Is your toddler at the age stage of 1-3 years? Do not think that he is too young and you can neglect this. It is the appropriate time for a parent like you to go through a Montessori Guide. As a responsible parent, certainly, you are wondering about the best development of your child. This is the stage when the vocabulary and language of your dearer are growing rapidly.
Plus, he continues to refine his eye-hand coordination, gross motor movement, and so on. Montessori activities are enough to provide a new dimension to all these steps and ensure coordination to improve the development.
There are a ton of maria Montessori-inspired activities that will quickly be effective for their conscious absorbent mind. No more look further to find those! Take a look at our comprehensive Montessori guide for 1 to 3 years old toddlers to get plenty of easy and age-appropriate learning activities ideas that you can ensure at your home!
Let’s start!
Baby Milestones From 12-18 Months
This is the baby milestone that starts after the first birthday. Your toddlers start becoming more active and move ahead to more physical and mental growth. Thus the Montessori approach should be like that that will act as a support to their overall growth. The proper Montessori activities will allow them to be independent and explore surrounding things by themselves.
Above all, they start learning walking where Montessori will create lots of easiest options for quick learning. While walking, they try to free up their hands to explore and carry objects. By doing so the toddler can able to develop new gross motor skills by the side and all that will help to engage in practical life.
Anyway, besides all the strides in mobility, there is a good part of learning a language and solving problems in this stage. If you are with Montessori, the vast varieties of effective Montessori toys and activities will be enough to keep engaging your child in all the development in this age stage.
However, let’s explore the major Montessori activities for 12-18 months old toddlers:
Practical Life Activities
# Brushing Teeth
In the first step, let your baby learn how to brush their teeth by himself. This will not only make them independent but also help to develop their gross motor skills.
# Comb The Hair
Your baby should learn how to hold the comb from the earlier 1-year-old and start learning the way to brush the hair. It will encourage blood flow and a healthy scalp.
# Self Feeding
Allow your child to self-feeding, holding a spoon and fork. Also, let your toddler drink from the weaning glass. After eating, he or she will clean face and wipe mouth using napkins. This process will give them the chance to explore the food in different ways as well as develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
# Starting To Undress
Let your baby more and more participate in dressing. They will begin to learn how to undress, unzip their coat, push down their pants, pull off their shirt, and so on. Parents will be there as a guide to support their attempts at dressing and undressing.
# Peeling Bananas
Along with the room activities, let your toddler in various tasks relating to food preparation for his own. That would be so simple like stat from peeling bananas. Through this, he will learn about the food as well as help to achieve confidence about getting skills in kitchen activities in the future.
# Preparing Food
Here are some common kitchen activities that your toddler can participate in during the 12-18 months:
Easy Montessori At-Home Activities For 12-18 Months Old Toddlers [Montessori Guide for 12-18 Months Old Toddlers]
Well! Along with the practical life activities it is crucial to make sure a few major activities for your baby as Montessori suggests. Go through the list of Montessori-style home activities for babies 12-18 months old:
Pincer Grasp Block
This is the most popular Montessori-inspired toy grasp for babies, featuring pads of the fingers or the fingertips to hold tiny objects. Here basically the middle finger and thumb are used together to “pinch” or grasp an object.
It is an important motor skill that helps in many factors like self-feeding with fingers, holding pencils, buttoning and zipping dresses, and so on.
Ball Push Box
It is another popular Montessori toy suggested for 12-18 months old toddlers. The box features a few balls that are pushed down through the softly lined holes. By doing so, the baby can get the concept of object permanence. Also, it improves e hand-eye coordination, gross motor skill, and many more manipulative skills, that help to make them fit.
Walker wagon
As the baby at 12 months starts learning to walk thus a walker wagon will be much more effective in providing full support and safety. Your baby creeps and pulls up to stand. Then he will push and pull his body until taking a step. These push toys help a baby in many ways, especially in promoting the baby’s development for the most part.
Play dough play
Playdough play is the Montessori suggested element for around 15-18 months old toddlers. It offers not only fun and excitement for the baby but also helps to build fine motor skills and strengthen little fingers, hands and wrists. Plus, it allows babies and toddlers to inspire imaginative play.
