Welcome to the Montessori N' Such Blog. Each week we will bring you some fresh ideas for your classroom along with some suggested lessons and a free printable worksheet. The newsletters will build upon each other and will give you relatable lesson plans, topics and discussions to spark conversations in your school and ignite the joy of learning in the classroom.
Whether your school has a separate toddler classroom or simply has toddlers in every classroom, special thought needs to be taken when preparing for the youngest members of the children’s house. One of the major focuses of toddler development is both gross motor and fine motor development.
Gross Motor Development
Toddlers are just beginning to feel confident in their ability to move around the classroom. Their bodies are working hard to develop the necessary muscle strengthen to walk, run, jump, and sit with ease. Here are a few things you can do to provide extra opportunities for your toddlers to gain confidence in their ability to move.
Morning meeting time can be a great place to introduce various movement activities through song and dance. Simple songs like the “hokey pokey” help children understand how to balance, move their bodies, and practice learning their body parts and directional vocabulary.
Sensory play in the water table or on the playground is another wonderful way to incorporate gross motor and fine motor activity into your classroom. Keep the play inviting by offering various tools to use such as the dirt and sand driller , twisty droppers, or clay hammering.
Fine Motor Development
As toddlers begin to feel more comfortable in their bodies, they begin to focus on tiny objects. Throughout this sensitive period for small objects, the smallest members of your classroom can continue to develop their fine motor skills.
By using various works in the classroom like the knobbed cylinders and scissors, a toddler begins to understand how to use their hands effectively to perform small, controlled movements. Promote the strengthening of their hand through the use of knobbed puzzles. These puzzles can have a variety of themes from farm animals and vehicles to kitchen items. By teaching the child how to grasp the knob on each puzzle piece, they will continually strengthen the fine motor movements needed for future academic pursuits.
Sorting objects by color is another valuable work for toddlers. Because this is a tricky skill for younger minds, keep the sorting activity simple. Be certain that there is only one variable that is different when sorting. This control of error will help toddlers understand how to problem solve on their own in order to find the correct answer. This week’s worksheet is a wonderful sorting activity that teaches toddlers gross motor, fine motor, and observational skills. It can be an individual or group lesson.
Visual discrimination is the introduction to language and mathematical development for the young child. As toddlers become more confident in sorting, advanced activities are necessary to keep the student engaged. The interactive tactile matching board with two variables color and texture matching is a perfect
activity. This high quality wooden puzzle is one that can span all ages from 12 months to 3 years. If you are looking for a toddler work that meets several learning objectives the Nuts and Bolts Count and Twist Shapes is the perfect activity. The older student can work on both fine motor development with twisting on the different pieces, while also discovering counting and shape discrimination and vocabulary.
Whether your school has a separate toddler classroom or simply has toddlers in every classroom, special thought needs to be taken when preparing for the youngest members of the children’s house. One of the major focuses of toddler development is both gross motor and fine motor development.
