Montessori Activity: Transferring Rye Grains

Age: From 3 years old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train the child’s fine motor skills - also pincer grip when picking up spilled rice.
2. To teach the concept of empty and full.

Materials:

1. 1 cup filled with rye grains
2 canister jar
3. 1 spoon
4. 1 Tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your child by pouring rice from the cup on right hand side into the cup on the left hand side.

2. Encourage and let your child try it.

Additional Information:

J (2Y1M5D) tried this activity this morning 10 April 2012, while I was busy preparing his breakfast, but it lasted only 5 minutes, before he started declaring "Mommy, I have finished". And it was not as if he has perfected scooping - there were rye grains spilled on the tray (although he could pour his own milk every morning well without spilling). I would have like him to last longer now at the age of 4. While putting back the tray, he spilled all the grains! That means cleaning!!! Fortunately, the thought of it as another opportunity for practical life activity took away my dread of having to bring the vaccuum cleaner out. I took out the vaccuum cleaner and J and I enjoyed the cleaning up. In fact, he enjoyed using the vaccuum cleaner more than transferring the rye grains.

Boy, it was 2 years ago since I first put out the pouring tray. It brought back fond memories. It has been quite some time since I did practical life activities with J, as I was busy compiling Maths lesson plan and doing them with J. Yesterday, I tried this with more interesting items so that it is not an "old" activity.

I am kinda paranoid. When I am doing academic activities with J such as Maths, writing, etc. I worry that I am too academic-focused, and not giving him a good grounding in practical life skills (one which I did not have growing up in academic-focused Singapore).

When I focus on practical life skills, I worry about not being rigorous enough with the academic pursuit to give him a good head start. Arrrhhhhh.... I am a very insecure mom, be it with child's education or parenting.

A friend of mine told me that perhaps it is too young to start writing practice with J. Sometimes, he is not holding his pencil perfectly correct. At times, he is leaning his head a little too down when writing. It is important to have correct pencil holding when a child is young, my friend told me, which I agree. And posture is very important too. J is leaning towards the worksheet too much, my friend told me.

In times like this, it is comforting to run to Daddy for a second opinion, who is usually more objective and less of a worrier than Mommy. So I asked him every now and then, "Am I pressuring J too much? Am I killing his joy for learning? Am I doing the right thing with these activities to train his concentration and ability to complete a task? etc. etc." Daddy assured me that J seems to be loving his homework, and willing to do it, and that I am not pressuring J at all with the academic work that I am doing. Of course, I tend to see the places he needs to improve - for example, I think he should be more focused and last longer in an activity. Of course, he is still quite a typical boy, compared to girls his age, Daddy reminded me. And I trust Daddy's judgment more than anyone else.

Anyway, I am bringing back practical life activities, and going at a more relaxed pace with the academic (if I can help it)... I don't want to take away J's childhood at such a young age.

Montessori Activity: Pouring Water with Adult-Sized Jug/Hælde Vand/倒水 [dào shuǐ]

Age: From 3 years old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Objective(s): To train the child’s hand-eye coordination skill

Materials:

1. 1 adult-sized jug filled with some water
2. 1 cup
3. 1 tray (optional)

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your toddler by pouring the water from one jug into the other slowly and repeat.

2. Encourage and let your child try it.

3. Then demonstrate to your child by wiping the tray dry using the towel.

4. Encourage your child to try wiping.

Additional Information:

As mentioned in my other posts, J can't have enough of water play. Today 4 June 2012 (3Y2M30D), he planned his own water-based Montessori-inspired activity. He suggested to me that he wanted to fill the adult size jug with water and pour it into a cup. I allowed him to do so. J started pouring using kid's size jug, when he was 2 years old. The adult size jug was only filled with a little of water, so it wasn't too heavy for him to handle. He poured himself a cup of water, without any spillage. He then drank the water. He repeated this a few times and started pouring water into the sink, as he could not stomach in all the water. He did well for this activity.

