Montessori Pick of the Day

Fun Painting Ideas

Painting gives such variety to art. Your child can begin with just painting with one color, a paintbrush and paper. Painting ideas can grow with your child. Here are some fun painting ideas.

Cardboard Box Toys

My kids loved cardboard boxes. They made such awesome toys with their creativity.

This blog has some great ideas and link for cardboard box toys.

Here are some of my favorites.

First Crayons

Large, washable crayons are the best first crayons for your toddler and preschooler.

Here is an example to consider.

Stickers

What child doesn't like stickers? They provide an opportunity for eye to hand coordination, refinement of finger muscles, and are just plain fun!

Here is an example of some stickers for making a sticker booklet.

See and Spell

This See and Spell Activity is an extension for Montessori reading.

After the activities from the moveable alphabet this would fit in nicely.

Montessori Practical Life-Cutting

You can introduce prepping food in several steps. Cutting fruits and vegetables is an exciting activity for children. I start with a plastic knife, next, a serrated butter knife and finally, a serrated paring knife that only cuts with a sawing action.

This wooden set is a good first cutting activity. It's a safe way for preschoolers to practice cutting skills.

Sequencing and Sorting

Sequencing and sorting help preschoolers prepare for math and reading readiness.  Simple sorting, such as beads into containers, helps with fine motor skills, visual discrimination, sorting and sequencing. Stringing  beads in a particular pattern helps prepare a child's mind for patterns and design, which are skills used in reading and mathematics.

Here is an example of an advanced sequencing activity you can make by using beads, card stock and colored round stickers.

Montessori Find and Feel Bag

You can make your own find and feel bag for your toddler or preschooler.

This site has directions to make a mystery box game. Teach the names of the objects you are using. Let your child hold the shapes before doing this activity. After your child is familiar with the shapes and names of the objects,  you can play this game with or without a blind fold.

For older preschoolers, you could use this feel and find bag  as an extension to this Montessori sensorial game. You can make the game simple by using just a few objects. Add more objects to make the game more advanced. Later, show your child how to match the objects to the puzzle pieces.  Teach the names of the shapes using the 3 period lesson. You can use this feel and find bag for many levels of learning.

Great Pumpkins!

This time of the year with Halloween just weeks away it is a fun time to learn about pumpkins. This pdf file from a wonderful resource site,  A to Z Teacher Stuff Printouts,  has interesting lessons and printouts about pumpkins. 

This site has several fun ideas, such as, will a pumpkin float or sink? It's an ESL lesson plan could be adapted for preschool through elementary grades.

Montessori and Early Potty Training

Montessori encourages early potty training. If you wait too long, it can become much more difficult to toilet train your toddler or preschooler Early Start Potty Training has some great hints and ideas.