Flags of the World
Flag work gives a child of about 3.5 who knows the world puzzle map small flags on stands, one continent at a time. The child starts with the home country's flag, then flags of places the family knows, naming each and setting it on its country on the map. It turns colored shapes into countries with names.
Sourced from the texts, not yet presented at home
| Typical age | 3.5 to 6 years |
|---|---|
| Area | Cultural |
| Before this | |
| Materials | |
| Direct aim | To recognize and name the flags of countries, and to place them on the map. |
| Control of error | The country's place on the map and a control chart or picture card of the flags. If a flag stands on the wrong country, the chart shows it. The adult doesn't correct in the moment. |
| Leads to | Later lessons in this line are in preparation. |
| Time | About 10 minutes (our estimate). |
| Grouping | One child at a table, or two together |
| Parent prep | Low. Choose three flags before the child arrives. |
| Cost | Buy about $140 to $325. Make: easy to make at home. |
| Other names | Flag stand, Flags by continent, Flag matching, World flags |
What the work teaches
Direct aim. To recognize and name the flags of countries, and to place them on the map.
Indirect aims, the ones you will not see at once
- Knowing that the continents are made of countries, each with a name
- Connecting the family's own places to the world map
- Visual discrimination of colors and symbols
- Interest in the people and foods of other places
Set it out before you invite the child
Small flags on pins or little stands, kept by continent. The Montessori Room's set has 36 flags with a wooden map and holder; continent flag stands from Alison's and Montessori Outlet hold one continent each.
The world puzzle map, or the continent map that matches the flags.
Three flags to start: your own country's, plus two that look very different from it.
A small mat or the map itself as the working surface.
Flags aren't in Montessori's books of 1912 to 1917, apart from the national flag set in front of the school in a village the children build in the yard. The flag stands are from the later albums.
Presentation, step by step
- 1Carry the map piece or the continent map to the table. Set out three flags beside it.
- 2Pick up your own country's flag. Name it: "This is the flag of the United States."
- 3Find the country on the map and stand the flag on it, or beside it.
- 4Do the same with the other two flags, one at a time.
- 5Give the three periods with the flags: "Show me the flag of Japan." "Which flag is this?"
- 6Take the flags off the map and invite the child to put them back.
- 7On later days, add flags two or three at a time, one continent at a time.
Details that hold the child's attention
The home flag standing on the home country.
Flags that look almost the same, with one small difference.
Symbols on flags: stars, a maple leaf, a sun.
The flag of a country where a relative lives.
How the child sees a mistake
The country's place on the map and a control chart or picture card of the flags. If a flag stands on the wrong country, the chart shows it. The adult doesn't correct in the moment.
The words come after the hands
| Words | Shown with |
|---|---|
| flag | A cloth with colors and symbols that stands for a country. |
| country | A part of a continent with its own name and flag. |
| the names of the countries | Given three at a time. |
| stripe, star, symbol | Words for describing a flag. |
The three-period lesson, scripted
You need three flags that look very different, such as your own country's, Japan's, Brazil's.
| Period | What you do and say |
|---|---|
| 1. Naming | Hold each up: "This is the flag of Japan." "This is the flag of Brazil." |
| 2. Recognition | "Give me the flag of Japan." "Put the flag of Brazil on the map." |
| 3. Recall | Hold one up and ask "Which flag is this?" |
Montessori's method for names: a few strongly contrasting things, only the name spoken, and no correction, just a repeat another day.
Extensions and variations
- All the flags of one continent, placed on the continent puzzle map
- Matching flags to picture cards and label cards
- Coloring blank flag outlines with the right colors
- Finding the flag of a country in a book, on a food label or at an event
- Making a flag for the family or for the child's own room
Variations
- Flag cards instead of flags on stands
- Paper flags on toothpicks pressed into a foam or clay base
Make it or buy it
| Material | Make it | Buy, approx. |
|---|---|---|
| Flag Stands (Flags of the World) | Easy | $140 to $325 |
Prices noted . Approximate US street prices for home-use versions; they vary by maker and change often, so recheck before buying.
Making it at home
Print small flags, glue each to a toothpick with the tip cut off, and stand them in clay. Keep them in sets by continent.
What to check when buying a set
Flag stands are sold one continent at a time and add up quickly. Start with your own continent, or a small world set.
