Why we include worksheets in our printables
The word worksheet is pretty controversial, especially in the Montessori community. It’s gotten a bad rap, and honestly, I completely understand why. So much of mainstream education is delivered through books and workbooks. So often, educational concepts get broken down into worksheets that a child is expected to fill out, hand in, get graded, and then move on. It’s a long list of tasks: finish the page, tick the box, next subject.
That structure? It’s quite fundamentally opposite to how the Montessori approach views children and their work. Montessori doesn’t see education as a linear set of goals, like a checklist to get through, and it certainly doesn’t frame the child’s work as something to perform for others. In this context, worksheets definitely don’t seem to have a place in the Montessori classroom or work environment.
Why are worksheets so controversial?
Here’s what I’ve learned (and seen myself):
They shift the focus from the child’s internal motivation and discovery to adult-driven completion and correction.
Worksheets often rely on abstraction before the child has really had time to build up the concrete experience, especially in the early years.
They can reduce creativity, curiosity, and independent exploration - traits we deeply value in Montessori.
They may reinforce the idea that education is just a series of tasks to finish, rather than a meaningful journey we live alongside our children.
But when I was homeschooling, I often found there was a gap I wanted to fill. Sometimes I wanted to extend an activity into pencil control or handwriting, so I saw an opportunity for a worksheet - maybe a page where my child could practice writing in the context of a material we were already exploring. Other times, I noticed that even in Montessori classrooms, there are booklets that come with math materials, where children record their findings. As a homeschooler, I’d spend ages printing and binding little booklets, and to be honest, I often wished I could just print a sheet and let my child get on with recording their work - especially on busy days or when juggling a lot on my own.
Sometimes, when we were travelling, I just couldn’t bring all the materials with me. Having a worksheet version that could fit in a folder in my backpack was actually really helpful and made it possible to keep learning on the go. And, other times, there are just some lovely activities that complement traditional Montessori materials, but don’t necessarily need to be printed as cards - sometimes a simple sheet works.
So here is where I land: I truly feel there’s room for worksheets in a Montessori environment, but with one huge caveat -they should always be an extension to the main Montessori material, never a replacement for it, and never used to assess the child in an exam -style way.
When used thoughtfully, as an invitation rather than a requirement, a worksheet can add richness and flexibility to a homeschooling journey. If I offer a worksheet, it’s only after my child has explored the real materials first. It’s always optional - sometimes it’s just a way to practice handwriting or record a discovery, sometimes it’s simply a portable option for days out. But I never use worksheets as a main method of teaching, or as a checklist to mark concepts as “done.”
Montessori is about following the child, honouring their curiosity, and seeing education as a journey - not a to-do list. Worksheets can have a place, but only if they serve that bigger picture.