Maria Montessori’s approach in the field of learning for children is simply noteworthy. The only need is to follow the child’s lead and help them explore the world – outside and inside. Here’s how I implemented Montessori activities for my 8-month-old infants.
Montessori Activities For An 8 Month Old At Home-
Here I share with you some ideas for an 8-month-old in Montessori- motivated environment at home.
As I did them very easily you too can adopt them for your child obviously under your supervision.
Sensory Baskets: I filled some baskets with interesting but safe toys, balls, wooden blocks, and fabrics for my children to explore independently.
Water Play: At home, I offered my babies water mats or containers with shallow water to exercise by splashing or playing with water-proof toys.
Mirror Play: In the home atmosphere I fixed an unbreakable mirror around their play area to explore their body movements and facial expressions.
Sensory Bottles: At home, I arranged some bottles and filled them with colored water, glitter, and little beads for my children so that they could shake them and feel the changes and sounds.
High Contrast Pictures: I offered my children some high-contrast pictures at home so that the pictures the pictures helped them to develop their sense of colors and beauty.
These were all homely Montessori activities for my 8-month-old infants.
Montessori Ideas For An 8 Month Old –
I followed some straightforward ideas for my children and they are as follows:
- Offering them sensory things like safe toys, water, play dough, and rattles to help them explore independently.
- Providing them with a well-fixed low shelf with toys and colorful objects that they could explore independently.
- Making a simple low obstacle in their play zone to encourage them to move this way and that way to overcome them.
- Setting up a crawling track for my children to navigate.
- Arrange tummy time for them to move to and fro and stretch on a safe soft surface.
Sensory Activities For An 8 Month Old At Home: –
An eight-month-old child is found to be extra inquisitive and mine were no exception.
Such being the case, I followed the sensory Montessori activities which were conducive for my 8-month-old infants.
- Sensory Baskets– I gave my children some baskets, filled with toys of different textures, fabrics, and wooden articles and encouraged them to explore them with their own hands.
- Visual Activity-I hung up colorful toys and pictures of high contrast in the play zone of my babies so that they could visually stimulate my babies and react likewise.
- Outing- I was accustomed to taking my children in a baby- carrier to stimulate their sense of sound, sight, and smell especially in nature.
Free Activities For An 8 Month Old At Home:-
- Tummy Time- Moving on a soft blanket for exploration.
- Music Time- Playing baby songs or rhymes or soft instrumental songs to sense sounds and rhythm.
- Peek-a-Boo:- I used to cover my face with my hands or a cloth and then exposed my face to my children to develop their understanding.
- Mirror Play Time:- Sitting before a big safe mirror and making various types of movements, especially facial, to help my babies enjoy them and try to interact.
Food For An 8 Month Old-
As one of the activities for an 8-month-old is feeding, I considered it with much seriousness.
In a playful mood or sing-song manner, I provided my children with the following food items.
In doing so, I always bore in mind that my children were moving from liquid to solid foods though breast milk was necessary for wholesome nutrition.
Some foods are –
- Vegetables ( boiled) – Sweet potatoes, peas, etc.
- Fruits ( Pureed) – apples, bananas, etc.
- Grains ( Cooked) – rice, oatmeal etc.
- Protins(mashed/ pureed) – Tofu, lentils etc.
I did not give them any chunk food items or thick liquid that might choke. Moreover, I always kept in contact with an experienced pediatrician for guidance.
What To Teach An 8 Month Old?
While engaging my 8-month-old child in Montessori activities, I did not apply strict educational methods to teach because here teaching was not in its true sense.
Rather, I adopted all Montessori-inspired ideas in a sporting, loving way. Hence, I focused on sensory activities with interesting but safe toys.
I encouraged them to move on a smooth surface for motor skills.
Even I urged them to go for sensory baskets to explore various things of different textures, colors, and shapes.
I, also, used sign language like ‘eat’, ‘more’, ‘ play’ ‘walk’ etc. to indicate many things to my children. Thus, I tried to make them understand how to grasp various things.
Above all, I talked to them a lot to indicate many things to understand.
What To Do With An 8 Month Old All Day?
Here I summarize for quick understanding about what to do with an 8-month-old all-day-
- Peek-A-Boo to encourage interaction
- Tummy Time to develop children’s muscles and motor skills
- Music Time to create a sense of sound and rhythm.
- Sensory Time to explore various things
- Mirror Play Time to create a sense of reflection and movements on the mirror
- Visual Activity to point to contrast colorful pictures.
- Outing Time to explore and stimulate senses of sight, sound, and smell
- Water Play Time to create a sense of liquid and to splash.
FAQ
How Do You Play With An 8 Month Old?
In a Montessori- inspired atmosphere you can play Peek-a-boo, music, and softball with your child. Besides, you can engage your child in exploring toys and other articles, mirror play, playing with stacking cups, listening to soft music, and the like.
How Do You Keep Your Child Busy?
In a Montessori-inspired environment, you can create a play zone for your child busy with sensory exploration, tummy time, mirror play, picture-book showing, listening to soft music, etc.
Sumanta De is an educator. He has been teaching students for more than 16 years following the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. He has a 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter.
He is nurturing his children abiding by the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. His passion for Montessori methods goes beyond the classroom.
Hence, he shares his experiences and insights through a dedicated Montessori blog and a YouTube channel under the name “NewChild Montessori”. He aims to offer valuable guidance to both parents and educators.
Education: M.A. English, Masters in Child Psychology & Bachelor’s Degree in Montessori Teachers Training