Enrichment for life
Smart Steps Montessori LLC. All Rights Reserved
Summertime Montessori-inspired activities
If you are wondering what you can do to combine learning and summer fun, look no further. We at Smart Steps Montessori organize activities that can benefit your child in years to come.
ALPHABET PLAY
Sandpaper letters are essential Montessori materials to build early literacy skills. They can be used in so many ways, Children can take letters around the yard and match them to objects. They can place the 't' by a tree, and a 'g' by the grass. Mix this activity up to provide more hours of play. We do a letter hunt, similar to an egg hunt, but instead of eggs, hide some of the letters around and give children a list of the missing letters to find and check off.
FAVORITE FOOD DAY
Children are introduced to activities that teach them about nutrition, where food comes from and how food helps them to grow, to see and touch fruits and vegetables, and then associate them with colors, shapes, sizes, taste and smell, they are helped in cutting it, the children enjoyed the color, taste and smell of the fruits.
MEASUREMENTS
Learn about different units of measure, how to measure things and different ways to measure solids and liquids.
HOW STUFF WORKS
Children are curious about everything and we at Smart Steps Montessori help them to understand how things work in real life. This gives them a simple understanding and a step up about how and why we use things and machines every day. This effort is to give them an overview of how stuff works.
NEEDLE ART
Sewing is a beautiful and valuable life skill. Manual dexterity is strengthened with weaving, and hand-eye coordination is improved.
Taking your weaving loom outdoors makes the process just that much more fun and natural. Use ribbons, flowers, and leaves to weave through the strings. Add in any found materials in your yard and craft drawer. There are large and small Montessori toy looms you could purchase for this project, or make a temporary one out of Popsicle sticks and string.
PUZZLE & LEGO DAY
We shall do different type of puzzles with children to enhance their ability to create logic. Working with Legos enhance their ability to create things. These activities help develop brain function and rational thinking.
GROW A GARDEN
It is vital to teach children to care for our environment. Gardening fosters a love and appreciation for nature, as well as develops the atheistic sense. Children can help plant, water, weed, and pick the fruits, vegetables, and flowers. It is amazing to see a seed become a plant. The gardening tools used are the right size for the height of the child.
CLAY WORK
The inspiration for clay models is all around. We take modeling clay on a tray outdoors. Have the child walk around and decide what they want to mold, and then let them create. Children can later paint his masterpiece if so desired.
SAND & WATER PLAY
Sand and water play is a classic activity that always entertains. We provide sea shells, figurines, small shovels, tools, whatever the child desire. Pour the substances into containers, dig through the sand, splash in the water, hours of educational play !
BUBBLE DAY
Blowing bubbles in different shapes using bubble machine. Beautiful colors fascinate children and they love to play with them, watch them and poke them.
SEA EXPLORATION
The sand, the waves, the sun. The most amazing part of the ocean is the incredible sea creatures. To learn more about sea life, we print off pictures of sea life and name labels for each creature. Place the sea creature figurines in a small bowl. Place the cards, labels, and bow of sea creature figurines on a tray. Your child can match the figurines and labels to the cards. Add in a set of tongs to move the figurines to the pictures for transferring practice, and a sea life book to learn more about the creatures. Children can even draw the creatures and write their names in a notebook as an extension activity.
BASIC WOODWORKING
A practical life activity like wood working is often overlooked. Even a child as young as three can learn to work with tools. Children can practice driving nails into a board or large stump with an appropriately sized hammer. An older child can build a bird house.There are a variety of toys and materials, especially for children, to hone in on wood working skills. Of course, we make sure to take appropriate precautions including eye protection and supervision during wood working activities.
LifeCYCLE of INSECTS
We teach and discuss lifecycle of different insects like butterflies, ladybugs, grasshoppers etc. To give them a overview about life of mother nature.
LISTENING SKILLS & FOCUS
Good listening skills are vital, and children who have developed this skill are more apt to follow directions, focus, interact respectfully with adults and peers, and contribute to a positive learning environment. Listening skills are an important aspect of appropriate classroom behavior. We practice these skills as a part of daily routine so that it becomes second nature for children.
AMI certified montessori director since 1991