Many facets of education are involved when considering indoor activities for Montessori preschool children. Maria Montessori believed all activities should be child directed and that they should be involved in hands-on learning. Activities, or works, should be self-correcting so that children may quickly learn from their mistakes and move on. Many works are sensorial in nature and foster independence.
Your local Montessori Preschool in Winnetka has based its curriculum around these principles to best enhance the educational adventure of children. What better way to extend that adventure than to offer activities at home that reflect the same core Montessori principles? Expand your children’s learning with self-directed, sensorial rich, fun-filled, weather-proof indoor activities.
Seasonal Tree Art
White, Red, Green, and yellow paint perfectly represent the changing seasons of a tree when applied with a q-tip. Using four copies of a bare tree template, apply white paint in dots to represent snowfall, red for spring leaves, green for summer, and yellow for fall. Capturing the season cycles for a tree will engage children in nature study and aid in the development of fine motor skills.
Go On An Animal Hunt
Want the excitement of going on safari without leaving the house? Place small plastic animals in the cups of a muffin tin and cover with rice. Allow children to join in the hunt but, as a greater adventure, have them guess the animal by touch before retrieving it from the rice. This activity builds eye-hand coordination and exploring through touch.
Flower Arranging
Some practical activities are more pleasurable than others! Give your child the opportunity to decorate the dinner table by providing a small vase with a handful of flowers or greenery. With rounded scissors, children can improve their cutting skills while adjusting the flowers to the desired height. A small measuring cup half filled with water provides an opportunity for pouring. Don’t forget a hand towel so they can tidy up any stray drips.
Paint Chip Match
Paint chips are free and come in every imaginable color! At a local paint store, choose two each of four different paint chips. Punch a hole in each color using a shaped hole punch (star, heart, square, etc.) down the side of your paint chip. Attach the punched shape to the pincher end of a clothespin with glue. Allow your children to match the punched shape to the unpunched paint chips and attach by clothespin. Grasping, pinching, and sorting skills are involved in this fun activity.
Enjoy Montessori inspired indoor activities with your children rain or shine. Step back and watch them grow!
Valor Montessori Prep’s mission is to preserve and enhance the educational journey of a child. Contact us to learn more about our curriculum and programs.