DIY Montessori Inspired Activities & Ideas for parrents from Olga Melba: DIY Montessori-Inspired Activities for a 2 Year Old children

Note: I got most of these ideas either from Pinterest, or from the novel Teach Me to Do It Myself: Montessori Activities for You and Your Child by Maja Pitamic (one of my all time favourite Montessori novels, and one I highly recommend if you’re interested in Montessori-at-home). And bonus: all of these actions are very low-cost, or free — they normally use items you already have in your home. I don’t have the funds to invest in elaborate Montessori materials, so I do my best with what I have. Acquiring the Senses

Colour-Fitting Wheel

I cut the circle out of a couple sheets of stiff paper pasted together (file folders, in case you need to understand), split it into 8 wedges, and then painted the wedges and clothespins to coincide.

Clothespins on a Clothesline

For this task, you are in need of a wooden tray, square scraps of cloth, cord, and a bowl of mini-clothespins. I got my tray from Hobby Lobby for $6, and cut up some old t shirts for the cloth bits. Before inviting her to attempt, I placed the cloths in a pile on the tray and place the clothespins beside it, and presented with one piece.

Cutting with Scissors

Yes, real scissors. No, she hasn't lost any fingers. (I purchased her a pair of these Fiskars spring-actions preschool scissors because I thought they would be simpler to use, but she really favors the regular type.)

Transferring with a Baster

It took a while for her to comprehend the significance of squeezing, dipping the tip into the water, and lifting the point before squeezing into the next bowl.

Toronto child care

Numeracy - Amount Rods

Number rods are a great, easy-to-make tool for introducing your toddler to numerals and amount

Clothespins on a Bowl

This thought also came from Teach Me to Do It Myself. It’s a good method to introduce your toddler to clothespins, which are useful for developing the pincer grasp.

Montessori child care center

Threading Pony Beads onto Pipe Cleaners

Since they stay stiff and then hold onto the beads to keep them from sliding, pipe cleaners are perfect for little hands. (I’ve already sung their praises here).

Sequencing/Matching 2D Shapes (Circles)

She managed to catch on fairly quickly. I tried the same action with triangles and squares, but for some reason she couldn’t get it in any way. I’ll try again in a month or two.