[ElsieLC]

Any suggestions on web sites to read about things I can do at home with a 1 y.o.? Many of the sites I've found have detailed instructions for working with 2.5 y.o.s, but those are too advanced for my DD. What are realistic activities for this age? One of the other threads mentioned 1 y.o.s cleaning up messes. She "helps" with the laundry but that's about all I've figured out how to get her involved with. Before I attended Montessori preschool myself, my mother made her own M. materials to use with me, but I think I was a little older.

 

[KBecks]

I'd just recommend reading together a lot.

 

[nkm1968]

There are a lot of cool activities in the Michael Olaf 0-3 Montessori catalogue called Joyful Child..........

 

[ElsieLC]

Thanks for the suggestions. We do read together all the time and I'm looking to branch out. I looked at the Michael Olaf catalog but it groups together 0-3 and 1-3, and I can picture DD doing many of the activities a year from now.

Any other ideas for a 1 y.o.? Looking to integrate more work for her in daily life. Or at least things that are interesting for her; I think she's bored a lot.

 

[MattBronsil]

A lot of changes happen at 1 years old. How many months is she?

 

[ElsieLC]

She is 14 months old. She can do a little stacking, but hasn't worked out crayons yet. Adores looking at books by herself or with an adult, sings to herself. Starting to crawl into things, put things into containers on her own.

 

[MattBronsil]

It sounds like you have a lot for her to do. You know she likes to put things into containers, so have a lot of toys in containers. Show her how to dump them out them refill the container. It's as boring as CNN for an adult, but exciting for infants and toddlers.

:

Lay a matress on the floor that she can climb on when she is tired.

See if she can drink from a shot glass (give her milk, not tequilla).

 

[MattBronsil]

One other thing- you'll see a big explosion into language. Keep giving her the noun names of everything she goes for.

 

[ElsieLC]

Thanks for all the info, sounds like we're on track. Will remember the tip about the tequila

 

[MattBronsil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElsieLC Thanks for all the info, sounds like we're on track. Will remember the tip about the tequila

No matter how much he begs -
No matter how much he cries -
Do NOT feed him the worm after midnight.

Or was that a Mexican magwai?

 

[Miss Information]

Poker chips and one of those plastic coffee cans with a slit cut into the lid. I think folgers with the red container and the gold lid works best.

Dd3 loved putting them and hearing them clink at the bottom.

Those large pom-poms and and tongs and some baskets work nicely too

http://growinginpeace.wordpress.com/...ri-activities/

Scroll towards the bottom for what I mean.

Did you check out Chasing Cheerios blog? Lots of great toddler activities

 

[wrzos]

I've seen a variation on the poker chip thing - a restaurant tall shaker container and colored thin sticks that fit inside. My neighbor made one and the kids (hers and both of mine) all have LOVED it.

 

[Violet2]

These are not Montessori per se but 1 is such a hard age I thought you might like them anyway

--playsilks get a lot of use in our house
--lots of finger play songs (DD can do almost all the finger movements for 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed, some of the eensy weensy spider, patty cake etc... I really like the Wee Sing finger play cd)
--we stack blocks and knock them over
--we do simple puzzles togehter
--the xylophone gets a lot of use
--pull toys

It's a hard age. It's tough to fill the days with things to do!

V

 

[Lillianna]

Even at the young age of 1, the child benefits from being involved in the rhythms of the home life. Involve your child in cooking, washing, folding, sweeping, eating, reading, dancing, yoga, and walking. Share your interests and talents.

I like this one:
http://www.thetoddlertutor.com/home.html

Also: Understanding the Human Being: The Importance of the First Three Years of Life by Silvano Montanaro (who worked closely with Dr. M)

 

[ElsieLC]

The poker chips in the coffee can have been a big hit. A bonus for me is that if DD is playing with it in the next room, I can keep track of her because of the noise!

 

[onyxravnos]

'helping' wash dishes is also good. talk to her! let her exsplore everything and anything. let her get dirty and messy. I don't know if its very montessori-ish but homemade play dough for squishing is fun.