Montessori Activity: Pouring & Funneling "Milk"

Age: From 3 years old

Activity Duration: 5 - 15 minutes

Objectives:

1. Fine motor skills
2. Hand-eye coordination
3. To learn and practice how to pour milk in a mess-free environment until the skill is perfected
4. To learn how to open the opening of the milk carton

Materials:

1. 1 milk carton filled with water
2. 1 cup
3. 1 funnel
4. 1 tray
5. 1 cloth for drying

Directions:

1. Show your child how to hold the milk carton to pour out the "milk" into the cup.

2. Show your child how to pour the "milk" back into the carton using the funnel.

3. Show your child how to wipe the spilled "milk".

4. Invite your child to try.

Additional Information:

Part of the morning routine is for J to prepare his own breakfast. He is getting better at pouring his own milk, but occasionally he still spills. This is a way for him to practice pouring milk until the skill is perfected. In this way, I am not afraid of spillage, and he can practice and practice without wasting the real milk.

J (2Y10M27D)  tried this activity today. Initially, he wanted to do something else, following pre-school wise, I have decided that sometimes mommy makes the choice, and I said that this would be his Montessori activity today. Initially he protested, but then he enjoyed practicing so much that he still wanted to continue when the time is up. Here is the point of departure I take from Montessori - totally following the child and giving the child choices. It is alright to give the child choices, but within limits and sometimes mommy knows best.

Montessori Activity: Teaching Counting & Numeral Recognition with Cups & Counters

Idea from Teach Me to Do It Myself

Age: From 2.5 years old (Level 4)

Activity Duration: 5 - 10 minutes

Objectives:
1. To teach counting in a simple, logical and systematic way that can be grasped by toddlers.

Materials:
1. 55 marbles (or counters, buttons, coins, pebbles, stones, etc.)

2. 10 cups

3. Numeral cards from 1-10

Directions:
1. Point to 1 and ask your child to put that number of marbles into the cup above the card for 1.

2. Repeat for all the other numerals.

Note:
If you notice that your child has put in an incorrect number of marbles into a cup, do not correct him on the spot. When he has completed the activity, say, "Let's check that we have the right number of marbles in the cups." When you are counting together, allow him to discover that he has made an error in his counting.

Additional Information:
Joshua tried this on 10.10.2011 (2Y7M5D). He was more focus with scooping the marbles into the cups than putting the correct number of marbles into the cups... well...

Montessori Activity: Pouring & Funneling "Milk"

Age: From 2.5 years old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s): To train the child’s hand-eye coordination skill

Materials:

1. 1 milk packet recyled
2. 1 funnel
3. 1 - 2 cups
4. Water (half filled in one of the jug)
5. 1 small towel (to wipe dry the tray)
6. 1 tray or stand

Directions:

1. Show your child how to pour the "milk" from the packet into the cup.

2. Encourage your child to try.

3. Demonstrate to your child by pouring the water from the cup through the funnel into the milk packet slowly and repeat.

4. Encourage and let your child try it.

Additional Information:

J started to practice pouring water when he was 2 years old, and he is very good at pouring water from jug now. He pours himself water during snack time. However, it is more difficult to pour milk from a packet into a cup and J also got tired of pouring activities, since it is no longer challenging. I recycled the milk packet and let him practice pouring "milk". He (2Y5M22D) did well today. I think I will let him practice a little more, before I allow him to pour himself real milk from the milk packet. This activity costs almost nothing, and brings a lot of fun and self-fulfillment to the child, knowing that he can pour himself a cup of "milk" for himself.

Montessori Activity: Pouring Rice/Hælde Ris/倒米 [dào mi]

Age: From 1.5 years old.

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train the child’s fine motor skills - also pincer grip when picking up spilled rice.
2. To teach the concept of empty and full.