Pop-up toy
When your baby is about 12-18 months, it is the perfect toy that you can provide your lovely little one. It has different buttons or knobs that have to be twisted or pushed. The toy acts as a problem solving for the child which is great for stimulating cognition. Plus, it will encourage fine motor skills and help to learn them cause-and-effect.
Velcro Block Dry
Playing with blocks after 1 year of passing is far more effective in developing various skills, like spatial awareness, math skills and many more critical skills, helpful for future school and life. Along with these vast benefits, the toy is best at entertaining your babies and toddlers.
A Low Swing
After 1 year, you can conveniently bring a low swing for your lovely one. Instead, you can build a low swing in the backyard of your home or any outdoor area. Rapid swinging allows a child to become independent and increases the alertness of the individual.
Pikler Arch
A Pilker triangle or arch is quite helpful for the proper growth of a baby that you can provide from the earlier 1-year-old. The triangle allows kids to climb, jump and slide, stimulating their physical and mental development. Also, you can interpret the frame in many different ways to bring more excitement and variety to your toddlers.
Baby Milestones From 18-24 Months
From 18-24 Months, a baby love to play and explore more and more from the surroundings. They usually expect more complex emotions and independency, and discover newer things by properly walking and learning languages.
Plus, toddlers at this age start to experience new emotions like anger, guilt, excitement, and even frustration. For example, they wish to be closer and closer to their parent or all the elders of the family. When they notice a bit lacking in their attention, a new possessiveness feeling arises among them.
In short, a toddler from 18 months begins to think new things and try to express their feeling through words. But you will find that their words might even have up-and-down tones. Along with learning, your toddler will be much more developed in their movement as well. They will properly start to run, walk up and down stairs or climb furniture with the help of others.
However, as a parent, you can be a big support to the overall development of your baby with the proper implementation of the Montessori activities. Here you can take a look at some of the major Montessori activities that are designed specifically for this period of development.
Practical Life Activities
First off, you need to introduce age-appropriate practical life activities when your toddler falls at 18 months. Wondering what are those? Have a short glimpse at the below listing:
# Placing dishes in the appropriate place
As for their first step, you can involve your child in kitchen activities. Start with very simple things. Place all the cups and plates of your baby near their reach of them. Allow your child to take the necessary elements of the cabinet on his own.
After using them, he will re-organize them into the cabinet in a proper way. This learning will be enough effective for a child to grab various organization skills as well as be self-dependent in the future.
# Washing dishes
This is the age when your toddler can go ahead to the sink and wash their plates on his own. Also, they will clean their tables and for this, keep a broom and rags in an accessible place. So that, your child can reach them and able to wipe up the tables easily.
# Cooking & Baking With Your Toddler
It may wonder you that you should bake or do the basic cooking in front of your lovely toddler. Also, you can encourage your child to help you in various activities. Start with very small like with a pinch of salt. In this way, your children will learn new skills in the kitchen that will be helpful for the rest of their lives.
# Toilet Learning
This is the stage when all the parents should develop an interest in their child getting the toilet. Toddlers from 18 months should learn the overall toiler-using process though it will be done under the supervision of the parents.
Generally, it will take a long time to teach this process about six months while the girls learn faster. It is an important step toward independence and self-sufficiency.
# Advanced meal preparation
If your toddler has already well skilled in basic kitchen actions, now you can invite them to the advanced preparation. For example, let them pour ingredients for pancakes, put food into the blender, whisk dry and wet items together, pour the food from the pan into the bowl, etc.
# Cleaning the windows
You can ask your child to clean the windows that reach them. Provide a spray bottle with water and rags to your toddler and let them wash windows and glasses.
Your child will take it as a fun opportunity to spray water. Plus, it will be an effective exercise for them that will help in developing fine and gross motor skills to the supreme level. Especially, when he will use their muscles to push and pull the window squeegee.
