Montessori Activity: Ladling Pasta

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.

Materials:

1. 2 buckets, one filled with dried pasta
2. 1 ladle
3. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your toddler by ladling the pasta from one bucket to another.

2. Encourage and let your child try it.

Cost: 

Ladle 5 DKK (1.15 SGD) from Søstrene
Big Bucket (20 DKK) from Netto

Additional Information:

Baby FECS (1y4m22d) shown a lot of eagerness to use the spoon during meal time. She refuses to eat, if we don't give her two bowls, so she can scoop food from one bowl to another. Out of meal time, here is a structured way for her to practice her accuracy by scooping the pasta from one bowl to another.

Montessori Activity: Ladling

Age: From 1 year old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s): 

1. To train the child’s fine motor skills.

Materials:
1. 2 buckets, one filled with water
2. 1 ladle
3. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your toddler by ladling the water from the big buket to the small bucket.

2. Encourage and let your child try it.

Additional Information:

I noticed that C likes to ladle with her spoon from one bowl to another during meal time. Thus, I decided to let her try this activity. C (1Y1M21D) tried this activity for the first time today. She enjoyed it very much.

Montessori Activity: Spelling Own Name with Pasta Sensory Tub & Letter Magnets

Age: 3 years old

Objective(s): To provide a fun way to teach spelling.

Materials:
1. 2 sets of letter magnets spelling the child's name, e.g. J, O, S, H, U, A for our child
2. Whiteboard
3. 4 packets of pasta
4. 1 transparent tub (I use transparent Smartbox 40 x 30 x 19cm)
5. Some cup, spoons, scope, etc.

Directions:
1. Spell your child's name, e.g. Joshua, on the whiteboard.

2. Hide another set of each letter magnet of J, O, S,H, U, A in a big tub full of dried pasta.

3. Tell your child to his name is hidden in the tub and invite him to have fun dishing it out.

4. While he is digging and finding, you can sing or say, "Where is letter a, where is letter a? Please come out, please come out" for example.

5. After he has found all the letters, ask him to say its name and pronounce its sound.

6. Ask him to place the respective letter that spell his name underneath the Joshua magnetic word already placed on the white board.

Additional Information:
You don't have to use pasta. You can also use rice, beans, etc. as base for the sensory tub. If you are not a fan of sensory tub, you can also put the letter magnets in an envelope each and hide them around the house for your child to find. Then ask your child to hunt for them, each letter making up his name.

Here is a great video by Momtessori on the sounds of letters.

Joshua isn't so keen in learning letters. So, I tried this idea today. Joshua enjoyed playing with the sensory tub. He was more interested in scooping the pasta out, than saying the sound of the letter after finding it. But at least he did did one round of repeating the sound of all the letters after me, and sub-consciously, I hope that he has learned something, while having fun. I have to be patient and allow him to play the way he likes, rather than the plan I have in mind. He wanted to use some of the letters to make a face instead, although I had intended the letters to form his name. This is how it is with children. It hardly ever go perfectly according to plan. But the good thing is that some learning has taken place.

Joshua chose the letter o for the eyes, and we made a face instead

I love to use transparent storage boxes for sensory tubs. I am using a Scandinavian brand, but you can find very good ones and the rest of the materials from Amazon:

Heritage Education: Through Pretend Play - Making Danish Rice Pudding Risengrød

Age: From 2.5 years old

Materials:
1. 1 bowl of rice
2. 1 toy pot
3. 1 ladle or spoon
4. 1 toy stove

Additional Information:
Joshua saw me cooking Danish rice pudding risengrød recently, and this morning he got inspired and cooked it by himself on his own stove.

He asked me to help him to open the container, and then he poured the rice all himself into the pot and started cooking his risengrød. He was very good and did a good job. I did not have to worry that he would abuse the rice and mess up the whole place.

I look forward to the day he will be helping out to make risengrød in our kitchen, just like his cousin Casper.

Montessori Activity: Sorting Fruits & Vegetables by Colour

Age: From 1.5 year old

Activity Duration: 5 - 15 minutes

Materials:
1. Some toys fruits and vegetables of different colours - red, orange, yellow and green.
2. 1 tong or ladle
3. 4 glass jars
4. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Demonstrate by sorting a fruit or two according to colours, naming the colour of the fruit/vegetable as you go along.

2. Encourage your child to try.

Additional Information:
Perhaps the developmental window period of sorting is over now for J since he was 1.5 year old, when he loved sorting. J had long lost interest with sorting activities. But I was busy and did not have the time to prepare other Montessori activities. To my surprise, he was very happy with this activity and repeated it within a day or two, which never happened with sorting activities now. I think it was because he loves pretend play-kitchen and food!

Montessori Activity: Scooping Pasta

Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train the child’s fine motor skills.

Materials:

1. 2 pots or containers
2. 1 ladle
3. A handful of pasta
4. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your toddler by scoping the pasta from one pot to another.
2. Encourage and let your child try it.

Additional Information:

J (2Y5M22D) tried this today for 15 minutes and he enjoyed it.

Montessori Activity: Ladling

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.

Materials:

1. 2 buckets, one filled with water
2. 1 ladle
3. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your toddler by ladling the water from the big buket to the small bucket.

2. Encourage and let your child try it.

Cost: 

Ladle 5 DKK (1.15 SGD) from Søstrene
Big Bucket (20 DKK) from Netto

Additional Information:

J asked to do Montessori after dinner during bath time. So I took out beans and let him ladle, but he didn't want it. Then I took out containers with lids, and he also didn't want it. AARRRGGGHHH!!! (I need to think of ways to make containers with lids interesting again, as I think he can do with more practice).

He (2Y5M4D) asked for activities with water. So I tried this, and it as a hit. He loves the metal buckets. There is something very cute and attractive about these buckets, that I think would attract most children.

Updates: Baby FECS' turn with Montessori :-)

8 July 2017 (1Y1M22D)