What you'll need: Pipe cleaners or RibbonWire baking or organization rack Getting Started: Weaving is a wonderful exercise for preschool children, as it teaches concentration and reinforces fine motor skills (particularly between the thumb and forefinger) that support their pre-writing skills.Weaving also helps to develop hand-eye coordination, and a sense of direction (up, down, over, under, top, bottom, right, and left) as children to use the visual information received to coordinate the movement of the hands.This activity also presents an opportunity to talk about how clothing, baskets, and other woven items are made. Explore your home together and identify woven items, or objects that could act as a loom, such as a baby gate or railing.To begin:• Locate a wire baking/cooling rack, or an organizational rack.• Collect pipe cleaners, string, or spare ribbon to use as your weaving materials. Note: Larger, easier to grasp, materials will be easier for young children and help prevent frustration.• Take time to first demonstrate threading the material over and under the rack wires, and/or alternate turns with your child until they fully grasp the activity• Encourage them to be creative, making patterns with the materials• Push the rows together to demonstrate how the loom works and fabrics are createdThis activity is meant to be an introduction to weaving; however as children become more proficient, they can move on to a circle or threaded loom to complete finished woven materials.   What it teaches: Fine Motor SkillsHand-Eye CoordinationFocus & ConcentrationDirection & TrackingCreativityn What you'll need: Pipe...

What you'll need: Bowl or basket with a thin rimSeveral clothespinsOptional: Scissors, cut out shapes or numbers (Download worksheet) Getting Started: This is an easy DIY Montessori activity to help children develop their pincer grasp, dexterity, concentration, and help wth small muscle development. It is also a wonderful activity for teaching children how to use clothespins—which are used in many Montessori practical life exercises. It is best for children 2½+ due of the muscle control required. Level One: Introducing Clothespins/Developing Pincer GraspSet up the pins around the rim of the container for your child. Encourage your child to remove the pins, demonstrating first how to squeeze and lift the pin vertically. Place the removed pins into the container.  Level Two:  Clothespin Placement and Small Muscle ControlStart the activity with the clothespins in the bowl or basket, and ask your child to clip the clothespins to the rim of the container. Observe how they initially choose to space the clothespins. Many children align them closely together. Level three: Placement and SpacingNext ask the child to space the pins evenly apart around the bowl to make a sunray pattern. Once they complete this task, you may then ask them to remove the pins back into the container and complete the activity again—this time spacing the clothespins evenly from the start. Level Three: Additional ItemsIf you want to challenge you child further, you can also cut out shapes or numbers and ask them to clip the items to the outside of the bowl. If...

   What you'll need: Toothpicks or StrawsCheese Shaker, Food Container with thin plastic lid, or Campbell's Soup Microwavable ContainerScissors Optional: Hole Punch (based on container chosen), pom-poms, flower stickers   Getting Started: Infants and toddlers learn about spatial relationships in a variety of ways— exploring objects with their hands and mouths, tracking objects and people visually, squeezing into tight spaces, fitting objects into openings, and looking at things from different perspectives. Children this age  also exhibit a high level of interest in solving problems. Channel their natural curiosity with this multi-age activity. Ages 15 mo. – 25+ mo. (based on your child's readiness)Place the lid of a Campbell's soup microwavable container (comes with the correct sized holes) over the empty soup container or bowl.  (You can also use an alternative container with thin plastic lid, and punch the correct sized holes.) Cut straws into appropriate lengths, so that they do not get jammed when dropped into the container. Allow children to explore the straws, insert them into the holes, and push them down into the container. Ages 2-3 years (based on your child's readiness)Cut the sharp tips off of 20-30 toothpicks. Using a cheese shaker, have children insert toothpicks into the openings of the shaker. For an alternate activity, glue pom-poms or cutout flowers to the head of the toothpick and have children "plant flowers."  IMPORTANT!  Please note, this activity may include choking hazard based on individual construction. It is intended to be done under the supervision of a caregiver. Do not...

What you'll need: 1 bag of color, shape buttons (Hobby Lobby)Sorting worksheet (download printable worksheet)1-3 pieces of paperPencil Getting Started: This adaptable activity helps reinforce colors and shapes while children practice sorting, matching, pattern making, and counting skills. Here are just two of the activities you can work through:Activity One: Lay out your worksheet and ask your child to match the buttons with the printed shapesEncourage them to make rows of one color, rainbow, or alternating patternsAsk you child to identify each shape and/or color Activity Two: Lay out paper and ask your child to sort the buttons into shape or color pilesAsk them to count how many buttons are in each pile and write the numbers next to the pileHave your child identify the highest, lowest, even or odd numbers   What it teaches: Fine motor skillsColor identificationShape identificationSorting skillsPattern makingCountingNumber identification