Materials Spotlight: The Interdependencies Cards

Meagan Ledendecker • December 11, 2023

In Montessori, we talk a lot about independence. Yet interdependence is another vital aspect of our humanity and a key part of Montessori learning communities.

All of us depend on the help of other people. We are social beings and we evolved to be interdependent with our fellow human beings. None of us exist in isolation.

Interdependence is woven into how our classrooms operate and at the early elementary level we also have a material that provides children with a window into how humans depend upon each other.

The Interdependencies Cards

To introduce this material, we start by gathering a small group of children and asking about a recent meal or their favorite foods. When someone mentions bread, or perhaps the adult offers that they ate toast that morning, we ask where the bread came from. Together the group follows the trail of origin of the food, exploring questions like: And where did the supermarket get the bread? Who baked the bread? From where did the baker get the flour? Finally, the trail leads back to the farmer.

As a group, we marvel at how many people it takes to bring bread to us. If the children are interested, we continue with other food or breakfast items, always arriving at the beginning when the farmer has planted the seeds.

At this point, we often go to the shelf and get the first set of Interdependencies cards.

Where do we get our food from?

These cards provide a physical representation of the group’s discussion of the origin of our food. Because someone bought their bread at the supermarket, we place the “shopkeeper” card. We continue explaining how the shopkeeper bought the bread from the baker, placing the “baker” card to the left of the shopkeeper card. We continue the process until the array is complete: the farmer - the miller - the baker - the shopkeeper.

We comment on how many people are involved in the process before asking another question: How does the miller get wheat from the farmer?

The children discuss and we explore how the farmer needs some way to get the wheat to the miller. Perhaps a truck is used, or maybe a train, but some form of transport is needed. We then place the cards to represent that transportation and repeat for other producers.

Then we suggest thinking about the baker a little more. We explore if the baker needs help and can discuss adding a dough maker, oven tender, and packager around the baker card.

If the baker needs help, then likely the miller, farmer, and even the transporters need help, too! All these people work together to bring us our bread. What would it be like if we had to do it all for ourselves?

These interdependency exercises bring awareness to children in a developmentally appropriate way. Though the materials are quite simple, the children feel great satisfaction from using their reasoning minds to make the chain of production and human work apparent. The cards also help the children order the sequences we discuss.

Production & Exchange

At another time we use other sets of cards to explore what farmers produce, who depends upon the farmer, and who the farmer needs. When children have worked with these different sets of cards and explored the interconnections, we can use the cards to introduce how goods are exchanged among people and how the medium of exchange today is money.

We introduce this concept by thinking about how people generally can’t just trade what they produce. The baker, for example, won’t want shoes every day that the shoemaker needs bread! Thus, people invented money, which is exchanged instead. So, when the shoemaker needs bread, she gives the baker some money, and receives some bread in return!

We continue in this manner, discussing various exchanges and visually representing the connections by drawing colored lines between the different producers to show how there is a complicated network of goods flowing from person to person and of money flowing in exchange.

Additional Services

Once children appreciate this initial introduction to economic exchange, we explore how each of the people on the cards also needs services like police, roads, water supply, garbage collection, libraries, and health services.

We talk about how people got together and decided to 'chip in' to pay for these services. Then in the center of the array of cards, we place a card showing a red bowl. We draw a green line to the bowl card and talk about how each person pays some money to a central collection agency. This money is called 'taxes', and the government uses tax money to provide services.

Young elementary students are often fascinated by this work and like to lay out the cards to show different models. Even older elementary students have ah-ha moments as they begin to understand economic concepts and the idea of what taxes represent. Sometimes children even want to make a set of interdependencies cards of their own for some product they choose. At other times children extend the work by organizing Going Out trips to a bakery or a farm.

Although the material we use to highlight interdependencies is relatively simple and seemingly unsophisticated, it is quite important. Plus, elementary children find the work intriguing and love the message the material conveys.

