Montessori Felt World Map for Kids
I bought this giant Montessori felt world map more than a year ago, and my 3-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter have been big fans since the first day they saw it! We’ve been using it while reading world map books in Chinese and English and reviewing this printable animals and continents activity.
The large size was immediately impressive and inviting for my kids! Plus, the simple Montessori colors helped them remember continent names in their 3 languages, English, Chinese, and Korean!
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1. What age is this Montessori felt map best for?
Generally, this Montessori felt map would be most appropriate for kids ages 2.5 to 7 years.
Elementary school-aged children (6 years and older) may be ready for more detailed maps and globes.
Although my 6-year-old loves her detailed world globe (similar here), she still loves using the Montessori felt world map when playing with her 3-year-old brother.
Related: Montessori Geography Printables and Hands-On Resources
2. How my kids are learning geography with the Montessori world map
This large Montessori felt map is SO inviting for my children to play while learning about the 7 continents and 4 oceans!
Felt naturally adheres to felt, but it’s also easily removable.
My 6-year-old daughter is able to set up the map for her 3-year-old brother, and the map has been a great resource for big sister to practice teaching!
Through the Montessori felt map, they’ve learned about where animals live in the world.
They’ve also had fun pretending to travel all over the world with their craft-stick airplanes!
Most often, my kids play with their toy animals on the felt map!
We also use this large felt map as a hands-on extension of our printable Montessori 3-part continent cards and maps in Chinese, Korean, and English!
3. Montessori colors for the 7 continents
With Montessori materials, colors always have an important meaning.
The consistent color scheme is what makes Montessori maps so special.
Because of the standard colors, children can start to associate continent names and memorize the Earth’s 7 continents.
4. Continent translations in English, Chinese, Korean
The corresponding continents and translations are in simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Hanyu Pinyin, and Korean.
- Orange: North America
- 北美洲 (Běi měizhōu)
- 북미 (Bugmi)
- Pink: South America
- 南美洲 (Nán měizhōu)
- 남미 (Nammi)
- Green: Africa
- 非洲 / 非洲 (Fēizhōu)
- 아프리카 (Apeulika)
- Red: Europe
- 欧洲 / 歐洲 (Ōuzhōu)
- 유럽 (Yuleob)
- Yellow: Asia
- 亚洲/ 亞洲 (Yàzhōu)
- 아시아 (Asia)
- Brown: Oceania or Austrailia
- 大洋洲 (Dàyángzhōu) or 澳洲/澳洲 (Àozhōu)
- 호주 (Hoju)
- White: Antarctica
- 南极洲 / 南極洲 (Nánjízhōu)
- 남극 대륙 (Namgeug daelyug)
5. Continent labels
The set that we have comes with English continent labels, and I was told that they were written with black puffy paint.
Since I want to encourage my kids to speak their minority language with me, I wanted to add Chinese labels.
Since I didn’t have much white felt at home, I was worried about messing up the labels with puffy paint.
Instead, I wrote Chinese continent labels with a fabric marker. First, I gently wrote each word with the fabric marker; then I dabbed each stroke to darken the words.
I also tried using a black Sharpie marker, but the pen bled through the felt and was easy to smear. What ever method you choose, I definitely recommend testing your writing on scrap felt first!
6. How to store the felt map
Felt is so easy to roll up or to fold flat to store!
Due to limited space at our house, I appreciate that this map takes up minimal space in my closet when the kids aren’t using it!
7. Where to buy Montessori felt world map
We bought our Montessori felt world map from Em Is Crafty’s Etsy shop.
The map comes with English, Spanish, French, or German labels (choose language at check out).
However, as shown in the translations section of this post (# 4), you can easily make labels in any language with white felt and a fabric marker or puffy dimensional paint.
If you’re raising multilingual children like our family, labels are a great way to create a print-rich environment that encourages the minority language.
The downside of Em Is Crafty’s map is the lack of a control. My daughter and I have to check our Montessori globe to make sure we have oriented all continents correctly. I really wish there were tan-colored continents sewn into the large blue fabric.
If you’re looking for something smaller, click here to see another Montessori Felt map on Etsy!
Compared to the map from Em is Crafty, the map from Casa Dei Bambini Crafts is more expensive.
However, the benefits of Casa Dei Bambini’s map include:
- A control (continent shapes in white)
- Storage bag
- 44 felt animals
- 6 felt famous landmarks
See which world map works best for your family!
7. How to make a Montessori felt world map
After sharing our map on social media, many of you have emailed me photos of your amazing DIY felt maps!
If you’re feeling crafty and prefer to make your own Montessori felt map of the world, check out this amazing tutorial from Imagine Our Life! Her tutorial comes with many photo examples and detailed instructions.
What did your kids think of the Montessori felt world map?
If you try this activity, please let us know in the comments below! What age(s) are your kid(s) and how did it go? We’d love to hear about your learning experience!
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