 

[chekhovgirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrzos I've seen a variation on the poker chip thing - a restaurant tall shaker container and colored thin sticks that fit inside. My neighbor made one and the kids (hers and both of mine) all have LOVED it.

This takes up a bit more room, but in DS's infant class they kids loved having one of those big water bottles for a water cooler and they'd put those plastic cat balls that have bells inside them inside the container. They'd put them inside and empty them over and over again. Plus, they love picking up the "heavy" container.

Simple puzzles are good, start with a circle, go to square next, etc. Also, take a look at some of the Montessori infant/toddler materials, they can be replicated with cheaper or found materials quite easily.

Activities DS also liked at that age:

Painting with water on a rock. Get a medium sized rock that will turn dark when painted with water and put a very small amount of water in a glass with a paintbrush.

Flower arranging- putting flowers into vases (they can be fake flowers or made out of tissue paper).

Pouring, pouring, pouring. Two decent sized pitchers and some type of small dried bean or lentils- depends on what your child will put in their mouth.

One bingo marker to use on paper

Objects in a bag- they get to pull them out and see what's inside. These items could be themed in some way.

Water play! You can do a bowl filled with water that has some fake fish in it and use a small fish net or some type of slotted spoon to try and scoop out the fish. I think when this is done as a standing activity with the bowl on a small table it's less likely for the child to get water everywhere.

Sweeping- crumple up some pieces of paper into balls and put them in a bucket. Tape a square on the floor. The child gets to pour the balls on the floor, then gather them into the square to then sweep into the dustpan and pour back into the bucket (this may be a bit of an older activity)

Hope those ideas help!

 

[chekhovgirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElsieLC The poker chips in the coffee can have been a big hit. A bonus for me is that if DD is playing with it in the next room, I can keep track of her because of the noise!

I recently found some gift boxes that were cylindrical (about the size of a coffee can). For one of them I put a hole in the top so a ball could be dropped inside and cut a window out of the side of the box so DS could see the ball drop and then pull it out.

DS is a older, but I also did another can/box like this that had a slit in the top to put a coin inside- he really likes that one.

 

[skolbut]

If you have a swiffer sweeper you can take off part of the handle so it's short and kid-sized for your dd to use. Let her dust off tables or chairs with a soft cloth or wash walls with a damp one. Painting with water (mentioned by a pp) is good too bc it's easy cleanup. Washing dishes or toys (the more bubbles in the water the better!) or just playing in the sink is fun. Waving flashlights around in rooms with different lighting (or just turning them on and off). Using a dustbuster to get real or invisible things vacuumed up. Depending on your climate, help rake leaves/shovel snow/sprinkle salt or sand/rake grass clippings. If you don't have child size rakes or shovels she can use her hands to put the stuff in a bucket and dump it where you'd like (depending on how coordinated she is at a year). Practice dressing/undressing, doing zippers and buttons. Dumping ingredients into a bowl and mixing them (make a baby-friendly trail mix with dried fruit, coconut, cheerios, etc.).

 

[delfin]

Hello All!!

I have an adorable, curious, sweet little boy, 15 months. He's doing so much! I observe him, and I want to offer him apropiate activities to do....
I'm a montessori guide (that's how we are called in spanish, i can't get used to "directress") at the 6-9 level. I don't have lots of experience, i did my 1st practice year as an assistant and then baby came.
My question is...how do I approach a presentation with my little toddler? This is so funny, I got this sorting material (not a classical M one, but something i found interesting) and try to introduce him to it, he started throwing the little rings in the air, and grabed two of them and got going!
I, of course, didn't make an issue of it, let him go, and slowly, one by one, started to pick up.
I was laughing at myself, because i had my idea of him being fascinated by the activity and taking part in it and it was not like that...and it;s Ok!
Then i began wondering...how is this done?how do they work with this age group? i never had much contact with kids this young before i had my own, so i feel so clueless.
I remember taking pictures in the school i used to work, the infants community functioning so smoothly, the kids engaged in something, sitting at the table, sewing!! I can't imagine how the guides get to that point!!
Now i live in another country, so i can't go to the school and ask coworkers....and i'm still waiting for my books to be sent

any of the veteran M people can shed some light on my cluelesness?