Montessori at Home: Shelfwork at 30 Months (2.5 Years)
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I recently started sharing what's on my son's shelf over on my Instagram account and thought more in-depth explanations of the work would be helpful! From here on out, I will refer to my son as "L." For some background, L attends virtual Montessori school through Guidepost Montessori. He has virtual class two days per week so we have a small "classroom" set up in our home. You absolutely do not need a space like this! Ours works for us because we have the room for it but it's by no means a requirement. You could even take some of these activities to use as part of a morning basket or add them where you keep your child's other toys.
We try to start every day with some structured "work" time. I refer to his activities as "work" because children tend to seek activities and play that fulfills an inner desire, many times requiring intense effort. Children find play to be immensely important, hence the term "work." His morning work cycles typically last between 45-90 minutes. Sometimes more or less depending on L's mood. At this age, I simply want him to enjoy his time. I don't force him to pick certain work and I don't make him work for any set amount of time. Outside of our homeschool/classroom activities, L has open-ended toys available, like trucks, blocks, a sensory table, and pretend play items.
Okay, now let's get into it! I'll share some of the activities from our practical life, language arts, math, and art shelves!
Practical Life
Rock Sorting
This work could be adapted in several ways. In this example, L is sorting rocks by size - big and small. You could change the object to match a shelf theme, for example, you could use leaves or acorns in the fall. You may also choose to change the property by which the child is sorting, i.e., color, shape, weight, etc. The last thing you may choose to add to this activity is a utensil. You could add tweezers or a spoon for extra challenge, though that wouldn't necessarily work with the rocks.
Pencil Sharpening
This is a great work for strengthening fine motor skills. It requires so much patience for L and it's pretty amazing to observe. The child needs to use both hands - one to hold the sharpener and one to hold/turn the pencil. If you aren't comfortable with the use of pencils, you may choose to start with crayons! Chunky utensils may be easier for the child to sharpen. The colored pencils here are thicker than normal. The small container and brush are used to clean the sharpener when the work is completed. This is L's favorite part! Here are the links for our pencil sharpener and colored pencils.
Lock and Key
I love this activity because it's versatile. There are so many different types of locks to try so you can keep the work interesting for the child. When first introducing, have the matching key with the lock. Once mastered, you may choose to keep the keys in a separate dish to further challenge the child as they would then have to find the appropriate key for each lock. This set of lock and keys is available for purchase here.
Lacing
This set was a find at our local grocery store, but I've linked a similar one here. For this activity, the child uses their fingers to work the shoelace through the holes. It requires concentration and encourages fine motor skill development. This is an excellent precursor to sewing with a needle, as seen in the next activity.
Sewing
This set is from The Analyst Play Kit from Lovevery. You can diy this material with a darning needle and thick cardstock, instructions here. Engaging in sewing activities enhances fine motor skills as little hands learn to manipulate needles, thread, and fabric. The process also fosters hand-eye coordination, as toddlers focus on aligning their movements with the task at hand.
Language Activities
Tracing (Pre-Writing)
Engaging in tracing exercises helps refine and strengthen fine motor skills as little hands learn to control movements while following the shapes and lines. This activity also aids in hand-eye coordination, as toddlers visually track their hand movements to stay within the lines. Tracing promotes the development of pre-writing skills by introducing them to basic shapes and patterns, laying a foundation for future writing abilities. This specific printable is from my friend Lauren, @joyofcreativeplay on Instagram. She sells Advent printables here!
Phonics Object Matching
This activity is sort of like a twist on the classic Montessori Sound Pouches. I would love to eventually make sound pouches for our home but this works for now! Note: this activity should only be used AFTER the child has worked with the sandpaper letters for the letters involved. To present this work, I take each sandpaper letter out of the tray and place them along the top of the table or work mat. I go through each one, tracing and pronouncing each letter sound. I then grab an item from the tray and name it, for example I would pick up the apple and say "apple" and accentuate the beginning sound, /a/. I then place the apple figurine under the "a" sandpaper letter. I would go through each item and repeat the same process, lining up each object in its appropriate column. You may then invite the child to do the activity independently. Our sandpaper letters are available for sale here.
Matching/Memory Cards
These are matching fruit cards from my NAMC Montessori Training. You can find 3-part cards and matching cards like these for free here. At this age, we use them for matching and memory games.
Compound Word Activity
My friend @homeandontheway made this resource and shared them with me to use! There are cards with different compound words and strips with images that make up each word. The child's job is to find the strip that matches the photo. For example, one strip features two images: butter and fly. The child would need to select that strip and match it with the butterfly photo. This one has been a huge hit!
Math Activities
Counting Ball Activity
This work features numbers and balls for counting. It's a favorite due to it's fine motor component - the tongs! L loves anything that involves a fine motor challenge so this is a good fit for him. The child is to put the appropriate number of balls in each number circle. (The other side of this work is a rainbow, which could be a great addition to a practical life shelf if you include a pair of tweezers or tongs!) You can find this material for sale here.
Number Mat with Counters
This work involves a mat with numbered columns and counters for the child to manipulate. Switching up the counters with fun seasonal items keeps this activity fresh and interesting. For example, you might include small pumpkin erasers in the fall! Right now I just have flat glass marbles on the shelf as counters.
Christmas Counting Clip Cards
These are awesome little cards from The Artisan Life! The goal is that the child counts the number of items, then places the clothespin on the coordinating number. It involves fine motor coordination as well as counting. The cute Christmas graphics are an added bonus!
Lovevery Peg Counting Activity
This work is from Lovevery. The child is to place the pegs in the holes (L usually counts out loud as he places them) then the knob on the right pulls out and the pegs fall down to be used again. It includes cards for numbers 1-10. This was L's favorite work for a few weeks after we received it! It makes counting fun as there's more to it than simply counting objects. You can purchase this Lovevery playkit here.
