As parents, we generally see more value in educational toys made out natural materials that engage the child in meaningful learning activities. I would like to share with you a list of great Montessori inspired, educational, fun, engaging and purposeful toys that enhance learning in a great way and stimulate the child's curiosity. Many of these toys are perfect for the Montessori and Reggio environment set up and encourage open-ended play. I hope you fell in love with these materials as I … [Read more...]
Outside Play Set Up on a Budget.
I would love to share with you our patio outside set up for play on a budget. A free open-ended play is one of the most essential aspects of the child's growth and development. They take control over their discoveries, they learn to transform into reality their thoughts and their dreams through their environment. Everything I do for my child at home is driven by principals of the Montessori philosophy. I also get an incredible amount of inspiration from Reggio pedagogy. I created this outside … [Read more...]
Gross Motor Activities in Nature + Scavenger Hunt Printable
Here is my guest post for Childhood 101 that talks about importance of gross motor development for young children and ways to incorporate it in everyday life on a zero budget + a free nature hunt printable I made. Click here to read the post! … [Read more...]
DIY Learning Activities for Toddlers. Montessori Approach.
"The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed".- C. JoyBell C. When creating learning experiences for children I aim for hands-on, practical, beautiful in simplicity, challenging, engaging and attractive activities based on the Montessori approach. In this post, I continue sharing lessons and activities I do with my 2.5-year-old toddler at … [Read more...]
Healthy Snacks Toddlers Can Make || Montessori Style
Now our toddler is old enough to work on her practical life skills in the kitchen on regular basis. We set aside time every day to incorporate Montessori principals to create healthy snacks and build healthy habits from the start. Why do we need practical life exercises at home? Practical life activities in the kitchen are very important because they: - help to gain control over their little hands and movement - support their desire to be independent and do things on their own - … [Read more...]
20+ DIY Montessori Inspired Activities for 2 and 3 year olds.
I would love to share with you a set of DIY Montessori Inspired activities that's been on the shelves of my 2.5 year old daughter. Every week I aim to create activities that encourage concentration, fine motor development, sensory development, encourage work of hand and hand-eye coordination. I tend to use natural materials and materials found in a dollar store. I always try to follow her interests. I arrange activities one at a time and demonstrate it to her before allowing to work on her … [Read more...]
10 Commandments of Maria Montessori ( A Decalogue by Dr. M. Montessori ) – Free Word Art Printable.
Maria Montessori has been capturing hearts of parents and teachers around the world for such a long time. Her ideas and philosophy spark minds and inspire to raise generation of deeply motivated, successful and happy people. I would love to share with your word art printable with 10 Commandments of Maria Montessori. It is also known as A Decalogue by Dr. Maria Montessori listed in the magazine "Around the Child". You can read more on it in "Montessori for the New Millennium - Practical Guidance … [Read more...]
Our Montessori Inspired Toddler Home Environment in Pictures.
Setting up a Montessori environment for your toddler at home may seem overwhelming at first. I find that the biggest misconception that many parents have is that in order to provide your child with proper environment that will support the child's desire to be independent and meet their sensitive period for details and order means you have to spend lots of money on expensive Montessori furniture and materials. However, I believe it is not the case. I am going to share how we managed to arrange … [Read more...]
DIY Montessori Inspired Activities for a 2-year-old
Don't you enjoy seeing your precious bundle of joy grow and become smarter, stronger, more independent, confident, playful and engaged with the world around them. I get so much satisfaction from creating and supporting my child's growth along the way and be able to contribute to it. I received a wonderful set of toys and activities as a giveaway from one awesome Montessori mum, we bought a few educational toys from Preloved baby markets, but it has been a while since we purchased … [Read more...]
Montessori Practical Life in the Kitchen – Making Hummus
This morning I decided to make hummus - delicious and nutritious addition for healthy snacks. As usual my sweet pea was there right next to me. As I poured chickpeas in the bowl she took one of them and started peeling the skin. She saw me do it before once. Well, I could not miss this chance. I set up her table: bowl with chickpeas plate for skin container for peeled chickpeas First I demonstrated where to place skin and peeled chickpeas and let her continue with the task. … [Read more...]
5 Montessori Inspired Ways to Support Early Literacy.
"At one year of age, the child says his first intentional word…his babbling has a purpose, and this intention is a proof of conscious intelligence…He becomes ever more aware that language refers to his surroundings, and his wish to master it consciously becomes also greater….Subconsciously and unaided, he strains himself to learn, and this effort makes his success all the more astonishing." - Maria Montessori(The Absorbent Mind, p. 111) For the last three years I have been working with … [Read more...]
Montessori Inspired Learning Activities for Toddlers.
Toddlers flourish when they are engaged with activities that inspire their independence. Outside our regular exercises which develop everyday skills, we do a few simple but meaningful play activities. Most of those activities are based on Montessori principals; they stimulate senses, once mastered, require the minimum involvement of an adult, are attractive and sequential. Also, many activities I do with my child are Reggio inspired as they include natural materials and open-ended … [Read more...]
Montessori Inspired: Practical Life for Everyday.
"The child is by nature a worker, and when, by working in this special fashion, which is according to his nature, he can accomplish a great deal of work without ever feeling fatigue. When he works in this way he shows himself to be happy and by working in this way he also becomes cured of certain psychic anomalies that he had, and by curing himself of these he enters into a more natural form of life." (Maria Montessori, 'Child’s Instinct to Work') Writing a post on Practical Life … [Read more...]