Easy Montessori At-Home Activities For 18-24 Months Old Toddlers [Montessori Guide for 18-24 Months Old Toddlers]
Here is the list of easy Montessori-inspired toys and activities, perfectly applicable for toddlers from 18 to 24 months of age:
Road Tape
As a parent of 2 years old young toddler first I would suggest a road tape for your child. I have experienced super simple but well effective activities with this Montessori-inspired toy. This is a roll of tape that looks like a road.
Your baby will create the plaster around the housing on their desired surfaces. It will be good practice for strengthening fine motor skills.
Bubble Bath
This is the second funniest thing that I always provide my child is bath foam. It helps my baby’s bath time more fun as well as helps to develop hand-eye coordination while he plays with bubbles. Besides, there are far more benefits that you can ensure from this bubble bath. Like:
- Learning cause and effect by splashing and pouring water from the bubbles
- Increase the vocabulary skills while a conversation between a parent and child during bath time.
- Increase engagement with the parent by using fragranced bath product
- Simulating baby senses through touch and smelling the bubbles.
Water Color Painting
You can bring non-toxic water colour paints having vibrant colors for your child. Your child will play and try to imitate what they are looking at surrounding by painting. It will work as a preschooler for your toddler by building creativity earlier. Also through painting, your child can easily spend hours in imaginative thinking and playing.
Scissor Practice
Your toddler from 2 years should practice scissor use. They will learn how to hold the scissor first. Then let them cut some soft and basic objects like paper or mud. In Montessori, it is the most effective activity for a toddler.
It straightens hand muscles as well as ensures the independent movement of each finger. Also, it promotes grasp patterns and develops fine motor skills like eye-hand coordination and finger dexterity
Dot Stickers
This is the easiest Montessori-inspired art activity that you can implement at your home for your lovely toddler. Simply write a few numbers or letters on the pieces of dots.
Now write the same number on a large piece of paper. Then lay out the paper on the floor and encourage your child to match and stick the dots letter on the large paper.
It is quite beneficial for a child for arm strength, fine motor development, and visual-spatial skills. Your toddler will be more focused on completing a task as well when he tries harder to cover each line with dots.
Yoga Card
Have you ever thought to inspire your lovely toddler in yoga from a young age? If not? Start now with a Montessori yoga card! It is much popular among parents who are cautious about their child in building strength and flexibility.
Yoga card is some cards that have designs on how you should stretch your body. While playing with yoga cards, your baby will start imitating each pose. It will not only build body awareness but lead to the development of social interaction skills.
Musical Instruments
Your baby should play with various musical instruments from 2 years. It will be a great benefit for them that simulates their senses. Plus, it will boss cognitive skills and promotes creativity when they will play musical instruments.
Discovery Basket
This is the most important Montessori-inspired treasure basket that should have in each house, especially for the 2 years old toddlers. Parents will gather various essential and vibrant objects like Whisks, fabric swatches, dolls, wooden spoons, scrubbing brushes, and ribbons in the basket.
Then he will ask the child to explore all kinds of objects. The baby will start touching and exploring a variety of objects within the basket. It will develop their concentration as well as strengthen hand/eye coordination
Baby Milestones From 2-3 years
This is the age when a toddler wants to raise in a group and introduce himself to new skills in many areas. They feel more importance of independence at this age with the strong feeling while attaching to others.
This age of the baby is referred to the emotional development. Here a baby goes through various types of emotional feelings in which Tantrums are common of them. This is because the toddler can’t express their feeling to others at all times and he feels harder to put words to strong emotions like frustration, anger, guilt, shame and so on.
Nevertheless, you will find your toddler to talk using short sentences when he is 2 years old. But at the age of 3, they become more confident in their word and use sentences of 3-5 words, or even more. ‘
Besides talking, you will notice major changes in their thinking as well. They can understand the difference between day and night or even the concept of similar to opposite.
Montessori can create all the arrangements and such environment for the child where they can independently accomplish things for himself. Even it helps them to develop a sense of accomplishment.
Here is the comprehensive list of Montessori-inspired activities that you can apply for your 2-3 years old toddler:
Preliminary Practical Life Activities
First up, let’s explore some basic activities that you can implement through the daily schedule of your toddler:
# Walking A Line
It would be the first recommended practical activity for 2-3 years old toddlers. It is like a full-body exercise that is far more helpful in developing poise and body control. Also, it refines muscular coordination, promotes cognitive development and increases body awareness. This activity is perfect for preschools as well.
