The first version of this wet pouring lesson (found on our blog, Water Pouring (I)) is slightly simpler in that the child will pour water from one jug into another, and clean up any spills along the way. It’s an exercise in coordination, concentration and fine motor skills.
A progression of this initial task is Water…
Working in the kitchen is a wonderful way to include children in everyday family activities; not only will children learn practical life skills but they will be engaged on a sensory level, too.
If this is something you’d like to do more of at home, the first step is to prepare an environment for your children…
What we think of as “chores” Maria Montessori thought of as daily life or practical life skills. The benefits of children helping out around the house has been well researched and documented; it teaches responsibility, independence and importantly, represents a model of team work and cooperation, as family members work together.
Children love to help. Sometimes,…
There are many fun activities that children can do to develop their fine motor skills but one of the favourites in the Montessori classroom is transferring objects. This is something that keeps little ones occupied for ages and can certainly be easily done at home.
There are three activities that we’d like to demonstrate; here’s what…
In a Montessori classroom, the water pouring activity is the first follow-on from the Dry Pouring lesson where children learn the skill transferring dry goods from one jug to another. To practice water pouring at home, you will need: two jugs, a tray (that a child would be able to carry from a shelf to…
Learning to tie a shoelace is one of the most exciting milestones for a child (and a parent, too!) but it takes time to learn, requiring much practice before perfection. In Montessori classrooms, we use a bow-tying frame, which involves the replication of a lot of precise steps but, as a tool, has shown itself…
A collage is defined as an artistic composition made up from a collection of various materials glued on a surface. So, taking different things and sticking them together. At St. Andrew’s Montessori we love using collage not only a means of artistic expression but as a way of inspiring creativity and engaging the natural curiosity…
Children absolutely love to do real life activities; to mimic their parents or the adult in the house – doing adult things. It gives little ones a feeling of independence and success. Scrubbing is one such activity, falling under the Practical Life component of the Montessori curriculum.
The materials you will need for a scrubbing activity…
At St Andrew’s Montessori we take great pleasure in teaching children how to care for the environment. We incorporate a child’s innate desire to help and feel purposeful into many of our practical life activities, to both inspire them and guide the learning process.
Caring for plants is something we do at school but is also…
It’s so easy, as parents, to fall into the trap of doing things for our children rather than giving them the opportunity to do things themselves. In our busy, modern lives; often we feel like we don’t have the time (and let’s be honest, the patience) to allow our children time to figure out how…