Hellobee

This is a guest post by Kylie of How We Montessori.

~~~

My children love it when I create new activities for them, and I love it when I can create an activity using materials we already have. Here are five Montessori activities using recycled materials or items you may have in your home. If you don’t have any mini craft sticks, pom poms or pipe cleaners, think about buying some. They are fantastic, versatile materials to have in your craft box.

DIY Coin Box

Wooden coin boxes can be purchased from Montessori stores, but this DIY is cheap and easy.

Materials required: Recycled yogurt container, tokens and X-Acto knife.

Directions: Remove the label from a yogurt container and using an X-Acto knife, cut a thin rectangle a little wider than the tokens out of the lid. Put the lid back on the container and present this to the child with a basket of tokens. Children love to use the tokens as coins and post them into the container.

Threading activity with a recycled container

Materials required: Recycled container with removable plastic lid, mini craft sticks and drill.

Remove or cover the label of the recycled container. Remove the lid from the container and drill through approximately five holes. Holes can be created using a nail and a hammer if you don’t have a drill. Put the lid back on the container and present this to the child with a collection of mini craft sticks. The child can thread the mini craft sticks in the holes in the lid of the container.

Posting pom poms into cardboard tubes

This is a good activity to do on the side of kitchen cabinet.

Materials required: Recycled cardboard tubes, pom poms and masking tape.

Directions: Tape one or more cardboard tubes to the side of a cabinet. If taping two or more, ensure the ends are almost touching so the pom pom can slide from one to the next. Present the child with a couple of pom poms. The child can post the pom poms into the cardboard tube and watch them appear at the other end.

Threading activity with pipe cleaners

Materials required: Pipe cleaners and a colander.

Directions: Place the colander upside-down and present the child with a bowl of pipe cleaners. The child can thread the pipe cleaners into the holes of the colander.

Scooping ping pong (table tennis) balls

Materials required: Large bowl, small bucket, water, a towel, ping pong (table tennis) balls and slotted spoon or Chinese wire spoon.

Directions: Place the towel on the floor. Fill the large bowl about half way with water. Place the balls on the water. The child can use the slotted spoon to scoop up and collect the floating balls and place them into the spare bucket.

These activities are great for developing coordination and concentration. If your child doesn’t get the activity, try to demonstrate first. Your child may need you to show them what to do. You can make a game out of it by taking in turns. Most of all, we want these activities to be fun and enjoyable!