes, you can mix them, but only if you understand what each approach is actually doing and what you’d be sacrificing by fusing them carelessly. This guide walks you through how.
Why the two approaches can coexist
Play-based and Montessori pedagogies disagree on surface-level things (how materials are presented, how rooms are set up, how much child choice is structured) but they agree on deeper things: that children learn through self-directed interaction with purposeful materials; that adults scaffold rather than instruct; that the environment is the “third teacher”; that concentration is precious and shouldn’t be interrupted casually.
The places they diverge are:
- Materials: Montessori materials are designed as a tightly sequenced system with built-in control of error. Play-based environments prefer open-ended “loose parts” that support multiple uses.
- Presentation: Montessori materials are introduced individually by a trained adult (“the presentation”) before independent use. Play-based materials are usually available for immediate exploration.
- Isolation of concept: Classical Montessori isolates one variable at a time (the Pink Tower varies only in size). Play-based typically embraces multiple variables at once.
- Room design: Montessori rooms are organized by curriculum area in a specific sequence. Play-based rooms are organized by interest centre.
Understanding these differences is the key to mixing them without creating chaos. You’re not combining two complete systems; you’re selecting individual elements and integrating them with intention.
Three levels of integration
In our experience, operators successfully integrate Montessori materials at one of three levels. Pick the one that fits your staff training and your children’s needs.
Level 1: Specific materials as provocations
The easiest integration. You select individual Montessori materials and offer them alongside your existing materials as “provocations” in a Reggio-influenced sense. The material sits out; children are free to engage or not.
Best materials for Level 1:
- Sound cylinders — pair them by matching sound, or use them in sensory play
- Colour tablets (Box 2) — excellent for grading and matching activities
- Geometric solids — tactile exploration of shape concepts
- Sandpaper letters and numerals — sensorimotor pathway for literacy
- Wooden number rods — visual and tactile counting
- Practical life trays — pouring, spooning, buttoning, tweezing
This approach requires no formal Montessori training. Any attentive RECE can present a material, model its use once, and let children explore. The risk is that children will “misuse” the materials in ways a Montessori purist would flag. That’s fine — you’re not running a Montessori program, you’re borrowing tools.
Level 2: A Montessori-aligned zone within the room
A step up. You dedicate one defined area of the room — usually practical life and sensorial materials — and maintain it with Montessori discipline. Materials are on low, open shelves, always returned to their place, always complete. An educator has introduced each material formally to each child.
What this requires:
- Staff training — at minimum, one educator with introductory Montessori training, ideally one per room
- Staff agreement on “use lessons” — everyone presents materials the same way
- Clear return-to-shelf expectations
- Regular replenishment (if a tray is missing pieces, it gets removed)
The other half of the room continues to run as your emergent/play-based program. Children move between zones freely. In our partner centres, this is the most common and successful integration model.
Level 3: Full hybrid with sequenced materials
The most committed option. You’re running a legitimate Montessori shelf progression (sensorial, practical life, language, math) alongside play-based interest areas, with educators trained to present materials in proper sequence and track each child’s progression.
This is closer to running two programs in parallel, and it requires real investment — typically at least one AMI or AMS trained educator per room, a serious materials budget ($8,000–$15,000 per classroom for a complete sensorial and early math shelf), and sustained professional development.
Most centres shouldn’t attempt Level 3 without committing to it strategically. If you’re going to, treat it as a programmatic change and plan 6–12 months of transition.
Common pitfalls
Treating materials as decor
Montessori materials are beautiful, which tempts directors to display them without using them properly. A Pink Tower sitting on a shelf that children can’t touch is not Montessori — it’s just an expensive decoration. If a material is on your shelf, it should be in regular use or it should be removed.
Mixing inside the material
Classical Montessori materials are designed to isolate one concept. When you add Montessori-adjacent materials that look similar but don’t isolate the concept (novelty “sensorial” toys from general education suppliers), children conflate the two. Keep authentic materials separate from themed novelty items.
Ignoring the role of the adult
Montessori depends on careful observation by a trained adult who knows when to present the next material in a sequence. If your educators aren’t making that observation — because they’re covering ratios, or because they weren’t trained in how — the material system doesn’t deliver its full value. You’ll still get sensory exploration, which is good, but not the full developmental payoff.
Pressuring children to use materials “correctly”
A three-year-old who stacks the Pink Tower into a bridge instead of a tower hasn’t failed. Correct them once (gently) and let them go. The material’s purpose is developmental engagement, not the production of a textbook tower.
Where to start this month
If you’re new to this: pick three practical life trays and three sensorial materials. Introduce them to one room for one month. Observe engagement. See what your children gravitate to. Extend from there.
Don’t buy a complete shelf progression before you know how your children use the first six materials. The most common expensive mistake in this integration is buying a full curriculum before testing whether your staff can run it.
The bigger picture
Play-based and Montessori approaches have been in productive tension for a century. They’re both right. Children need both open-ended exploration and carefully sequenced skill-building; they need both time with novel materials and returns to familiar ones; they need both the adult as co-explorer and the adult as knowledgeable guide.
The best mixed programs we’ve seen don’t pretend to be purely one thing or the other. They tell parents, plainly: “We’re a play-based, emergent program that incorporates Montessori materials in practical life and sensorial work. Here’s why.” And then they do it well.
Our Curriculum Development & Staff Training service helps partner centres design pedagogically coherent programs — including Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio, and play-based hybrids. Our Toy & Material Rental library offers curated kits for every approach. Get in touch to discuss your rooms.