# Moving Chair & Table
2-3 years –this is the age when the proper development of fine and gross motor skills is quite needed. Thus you can teach your child how to move and reorganize the chair and table but carefully. This is not only great for physical and Fine motor skills but also improves concentration and even helps to increase memory as well.
# Hanging & Fastening Washed Nappies
A toddler from 2 years can learn to hang the washed nappies with the use of the peg. This Montessori activity is great to teach the child about self-care. Also, it encourages a baby to be independent and build a sense of accomplishment with the short exercise of the hand and fingers.
# Pouring & Transferring Activities
Along with the 12-24 months, a child should involve in kitchen activity at 3 years old as well. They can perform various measuring, pouring, and transferring tasks with the help of the parent. This will help them to develop fine and gross motor skills and boost confidence that will work in the future.
# Opening & Closing Containers
From the 3 years, children can hold the container in hand. Plus they will try open and close the container. This will be the best exercise for their fingers. Basically, when children open and close the container, it will develop the muscles in their fingers.
Plus the toddler will achieve problem-solving skills when he encounters any problem while doing so and find out the solutions by himself.
# Self-care
Self-care is a crucial part of any human life that should start learning from the earlier stage. It will be best if you can develop these self-care skills in your child from 2 years old.
There are some basics that your child can start with like hand washing, cleaning under gingers, changing dresses regularly, regularly taking baths, brushing the teeth and hair, keeping himself neat and clean, and so on. All these self-care skill help to gain a sense of independence that will work out throughout life.
# Folding Clothes
Folding clothes is listed as one of the most effective Montessori activities for 3 years old toddlers that create independence and confidence among children. Also, it develops the find more skills and your child will gain the lesson of perfectness by folding the clothes properly.
Easy Montessori At-Home Activities For 2-3 Years Old Toddlers [Montessori Guide for 2-3 Years Old Toddlers]
Now go through the easily applicable Montessori at-home activities for your 2-3 years old toddlers:
Lacing Card
Lacing is the most popular Montessori inspires educational toy that is developed especially for young children or preschoolers. Here a child needs to pass a string through the various holes of the card. Besides fun, there are far more benefits that a child can gain from this activity:
Montessori Trays
It is the most essential part of Montessori education which is used in almost all Montessori schools. You can develop this tray at your home as well. This will be a wooden tray that combines all the needed Montessori toys or materials in perfect order.
Then the child will carry it to the mat and explore each of the materials. After playing they will put them back in order. It is great for a child that encourages independence as well as teaches the how to group items.
Multi-layer Puzzle
This is the most popular Montessori multi-layer puzzle, used for younger children. There will be a few layers of the puzzle in the board that need to reorganize according to the picture. This will be any type of animal picture.
A toddler can easily gather knowledge about animals and nature by playing with puzzles. Also, it develops fine motor skills, discovers creativity, and makes strong hand-eye coordination with the visual perception of the child.
Playdough Play
Playdough is the most beneficial fun activity in Montessori education. Playing with playdough helps the toddler to be an expert in hands-on activities. In this play, the children molds play dough into different shapes using their little fingers and hands. So strengthening the fingers and hand muscles through this play is quite obvious.
Besides it promotes a child’s attention, sense of order, independence, and creativity at a time. Plus the more your child will squish, roll, and flatter the mode, the more they can develop their fine motor skills by hand movement.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the basics of Montessori?
What is the Montessori method for toddlers?
What are the stages of learning in the Montessori approach?
In Bottom!
There is no chance of denying how it is important to provide a learning environment to a growing toddler that will encourage healthy development of him/her.
Every activity related to the child should quickly work to promote cognitive, emotional, social, and physical growth in rapid mode. Our well-proven Montessori guide for 1 to 3 years has included some of the best activities that you can easily implement at home at an affordable cost.
Well! That’s all from us here! After thoroughly reading expect that there should be no confusion left over on your mind! Thanks for being with us!