Montessori Activities
Here are some activities for at home, mostly for 3+ age group, but may meet the needs of older or younger. Follow the child, observe their interests. If an activity doesn’t attract them right away, store it for a later time.
Make a necklace. Using a ribbon or string, place a bead at the end as a stop point. You can use a piece of tape to create a needle at the top of the string. Depending on your child’s ability, start with larger beads and work their way to smaller sized objects. For beads: use pasta, pony beads, cut-up colored straws. Other fine motor activities here.
2. Puzzles.
Begin some basic puzzle composition by introducing 12 pieces at first, then increase the challenge as you see mastery develop. We love this puzzle set from Melissa and Doug. There is something about it that keep children coming back to it again and again, and even delight in re-discovering it at an older age.
3. A Button Snake. Search etsy or create your own. Your child may even just enjoy buttoning and un-buttoning a sweater at home. After buttons, move on to belt-buckles, zippers, snaps! Encourage repetition so that your child will further their mastery and fine motor development. “Do you want to do it again?”
4. Sink and Float.
Using objects from around the house, source materials that will either sink or float. Set your child up with a bowl of water, large container of water or bucket. Show your child how to categorize items that sink or float.
5. A Farm Set. Children have a natural love for animals and are instantly attracted to the visual of farm life. They will explore imaginative play through putting animals to sleep, hatching eggs, eating hay, etc.
6. Nuts and bolts, and tools.
Children love figuring out how things work and the use of tools allows them such purpose. A bolt board is satisfactory in the real-life manipulation of screwing in and taking out the bolts. Older children will love participating in putting together Ikea furniture.
Using a wooden tree stump, your child may also be excited to hammer nails into the top.