10 Tips for Montessori Activities
The importance of immersing children in the wonders of nature and the great outdoors could not be made more apparent by our innate connection with nature.
Our well-being, mood, and endeavors will always be directly tied to nature. And it’s important for children to realize this, to take part in Mother Earth’s classroom, so to speak.
The Montessori program is just one of the reputable educational institutions in the world that places importance on outdoor activities for toddlers.
The program has extensively studied the best activities that will not only be enjoyable for toddlers but will enrich them as well with nature’s help.
If you are a parent yourself and are looking for inspiration about outdoor activities you can do with your child, then we highly suggest you consider following the tips inspired by Montessori outdoor activities we have outlined here.
Montessori Outdoor Activities Tips
- Start doing gardening.
Nothing compares to the feeling of having grown and harvested one’s own produce or watch a flower bloom after months of taking care of it.
Letting your child grow his own fruits and vegetables early on will teach important survival skills early on. Having them water the plants regularly will also establish a good sense of responsibility.
- Go to the beach and start identifying different animals and sea creatures.
This is, of course, especially applicable if it’s the summer and the beaches are brimming with life and activity. Start hunting for the local fauna. Chances are high that the beach will have a list of local wildlife in the area.
You can even encourage them to draw the creatures that he sees. Afterward, you can do DIY projects together like recreating a portion of the beach and filling it with different animal toys to depict the ones that you saw during your trip.
- Take part in various seasonal activities available in parks in your area.
If there are wildlife parks accessible to you, you can always do any of the numerous Montessori activities that can be done in them depending on the season.
Besides collecting flowers, rocks, and sticks (an activity that toddlers just can’t enough of), you can try fishing or it could even be something as simple as planning a picnic or an outdoor tea party.
Make sure you assign responsibility to your toddler, though. It could be setting up the plates, utensils, and food.
- Go to a lake or mountain and just appreciate nature’s beauty.
Simply taking the time to drive to a reserve or park near you with an accessible lake or mountain that is open to family-friendly hikes will do. Nature welcomes everyone so openly and her beauty is just there to readily behold.
You don’t even have to do anything! Just sit there in silence and watch the view and listen to nature’s symphony. Without a doubt, this can relieve a lot of your stress as well.
- Conduct some science-related activities.
For example, you can fill any wide container with a bit of water then buy a couple of toy boats for your child. Sink and float will always be a solid science activity for toddlers, and it’s often better done in an outdoor setting for a more realistic experience.
While you are outdoors and near a lake, you can also teach them many science concepts like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Take a picture of the lake view with the sky included so you can explain it better.
- Use the objects he collected to make art.
Using the sticks, rocks, and flowers you’ve gathered, you can start encouraging his creative side by using these materials to create nature-inspired art. Have them arrange it into a pattern that captures his fancy, for instance, or paint the surfaces of flat rocks. The sky is virtually the limit when it comes to this Montessori activity.
- Practice walking on the line.
This is a Montessori outdoor activity that is specifically credited to the program as it promotes movement. It’s a simple activity with one clear mechanic: you have to ask your child to walk solely on the lines on the ground. It could be a hose line, chalk line, or deck line (pretty much any object that depicts a line, in short).
This activity improves the control of his movements and balance, too. And, in the end, it also does not have to be limited to a straight line! Even circles and ellipses will do.
- Make sure you get his math skills going, too.
Count the number of things you have collected while you were on your hike or nature walk. Have them group the flowers, rocks, pinecones, and leaves together then count them all one by one.
Use a marker to write the number next to each group or even tell whether the total is odd or even. Additionally, you can also bring some counting cards along to perform simple addition and subtraction on the spot.
- Go for a nature walk to look for inspiration for arts and crafts you can do.
Check out the flowers blooming in the area, for example, then you can start mimicking the look of the flowers with your own paper mache project. Let your child take in the variety in color, the innate beauty of the blooms. The art you craft together will undoubtedly leave an important imprint in his mind that he will treasure for life.
- Do chores outside.
Even tasks like washing clothes can be done outdoors as a family. The same can be said for cleaning the yard or windows from the outside. Even the simple act of sweeping around the house can already do wonders for your child’s overall development.
Conclusion
Maria Montessori, the founder of the Montessori program, has always advocated the need for children to have a close relationship with nature.
Children learn a lot with the use of their senses, and no other place better stimulates them than in nature’s bosom. You’ll soon find that the results speak for themselves once you start trying out the guidelines we’ve outlined above.
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