Christmas Ten Frame Counting
Another printable from The Artisan Life! L loves to place the counters on the presents before dragging them into the ten frame. He resets this work independently to repeat again and again. He's in the sensitive period for small objects so the small wooden counters are a favorite to work with!
Sandpaper Numbers
I have sandpaper numbers 1-3 out on the shelf right now. This one is not a work he frequently reaches for right now. He's more interested in counting manipulatives as opposed to focusing on abstract concepts like learning number symbols. For now, these will remain on the shelf and I know eventually he will be more interested as he gets closer to learning to write (we are not even close to being there yet!) These are a great material to pair with other work though for the time being! Occasionally we bring them out for matching. He encounters numbers frequently in daily life so he is at least passively absorbing some of the symbols! He's also only 2.5 years old so the symbols are in no way a focus at the moment. You can find them to purchase here.
Short Bead Stair
At this point, we are using the short bead stair during calendar time. We find the correct number coin for the day to place on the calendar (for example, on November 28 we find the "28" coin and place it on the calendar.) Next we grab the beads. Currently I help to guide L with the beads. He has no concept of what "20" means, so I ask him to find two 10-bars and the 8-bar. He knows the golden ones have 10 beads without counting them. He is then tasked with finding the bar with 8 beads. The beads will be used a lot more in the future as math learning picks up! That will likely be sometime between ages 3.5-4 so we still have time for casual learning like this! You can find them to buy here.
Sensorial Activities
Sound Cylinders
The Montessori sound cylinders are a tactile and auditory learning tool designed to refine a child's auditory discrimination skills. I only put 3 out for now as they get difficult if you have them all out at once! L is just beginning to work with these. I think any earlier than 2.5 years of age would be too early. The goal is for the child to match the cylinders based on sound. The material includes 12 cylinders (6 red and 6 blue) and the child must select one of each color, shake them to hear their sounds, and match them when they are the same. They include a control of error on the bottom - dots that will be the same color if correctly matched. He is able to discriminate between the sounds and it has been a joy to observe him working with them. You can purchase these here or I recommend trying a DIY option, especially if you aren't going to homeschool or use the material with multiple children. I love this DIY from Montessori From the Heart. Our set is from Alison's Montessori, linked here.
Touch & Match Board
This is such a fun one! Each circle has a different texture. The child is to feel the textures and match the pieces! I consider this to be very similar in principle to the classic Montessori fabric box. The fabric box is a set of fabric swatches, each featuring a different texture such as silk, velvet, cotton, or burlap. The child is encouraged to explore the fabrics using their hands, feeling the different textures and paying attention to the variations in smoothness, roughness, and thickness. They then match different fabrics based on feel. The only drawback to these materials is that the child could choose to match based on appearance rather than solely relying on their sense of touch. The solution for this is blind-folding, but we have never done that at home! We do own both the fabric box and this material. Both are currently on our sensorial shelf! This touch and match board can be purchased here.
Color Tablets
The Montessori color tablets are an integral component of the sensorial materials in Montessori education, designed to help children refine their ability to differentiate and categorize colors. We have Color Tablet Box 3, which includes the full set of tablets. This is an extremely versatile material and it will be used for many years to come! Right now, it's on the shelf as a grading material. The goal is for L to grade the blue and orange tablets (separately) from lightest to darkest. I started with 3 tablets of each color, but the box has 7 total tablets for each color. We DIY'd some of these to use as a matching work a little while ago using paint chips from the hardware store! Our tablet box is from Alison's Montessori, linked here.
Mystery Bag
The Montessori mystery bag is a versatile and engaging tool that fosters sensory exploration and hones a child's tactile discrimination skills. To use the Montessori mystery bag, an educator or parent places a variety of objects with distinct shapes, textures, or properties inside the bag without revealing them to the child. The child then reaches into the bag, without looking, to feel and explore the contents. Through this sensory experience, the child relies on their sense of touch to identify and describe the hidden objects. An extension that we love is including two objects that are the same and asking L to find the matching objects without looking! This has been on the shelf for a long time and it's one he frequently gravitates toward.
Knobbed Cylinders
The child is encouraged to explore the cylinders by placing them in their designated holes on a specially designed base. The task involves matching each knobbed cylinder to its corresponding hole, requiring precision and careful observation. This activity not only enhances a child's fine motor skills but also promotes hand-eye coordination and visual discrimination as they discern differences in size and shape. We have the mini set here. The full knobbed cylinder material that you'd find in the classroom has 10 cylinders. The set we have includes 4 different blocks with cylinders. When first introducing, only put one block out at a time. We have two out together now to add difficulty to the material since L mastered them individually. You can purchase the mini set here.
Art Shelf
Stamp Set
We have this stamp set from Melissa and Doug out currently on the art shelf. L likes to use it to make "stamp collages," which is essentially just using the stamps all on one page. You can find these stamps for purchase here.
Cutting Tray
This tray remains on the art shelf at all times. It includes paper, scissors, hole punches, and a small box for paper scraps. This tray is used every day. L loves using the scissors right now! These materials are available for purchase from my Amazon storefront, linked here!
Additional Art Work...
Also included on the art shelf is a paper tray with colored cardstock, watercolor paints and brushes, oil pastels, beeswax crayons, and tempera paint sticks. We also have an easel available for use with a chalkboard and whiteboard.
A Note About Play:
Not included on the shelves are blocks, yoto player, cars, trucks, sensory bins with kinetic sand and loose parts, puzzles, a dollhouse, dress up items, and a play couch. The focus of this blog was shelf work so that's why those activities were featured at length. L does play with other items as listed above!
Links for a lot of the activities/materials included here can be found on my Amazon storefront using the link below!
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