As we only want the best for our child, we want them to learn without taking away the “fun” factor. Do you sometimes feel like you’re running out of activities that they can do? Montessori activities are perfect for helping your child engage with you, as you start to prepare them for their upcoming school years.
Sometimes, bad weather can keep us at home, and parents often times struggle with activities their kids can do. There is no doubt that today’s generation has significantly changed, and children these days are more inclined to use gadgets and have someone lost interest in other activities that do not involve using touch screen phones or tablets, and/or television shows. Fortunately, you can change this.
If you’re looking for fun things to do with your kid, here are 5 suggestions on some of the most preferred Montessori activities toddlers love. Note: These do not have to be outdoors. You can enjoy these activities indoors, which means that you can finally turn off the TV and take their tablets from their hands, and do something fun, which doesn’t involve technology.
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Montessori Activities Sorting Activities
Teaching kids how to organize kids prepare them to become more responsible children. It is one way of helping them understand that if they start creating a mess, they need to clean up afterwards. It may be a small goal, but it is a huge leap towards every child’s growth and development.
After playing with toys, you can ask your child to fix them up, or place them in the toy bin. While this teaches your toddlers a little bit of responsibility, it also allows them to concentrate, and at the same time, promotes hand and eye coordination.
Other than cleaning up their toys, you can also get them sorting toys. These toys enable your child to sort their toys either according to colors, shapes or sizes. It is a fun-filled, yet educational activity that your child will surely love.
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Montessori Activities Hygiene
Practicing proper hygiene doesn’t just teach your child good habits, but it is also a perfect way to develop your toddler’s fine motor skills. Teach them to brush their teeth, comb their hair, or even wash their hands especially after playing and before eating. You can give them a colorful toothbrush, or even a nice comb that they’ll enjoy using.
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Montessori Activities Mix and Match
There are different memory and puzzle games that you can purchase off the internet and from your local bookstore, but if you’re a little bit more creative, you can do puzzles on your own. Why not use socks, and ask your child to match them by pair? Or why don’t you create cards of your own, with images that come in pair, and ask your child to find each pair?
Other than playing the typical memory puzzle games, you can also ask your child to help you set the table. Your toddlers can match the outlines of spoons and/or forks or other utensils, which is another fun way of teaching them home duties and responsibilities while they’re still young.
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Montessori Activities Kitchen Work
Ask your child to help you while you’re washing the dishes, and let him / her determine the difference between warm, cold and hot water. If you’re baking, you can even ask your child roll the dough, or even ask them to cut cookies as they learn the different shapes.
You can even get him / her some play foods. Your child can let his / her imagination work and have their own “play restaurant” – something that teaches them hand coordination and observation skills as they continue enjoying what they’re doing.
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Montessori Activities Play with Colors
Lastly, you can play around with colors, or what other calls as sensory exploration. Teach your child to write lowercase and uppercase letters through watercolor, or even create finger paint artworks, and as they choose their colors, teach your child which ones are primary colors and tertiary.
An excellent exercise is to ask them mix and match the 3 primary colors and let them explore what secondary color it would create if red and blue is mixed, or if green and blue are combined together.
Take note, these are just some examples of fun Montessori activities that you can do with your child. There are many others and you can even let your imagination do the work for you.
Just remember that you can incorporate lessons with various activities – something that will help your child remember these lessons quickly, without the added stress and pressure. Let them learn at their own pace, and discover things on their own as they go.
Reference(s):
http://www.racheous.com/kids-activities/montessori-toddler/
http://www.babble.com/toddler/24-of-the-coolest-montessori-summer-activities-for-toddlers/
http://dailymom.com/nurture/25-indoor-montessori-activities-for-toddlers/
http://www.hellobee.com/2013/02/13/5-quick-and-easy-montessori-activities-for-toddlers/
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