Montessori Activities 1 year old

In the past few months we’ve made a very conscious effort in exposing Baby S to activities that align with the Montessori philosophy. I’ll try to post the associated details one each activity soon. But at a high level, we try to do things that fall into some of these categories below. I’m sure almost anything you do with a kid can be categorized however, rather than dumping a bunch of toys out for Baby S to play, we pick and choose 1 or 2 things that we can actually do together. Then there are a few things he can do on his own (busy play) while I try to get something done in the house and of course there is always stuff for him to explore around the house on his own since we have created a very child proof environment. There are many activities a 1 year old can do, it’s just a matter of setting things up ahead of time so they are ready to go when they’re awake and ready to play!Sensory Play – this really allows them to touch, feel, smell and use their senses. The idea is to expose them to a variety of natural materials, scents etc vs just the same old plastic toys.Gutted a PumpkinPlaydoughPicking Pinecones

• Discovery Bottles
• No mess painting

Fine Motor Skills –  their tiny hands and fingers are capable of doing so much! We often limit them because we are so worried about all the hazards. But with the proper supervision and the right items their tiny hands can be put to work to pinch, grip and grab.

• Pipe cleaners in colander & spice shaker
• Ribbon through colander
• Picking up rice

Life Skills  – As the quote says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” –Maimonides. As much as I would love to do everything for my kid, I also know how important it is for him to learn these things for himself so that he can be self sufficient. Kids really are sponges. They copy everything we do. Good and bad. They also understand a lot more than we think. Just talking and explaining to Baby S simple motions has allowed him to make some great associations. I told him a few times what a comb was used for and before I knew it, he was showing me what to do with a comb. On some days I feel like he’s teaching me how to fish instead of the other way around.

• Recognizing what a comb is used for (11 months)
• Climbing up & down the stairs (since 9 months)
• Throwing laundry in the basket (13 months)
• Throwing trash in the basket (13 months)
• Climbing on sofa w/o help (12 months)
• Eating with a spoon (11 months)
• Drinking from a cup (10 months)
• Cleaning the floor with a rag (13 months)

Developmental – Report cards, homework and school is a long while away (even though time seems to be flying) however, I already see Baby S trying to solve problems through his puzzles, through language and through other associations. I know all of this is just the foundation of how he will continue to process new information in the future.

• Recognizing objects in books
• Puzzles
• Associating objects to words
• Responding to verbal cues

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