Previous studies have assessed Montessori materials as an original education methodology. However, examining them from the viewpoint of the New Education Movement necessitates investigation the materials as media used to establish education. This study clarifi es which type of media the Montessori materials were established as. This is achieved by examining Seguin, a forerunner in intellectual education for physically and mentally disabled children, through Bourneville, who reevaluated Seguin’s educational approach several years later. This study refers to pictures of the Montessori and Seguin materials to make a comparison between them as well as their usage. Thereafter, the links between them and their development are considered by extracting the characteristics of the materials from the writings of each of the three authors. The results show that whereas the objective of Seguin’s and Bourneville’s intellectual education materials for physically and mentally disabled children was adaptation to society and vocational training , the Montessori materials for “normal” children promoted selfeducation in addition to adaptation to society. This understanding of children’s self-education has led to the creation of their free intellectual development process.