Printables for this age
This work needs only the material, so it has no printable of its own. The shelf plan below places it among the other works for the same age.
- Shelf plan for age 3PDF, 1 page, 250 KBEvery work for this age on one page, in order, with a column to date each presentation.
Every printable for one age, by email
The shelf plan and the lesson printables for your child's age in one email, then three short emails on the first lesson, what to make or buy, and what comes next.
Signs the child is ready, and signs it is done
Ready for the first presentation
- Names the continents on the world puzzle map.
- Recognizes the home country's flag.
- Asks about countries or places.
- Matches colors and patterns easily.
Ready for the next lesson
- Names a whole continent's set of flags.
- Places each flag on its country without help.
- Spots flags in the world and names them.
- Asks about the people and foods of a country.
Fitting it into a home, not a classroom
| If you have | Do this |
|---|---|
| A tight budget | Print small flags, glue them to toothpicks, and stand them in a lump of clay. Start with ten. |
| Family abroad | Start with the flags of countries where relatives live. Each flag has a person attached. |
| Two children | One holds up a flag and names it; the other finds the country on the map. |
| A child who loves the flags but not the map | Let the flags lead. Each one is a reason to find a place. |
When it does not go to plan
| When | Try this |
|---|---|
| Similar flags get mixed up. | Keep look-alikes apart until each is known. Then bring them together and point to the difference. |
| Too many names at once. | Three flags per lesson. Add more only when the first three are sure. |
| The flags fall over. | Use a flag stand or a ball of clay. A flag that won't stand ends up on the floor. |
| The child loses interest in naming. | Switch to a story about one country: a food, an animal, a song. |
Hazards to check before each session
Flag pins have sharp points. Use stands, or toothpicks with the tips cut, for a young child.
Keep small flags and stands out of reach of a toddler.
Where other sequences and standards place it
We have not bought the paid homeschool curricula, so they are not listed here.
| Framework | Where it sits |
|---|---|
| This site's Cultural sequence | Lesson 9 of 12 published, after World Puzzle Map: Continents. Checked in: the scope and sequence |
| Montessori, The Montessori Elementary Material (1917) | Geography in the 1900 lectures: a village built in the yard by the cardinal points, the national flag in front of the school, and a map of the room. Checked in: Part VII, Geography |
| Montessori, The Montessori Method (1912) | The method for names: few strongly contrasting objects, only the name spoken, no correction. Checked in: Chapters XII and XV |
| Indiana Early Learning Standards, preschool | SS 3.2: demonstrate awareness of places and regions. Checked in: www.in.gov |
Flags: questions parents ask
What is the Montessori flag work?
Small flags on stands, kept by continent, that the child names and places on the matching countries of the puzzle map. It usually starts with the child's own country.
What age is the flag work for?
From about 3.5, once the child knows the continents on the world puzzle map, and on this site it runs to 6.
Which flags should I start with?
Your own country's flag, then flags of places the family knows or talks about, then a continent at a time.
Are flags in Montessori's own books?
Only in passing: her 1900 lectures, printed in the 1917 book, have children set the national flag in front of a model school in a village they build. The flag stands are from the later albums.
Sources cited by book and chapter
- Maria Montessori, The Montessori Elementary Material (1917)
Part VII, Geography
In the 1900 lectures the children build a small village in the yard, placing the church on the north, the schoolhouse on the east, and the national flag in front of the school.
As each piece of furniture is removed from a room, its place is marked on a map of the room, which gives the children a conception of the geographical map.
- Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method (1912)
Chapter XV, Intellectual Education
The lessons in nomenclature must consist simply in provoking the association of the name with the object, so no other word besides the name should be spoken.
If the child makes a mistake the teacher must not correct him but must suspend her lesson and take it up again another day.
Chapter XII, Education of the Senses
One should proceed from few stimuli strongly contrasting to many stimuli in gradual differentiation.
Reviewed by
What to offer next
Once the child chooses this work unprompted and finishes it without help, the next lesson to prepare is Parts of a Plant (Botany Puzzles).
- Living and nonliving3.5 to 6 years
- Botany cabinet3.5 to 6 years
- Flags3.5 to 6 years
- Plant parts3.5 to 6 years
- Zoology puzzles3.5 to 6 years