We invite you into one of our classrooms this week as we explore our Toddler Community Guide’s favorite Montessori learning and educational activities for toddlers! Many of these activities and materials (toys) can be used at home to support your child’s cognitive and physical development!
These “toys” are ones that are largely made of natural materials (fabrics, wood, metals). You’ll also notice they do not use batteries. Toys that utilize batteries are generally ones that are designed to entertain, while our goal is for a child to experience and discover! You’ll also notice that these objects are fairly simple and are designed not to overwhelm the child by trying to introduce too many concepts at once. For example, when we introduce numbers, we don’t combine these with bright colors, lights and the alphabet. We use a material (sandpaper letters) that brings a child’s focus to the shape of the number.
The learning activities and toys at the toddler age should aid in building a foundation of independence, fine and gross motor development, vocabulary, concentration, sensory learning and more. These are all vital to a child’s future success in language, writing and math skills.
So, without further ado, Ms. Megan’s favorites!
Animal Basket
This basket of life-like animals introduces a child to the natural world while enriching their vocabulary. It can be used for matching work, when children match the animals to a card with a matching object on it. We can also introduce matching cards with real-life photographs of animals-+ on them.
Long Drawer Object Permanence Box
Object permanence is a developmental milestone, and simply means that a child knows something (an object) exists even when they can no longer see it or hear it. Parents often observe this milestone when their infant, who normally doesn’t mind being passed around a group, suddenly becomes anxious and searching for their parents while in the arms of a stranger! Why is this skill important? Because it demonstrates the child’s working memory is doing what it is supposed to do, and marks the beginning of a baby’s understanding of abstract concepts!
Cone Stacker
The cone stacker and other toys that stack items of varying sizes aide in the development of hand-eye coordination and visual discrimination skills as they learn to stack from largest to smallest.
Knobbed Cylinders
These knobbed cylinders are a simpler version of the full set which is present in the Children’s House (preschool, or 3-6 classroom). They develop visual discrimination and therefore engage the sense of vision and touch. They introduce a child to changes in dimension. The knobs also encourage the development of the pincer grasp (two or three-finger grip) on the knobs, which is essential for a child to develop the muscles necessary for pencil control!
Sandpaper Numbers
These ten smooth, wooden cards have the symbols for numbers 0-9 printed on them in rough sandpaper. The child can trace the numbers with their fingers, developing muscular memory. In our Toddler Community, the children do a clapping and counting game with this material.
Puzzles
We love a variety of puzzles in our Toddler Community classroom! These are a few of our favorites – notice they are knobbed, which again, develops that essential pre-writing pincer grip! Puzzles also help with problem solving, sequencing, concentration, hand-eye coordination and even spatial vocabulary (above, below, beside, turn, flip, rotate).
Geometric Solids
These 3-D wooden shapes enrich vocabulary, develop the stereognostic sense and hand-eye coordination. These three shapes, pictured, are the sphere, ellipsoid and ovoid. Children, once they have learned the names of these shapes, enjoy identifying them based on feel alone (either using a blind fold or by covering them with a scarf).
Horizontal and Vertical Dowels
This is another wonderful activity to develop hand-eye coordination and gives the child experience with different hand and wrist motions which are important as a precursor to movements required for writing.
Pom Pom Pushing Work
Developing motor skills and hand-eye coordination, this is a simple and well-loved activity in the Toddler Community classroom as children push the pom poms through the wooden tube!
Clothespin Sliding Work
Fine motor and hand-eye coordination is involved here, as children place the clothespins on the side of the container, and then slide it along the side. It is just enough challenge for little hands!
Ring Return Box
Children insert the ring into a vertical slit, then watch it reappear from another slit. These materials aides with object permanence, fine motor and hand-eye coordination. Children love making the rings appear and reappear!
Zipper Pouch & Mystery Bag
Little hands grasp the zipper, and open and close the pouch. They put the objects and take them out. Children can also reach in, feel the object, and identify it by touch alone, developing the stereognostic sense. Refinement of this sense is an important skill for
Sorting Trays
Sorting trays are a favorite to help develop visual discrimination and fine-motor skills. Children use the tray pictured on the right to sort buttons into darker or lighter shades of brown.
Sponging Water Work
In this work, children pour the water into the heart-shaped dish, then dip the sponge in and squeeze it back into the pitcher. Not only does this develop hand-eye coordination, but they explore matehmatial concepts such as size and apacity, problem solve, use those fine motor (hand) and gross motor (shoulder) movements. The “squeezing” action of the sponge in the hand is also excellent for those pre-writing muscle development!
Lock & Key
Children love “real life” activities, including this lock and key, because it helps them grow in independence. It also supports hand-eye coordination, visual discrimination and motor development (especially the wrist movement required to turn the key in the lock).
Fine Motor Jar
Another simple but beloved work is this activity requires children to place the small toothpicks into the slots on the jar, aiding in hand-eye coordination, fine-motor skills and visual discrimination.
Matching Work
This matching work develops visual discrimination but is also a language enrichment opportunity as we explore careers. There are many other matching works we incorporate into our classroom.
Weighted Cylinders
This activity contains 6 sets of cylinders. Each set is a different weight. These develop the baric sense – the ability to classify objects based on weight. The top of the cylinders look identical, so it’s only by comparing weights that a child can match two cylinders of identical weight. He can then turn them over to see if he guessed correctly – matching cylinders have the same-colored dot.
Threading or Beading Work
These type of activities, using a firm threading tool and chunky objects, are a wonderful way to strengthen wrist, hand and finger muscles while developing hand-eye coordination.