Materials:

1. 2 cups (preferably identical)

2. Rice in one of the cup

3. 1 Tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your child by pouring rice from the cup on right hand side into the cup on the left hand side.

2. Encourage and let your child try it.

Special Warning:

1. Supervise closely with the dried beans and don’t start with a toddler who is still mouthing. Remove and store away immediately after activity.

Additional Information:

J has been pouring water into cups for sometime now, and has been doing it beautifully without spilling. So I thought that this activity of pouring rice would be easy and no challenge for him. Today, J (2Y4M23D) tried this activity for the first time. To my great surprise, he wasn't very good at it. He kept spilling the rice in the beginning, and poured it in an awkward position, unlike the perfect position he used when pouring water. The picture position was after a few attempts. This tells me that when a child is able to pour liquid does not mean that the child is able to pour solid. I hope to repeat this activity again until he perfects it or he gets totally tired of it.

Montessori Activity: Self-Service Drinking Water Station for Toddlers

Adapted from Hapalab

Age: From 2.5 years old

Objective(s):

1. To teach independence skills
2. To train eye-hand coordination skills with pouring

Items:

1. 1 water jug filled with drinking water
2. 1 cup
3. 1 small towel for wiping
4. 1 tray

Additional Information:

J drinks only water and he has developed this habit of drinking lots of water during bedtime (ya, right, wish me well when I have to start night diaper-free training!!). I have been getting him cups and cups of water all the time. Today, I thought why not let him pour himself a cup of water to drink? J started Montessori Practical Life pouring lessons when he was two years old, so I think he is ready to have a self-service drinking station now. Time to stop serving the little Emperor :-).

I found a spot in a corner of his bedroom and place this self-service drinking water station on low bedside table, so it is kid's size and very kid's friendly :-) J (2Y4M1D) poured himself the first cup of water this evening. He is good at pouring, but not so good at stopping. I had to stop him from overflowing the water. Ya, I know I should have just let him learn from his mistake, and interupt less. Afterall, I have provided him the wiping towel.

So from this evening onwards, there will be less work for me (hmmm... maybe not yet, I would still probably have to help him with the wiping off the water), and more fun for him, hurray! It sure does get easier, as he grows older and can do more and more things on his own :-)

I intend to introduce another self-service water station in his playroom or near our kitchen soon.

References:

http://hapalab.blogspot.com/2011/02/agua.html

Montessori Activity: Pouring Beans/Hælde Bønner/倒豆豆 [dào dòu dòu]

Age: From 1.5 years old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train the child’s fine motor skills - also pincer grip when picking up spilled beans.
2. To teach counting.
3. To teach the concept of empty and full.

Materials:

1. 2 cups (preferably identical)

2. Dried red beans or any other beans filled in one of the cup (I use dried black beans here).

3. 1 Tray (optional, I use the Lego lid as tray)

Directions:
1. Demonstrate to your child by pouring beans from the jug on right hand side into the jug on the left hand side.

2. Encourage and let your child try it.

Special Warning:

1. Supervise closely with the dried beans and don’t start with a toddler who is still mouthing. Remove and store away immediately after activity.

Total Cost: plastic cups very cheaply from IKEA.

Additional Information:

Usually you start with this activity before proceeding to pouring water, as it is easier than pouring water. J is very good in pouring water, when I tried it yesterday for the first time. Thus, in a way, he does not need to do this activity, except for the fun of it. I wish I have started this earlier for him, but better late than never.

While playing this game this morning, I discovered the Mandarin words that he now knows, "hai you, mei you le, hai yao, etc." meaning there is more there, no more already, all empty, I still want to play. While counting the spilled beans, Joshua counted them by himself, "yi, er, san, si" meaning one, two, three, four beans. But he stopped there. Thus, it gave me clue that my next Mandarin lesson will concentrate on the number 4 and 5 :-)

References:

http://montessorihelper.com/montessori-bean-pouring-lesson-activity/