Montessori Record Keeping

We have just finished up our fall conferences at my school. One important tool that we always use, revisit, and expand,as we write up our conference notes, is the master record that we keep for each child.

Record Keeping - Montessori Works

This year my co-teacher and I revisited the form we had been using, which was an inherited form that neither of us had developed, and while it was great, it wasn’t working for us. We wanted to make something that was meaningful for us, and that didn’t seem overwhelming to update, the previous record was 8 pages.

I longed for the entire record to fit on the front and back of sheet, no such luck. It was more important for us to have all the lessons listed than have it fit on one page. So now we have extra space to write in new lessons and the back is blank for any important notes.

The record list almost every lesson from the time the child walks in her first year, to the most advanced math and language works we present. After each material is listed, there are three boxes, one that corresponds to each year in the primary class. We use the triangle method that many other Montessori teachers use, / means we have present it, Λ means the child has practiced and is working with the material, and Δ means the lesson has been mastered. In the language area the sounds are listed and we will circle them as the child has learned them, same with the listing of all the squared and cubed chains.  Other materials like flags are listed. Can a child really master flags? No, but do I want a record that they have worked with and enjoyed coloring the flags and matching the flags to the countries, yes.

Record Keeping (PDF)

We have printed our records up on light yellow cardstock. Each child has a labeled page divider with a pocket, like these, where we keep the record and any other important information and assessments. We do not give or share these forms with parents. We write up a narrative form that focuses first on Social/Emotional, second Physical, and third on Cognitive, which we share with the parents twice a year.

While I know that using someone else’s record keeping system is not always the easiest or the most intuitive, that’s the main reason we revamped ours, I always love collecting all the record keeping and lesson planning forms I could find. Hopefully it will work for you as is, but if not, add it to your collection of ideas.

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71 Comments

  1. Timely. I am about to be blindsided by conferences.
    I have yet to find a form of written record keeping that actually *works* for me – I’ve never been happy with any of the systems I’ve tried. In part, I think because toddler work is so much more exploratory. I should be collecting examples in hopes of one day coming up with something I can really use.

    1. I finally jumped into the tech world and we showed pictures at our conferences. I still have all of Imogen’s videos from her toddler days!

        1. Hello, this record keeping form looks amazing. Can you email me a word document of it as well? Would appreciate that!
          oyigee@yahoo.com

    2. Thanks for sharing! This is really helpful. Can you please send it in word format?

  2. Thanks so much for generously sharing this, Aimee! It’s very helpful for home or classroom. I was happy to feature it as the Free Printable of the Day at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page and on Pinterest. 🙂

  3. Thank you so much, this is so much easier than mine. I would love to have this in a word format. Again, thanks for all the hard work. gojo6644@gmail.com

  4. I would love to have it in my room, the one I have is so long like 10 pages, it is notvas detsiled as yours for what I see.

  5. Hello and thanks so much for sharing all the ideas. Could you please send me in word format pls so I can edit and use for my group. Thanks

      1. Thanks…It will greatly decrease the amount of paper I am using for my conferences. Thanks for sharing. I guess Word is the request for me as well…(just 6 months later)

  6. Thank you for sharing this record!!! I work in a montessori kindergarden in Germany and we are hardly working on a record, but couldn’t find a really good solution that works in daily life. Maybe we can translate it into German and complete it. Could you please send it to me in word? Thank you very much.
    Your blog is so helpful and I like it so much.
    Please excuse my english, I’m not using it every day.

  7. Hi Aimee, I would love for you to email me a copy of you form. I’m always looking for ways to improve. Hope you have a wonderful school year

  8. I would love if you could email me a copy of this Record Keeping. I have yet to find one that works really well for me and I am hoping this is it! Thank you! rach_byard@yahoo.com

  9. I’m a stay at home mom and new to Montessori and want to start incorporating especially the practical life, sensorial and art concepts into our daily routine (my son just turned 2). My question is this, are the lessons on the record chart listed in order of how they should be taught? For example, should I start by introducing walking on a line before introducing spooning? Since this (awesome!) record covers several years of work, I’m just little lost on which concepts to introduce first. Thanks!

  10. Hi Aimee, I’m a grandmother, having taught in traditional education for 40 years and only now studying to be a Montessori teacher. I love your work and hope you might share the word doc of this record keeping with me too? Thank you for your great work. I only wish I had discovered it all many years ago! jennifer.pickard5@gmail.com

  11. Love it! Thank you for your generous sharing, Aimee, Can you please send it to me in word at phng320@yahoo.com. I would like to make it fit for my class. Thank you.

  12. What a great list! Just started working at a Montessori as a toddler teacher and about to have conferences in May. Feeling overwhelmed as how to record keep with toddlers as they are more about exploring. If you would be so kind to send me the list as a word doc i would like to figure out how to use it for 2 year olds. Thank you!!!
    Mlwhiteuf@gmail.com

  13. wow, great list..I am wondering if you can help with curriculum mapping and pacing guide for preschool age 3-6? Thank You in advance:)

  14. Would you kindly email me a copy of this list?

  15. I’ve worked at several schools and used many different trackers. This one is the best I’ve seen! Could you send me the excel file too?

  16. This is AMAZING! Record keeping is one of the things I struggle with the most. Would you mind sending it to me in word form so I can make a few minor edits.

    ntalebian@mmsny.org

  17. I would love a copy in Word format. It looks so helpful for home use!

  18. Hello

    This is wonderful. i would love to have a copy in word format please. Thank you and much appreciated

  19. Love your record-keeping layout. I also would like to have a word copy please.

    Thank you again!

  20. Hello From Thailand, Thank you for sharing!! I would like to use this in my classroom. Could I get a copy of the word format please? zedd.2mee@gmail.com

  21. Hello and thanks so much for sharing all the ideas. Could you please send me in word format so I can edit and use for my group. Thanks

    1. Hi
      I commend the effort you put into this +
      I will appreciate if you can send me the file.
      @banjibukkie13@gmail.com
      Thanks in anticipation

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