Transferring activities are the basis of Montessori pedagogy. They are among the activities toddlers most love. Transferring means moving something from one container to another and repeating the action over and over. It also involves emptying, filling, spilling, etc. In the Montessori pedagogy, these kinds of activities can be defined as preparatory activities to practical life activities but they are also considered sensory activities. Daniela Valente, in her book “How to release the potential in your child” explains in detail what decanting means: “Decanting is a typical activit ..read more

Today I want to talk about an educational toy, a Montessori box set for toddlers that I came across while I was in a bookshop in Pistoia, the Italian city I come from. I used this activity, during my work as a private educator, with a sixteenth month boy. I can tell you with confidence that he loved it, and still likes it a lot even now (he is almost two years old). The name of this line of educational toys bought in Italy is “I Piccoli Montessori”. Moreover, there is also the French edition, it’s called “Tout-petit Montessori“ in case your family is bi-lingual or someone speaks French to you ..read more

Christmas is coming! What better project to do with your children than making a fun Santa Claus craft?! Are you ready? Let’s start and do it together. Supplies: – A glue stick  – A pair of scissors – Googly eyes – A paint brush – Some glue dots – A paper plate – A sheet of red cardstock – A red pom pom  – Some cotton balls – A white sheet of paper – A piece of Christmas ribbon Instructions:  1) Cut out all the Santa Claus’ elements following the sample below. So cut out the paper plate to make the face, the red cardstock to make a triangle hat and a rectangular white piec ..read more

What better idea for our children to learn about the winter season and learn the names of the polar animals, if not that of making a cool winter animals tray? The wonderful thing about this activity is that it’s very flexible. You can use the materials that you like the most or that you already have at home, so there are literally endless options! Furthermore, this winter tray will provide the perfect opportunity for kids to learn about animals who live in very chilly climates. Supplies: – A tray – Polystyrene to make the snow (but you can use any other material that you have on hand, such ..read more

Inspired by Montessori Here is another original idea on how to make a DIY Montessori Inspired Recycled Opening and Closing Board. Does your little child get frustrated when he or she can’t open bottles, jars and containers? If so, I will show you how to make an original DIY Montessori Inspired Recycled Opening and Closing Board for your toddler! This activity will certainly help your child learn how to open and close any type of bottle or container. Keeping this in mind, this is a type of Montessori Practical Life Activity that you can easily do at home using recycled materials that you h ..read more

EDUCATION MEANS A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO LIFE Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) is one of the most important holistic thinker and philosopher of the 20th century. During his life, he stressed the importance of a holistic education that is the only type of education that allows our children or students to be intelligent, free, and responsabile. To better understand what Krishnamurti means by holistic education, I suggest watching the next video (Saanen 1984 – Question #3 from Question & Answer Meeting #2 ), in which Krishnamurti responds to the following answer: “How can we educate our children ..read more

If you’re looking for a simple cooking activity, here’s a quick Christmas cookies recipe (but not only for Christmas)   Cooking is surely one of the activities most loved by children. It is a sensory and creative activity that stimulates both their independence and their need to feel useful. It also helps develop concentration and fine motor skills refinement. Furthermore these activities help the child to become independent, increasing their sense of self and their autonomy. It can be considered a kind of Practical Life activity, which was so dear to Maria Montessori. By doing hous ..read more

Christmas is coming! What better project to do with your children than making a fun Santa Claus craft?! Are you ready? Let’s start and do it together. Supplies: – A glue stick  – A pair of scissors – Googly eyes – A paint brush – Some glue dots – A paper plate – A sheet of red cardstock – A red pom pom  – Some cotton balls – A white sheet of paper – A piece of Christmas ribbon Instructions:  1) Cut out all the Santa Claus’ elements following the sample below. So cut out the paper plate to make the face, the red cardstock to make a triangle hat and a rectangular white piec ..read more

Christmas is just around the corner!!! What better way to celebrate it than by making a Penguin Christmas Craft with your children!   Let’s start! Supplies: – A Penguin Christmas template (you can download a free printable template that I created here ) – A paper plate – Some black cardstock – Some glue dots – A glue stick – Googly eyes – A small paint brush – A pair of scissors – A piece of Christmas ribbon – Some cotton – Some gold, round stickers – An orange EVA foam sheet – A felt red wool ball / One red pom pom wool Instructions:  1) Download our Christmas Pengui ..read more

Welcome Mr Hedgehog! A super cute craft for toddlers and preschoolers to make with autumn leaves. Let’s start! Supplies: – A pair of scissors – A sheet of cardstock – PVA glue – A glue stick – A paint brush – Googly eyes – A pom pom – Autumn leaves Instructions: 1) Download and print the hedgehog printable Template. 2) Cut it out and trace it onto a sheet of cardstock. Then cut it out . 3) Choose nice autumns leaves and glue them very carefully onto the cardstock, using PVA glue and a paint brush. 4) Then glue the googly eye and the pom pom nose with the glue stick. Have a lot of fun ..read more