Curious to learn more or see this kind of work in action? Schedule a tour to visit our school. We love to share what we do!

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The Most Important Montessori Practice You Rarely Hear About

By Meagan Ledendecker • February 23, 2026

One of the quieter, less visible practices in a Montessori elementary classroom is the Child-Guide conference. You may never see it listed on a schedule or mentioned in a weekly update, yet it plays a profound role in children’s experience at school. Relationship Comes First The primary purpose of these conferences is to establish, maintain, and strengthen the relationship between the adult and each child. This focus shifts the dynamic from a teacher looking for faults or scolding about unfinished work. Rather, it’s a collegial conversation that enables children to take an active and engaged role in their own education. These connective conversations are grounded in relationship-building because when children feel emotionally safe and genuinely respected, they are far more willing to reflect, stretch themselves, and take responsibility for their growth. Every Child, as Often as They Need Montessori Guides aim to meet regularly with every child, but what “regularly” looks like can vary based on individual needs. Some children benefit from a longer, more formal conference every few weeks. Others need brief, frequent check-ins, sometimes lasting only a minute or two. These short moments might look like a quick conversation at the beginning of the morning, a gentle pause beside a table, or a quiet walk across the room together. The length of the meeting is not what matters. What is important is the message it sends: “I see you. I know your work. I care about how this is going for you.” What Happens in a Child-Guide Conference? While conferences vary based on each individual and the moment, they often include: The child bringing their learning journal or work (finished and unfinished) The guide bringing observational records A shared look at what has been accomplished Gentle reflection on what still feels unfinished Planning for what might come next Scheduling new lessons or presentations Support with larger projects: breaking them into steps, mapping timelines, imagining the finished product This collaborative time also provides an opportunity to experiment with new strategies (“Would you like to try creating a prioritized list?”), celebrate successes (“You worked so hard on your presentation! How did it feel to share your work?”), and reflect upon challenges (“It seems like you’ve been feeling a bit stuck in your research project. Tell me more about what is going on.”). Learning to Define “Finished” One of the most freeing lessons children learn in Montessori is that not every piece of work must be finished to an adult’s standard. Sometimes children accomplish exactly what they set out to do, and continuing would add nothing meaningful. Other times, interest has naturally ended, and letting go is healthy. This is not about lowering expectations. It is about honoring children’s internal sense of completion and learning when to release what no longer serves a purpose. Trusting Children’s Self-Assessment A cornerstone of these conferences is trust. Guides listen carefully to how children assess their own work and articulate their goals. When an adult truly accepts children’s self-assessment, something powerful happens: children begin to see themselves as capable, thoughtful, and worthy of being taken seriously. Children often receive more from the tone and sentiment of these meetings than from the actual content discussed. The Whole Child Matters Because Montessori education is concerned with the whole child, conferences may naturally move beyond academics. A Guide might gently offer support with social dynamics or ask about recent struggles during outdoor time. These moments provide a safe space for children to reflect on their own social, emotional, and physical development, and to recognize that there is a network of support. When Relationships Need Repair Even in the most thoughtful classrooms, relationships can become strained. What matters is how adults respond. It is never too late for a Guide to sit with a child and say, honestly: “I’ve been thinking about how we’ve been interacting recently, and I’d love to brainstorm with you about what I could do differently.” When an adult takes responsibility, without demanding the child do the same, something shifts. Trust begins to rebuild. Real dialogue becomes possible. Children learn from this modeling. In time, after they feel safe, they often step forward to take responsibility themselves. What Children Are Really Learning Through these quiet, intentional meetings, children learn that: their thoughts and feelings matter, adults can be trusted, mistakes are part of growth, reflection leads to independence, and relationships can be repaired. And while these conferences may happen quietly in a corner of the classroom, their impact echoes far beyond it. This is true preparation for life. To learn more about the long-term benefits of Montessori, visit us here in Lenox, MA!