Tuesday, September 1

Toddler Montessori Shelf

I recently created a toddler corner in our Montessori room. My daughter will be 2 in October and until now I have been rotating two activities on a shelf in our living area. Lately, she has wanted to be in our Montessori room so much that we had to change to a doorknob with a lock because the childproof handle no longer works on her. Here are the activities I have put on a long low shelf in the room.


Transferring water with a sponge. Not new for her, but still interesting and needed, as she continues to want to and tries to clean tables in the house. Before starting I fill one bowl with a small amount of water and she uses an apron.


Open and Closing. I discovered she is more interested in it when I put these dolls inside. Each container has a doll and she says "Night, night" as she closes them.


She really enjoys these stacker pegs and peg board made by the company Lauri. Pegs are great for this age group and she will sit and use these for a longer length of time than other activities.


She also has been introduced to getting out a rug for every activity and placing all activities on a rug. The rug defines her space as her own and keeps materials from getting lost or stepped on. She puts it on the floor and I usually unroll and roll it for now, but her initiating it's use is progress enough.

I am working on some materials for the second shelf . With any age, a child starting out does not need too much on the shelves. Too many activities is over stimulating. Activities can be added little by little and removed as mastered. The focus right now is the work cycle of getting out a rug, choosing an activity, using it, and returning it to the shelf. The goal is with each use the attention span lengthens and concentration grows. Allowing her to choose her activities is also important. Self-motivation is one of the fundamental skills needed to be a successful learner.

9 comments:

Laura said...

I have a daughter that turned 2 on Monday - she really enjoys Montessori "work" more than toys. Great posts!

Becky said...

I love your toddler activities. How often do you recommend rotating the activities for this age group?

Nicole said...

Love these toddler posts - my youngest is 18 months and I'm so unsure as to when I should begin with him! Any words of wisdom would be appreciated. :)

Nina said...

I love learning about all your ideas. Thanks.

2 little seeds- The Montessori Potential said...

I must get some of those pegs! Thanks for sharing all of your toddler activities. I wish I could have all activities in their own room behind a closed door! Having to have them in the living-room and not always being able to observe and "help" when she pulls an activity off of the shelf is sometimes counterproductive. Someday, someday...

SmartPumpkin'sMom said...

Wonderful!

Amy said...

KoKo's Mom: Once the activity is mastered, and no longer a challenge, I remove it. Also,if it is on the shelf for two weeks or so and not used then I would remove it and try again in few more weeks. Since we don't use the room on daily basis yet, I will leave them out longer.

Amy said...

Nicole- your Montessori work with your kids is great! I just checked out your blog and it looks wonderful. Experiment with what works for your youngest and you. Maybe a bit of time daily doing a few activities or putting out a few things that can be done independently? I try to have two activities that can be done independently (like pegs) on a shelf available at all times (rotating every few weeks) and then the ones that need direct supervision are available for when we both have the opportunity a couple of times a week.

Regina @ Chalk In My Pocket said...

Hi there!

I've just discovered your blog and I'm loving everything I'm reading...I'm especially excited that our daughters are born the same month (Oct 9) so I can follow along easily with the activities you're currently trying!

Thanks for the great blog, I've just subscribed so I won't miss a thing!
Regina