Portfolio Season: What to Keep All Year
Collect as you go
A shoebox at the end of the shelf. Anything interesting goes in during the year. In spring, sorting a shoebox takes an evening. Reconstructing a year takes a week.
Keep dated samples
Six to ten pieces spread across the year, one per subject. The date matters more than the quantity. It shows growth, which is the whole point of a portfolio.
Keep the reading list
Titles, dates, and whether it was read together or alone. This single page answers most questions an assessor will ask.
Photograph the rest
Big projects, field trips, a finished tower. Photos keep the evidence without keeping the mess.
Write one line a month
What your child learned, in your own words. Twelve lines is a full narrative of the year and it takes five minutes a month.
Ask what format is accepted
Paper, digital, or both. Find out once, in September, and build the box in that format instead of converting everything later.
Try it with your child
Montessori Kids has six hands-on activities for ages 4+. One-time purchase, no subscriptions.
Get it on the App StoreRelated guides
Planning a Week of Montessori Work for a Mixed-Age Class
Three ages, one shelf, one week. A simple planning routine that keeps the youngest busy and the oldest stretched.
Shelf Rotation Without Losing Your Weekend
You do not need to rebuild the shelf every Sunday. A twenty-minute routine that keeps the room fresh and the teacher rested.
How Long Should an Activity Last?
Ages and timers are the wrong measure. Four signals tell you when a child is finished, and none of them is a clock.