One of the best and most productive learning methods for children is the Montessori method which includes independence, hands-on, and self-directed activity. It comprises the following activities:-
Montessori Activities List:
According to different age ranges, activities lists are different. As a confident father of a 7-year-old boy and a 5-year-old daughter, I followed the activities to make my children learn a lot of things-
Responsibility In Practical Life: For this, I encouraged my children to take responsibility for dusting, sweeping, doing up their study room, helping in cooking, and other household chores in which they took really much interest.
Biological Tasks: I presented them with plant and animal classifications, three-part cards, and a small garden for study.
Sounds Of Words: Before me, they read out stories and I sometimes taught them how to pronounce some words correctly.
Advanced Math Solutions: I urged my children to work on addition, multiplication, and subtraction. I helped them with number tiles and bead bars.
Sentence Framing: For this, my children used Montessori- related grammar symbols to frame and analyze sentences.
Tasks On Geography: Regarding this, I supplied my children with various maps and flags and asked them to explore them and identify them with countries.
Montessori Sensorial Activities List:
The Montessori sensorial activities list is meant for applying and refining the five senses – taste, smell, touch, sight, and sound. I followed the following Montessori sensorial activities that my children nicely adopted. They are:-
Tactile( Touch) :
- A. Perceiving different textures to detect rough and smooth surfaces.
- Matching fabrics of cotton, velvet, silk, etc.
- C. Feeling bottles, filled water, or other things of different temperatures.
Sight:
- Sorting Geometric shapes like squares, triangles, and rectangle for shape recognition.
B . Matching tablets or objects of various colors for developing color discrimination.
C . Stacking cubes from largest to smallest to understand shape and dimensions.
Auditory( Sound) :
- Playing with bells of different or same sizes and pitches to match them by sound.
- Matching sound cylinders for sensing the loudness and the softness of sound.
C . Shaking bottles, filled with rice, sand, pebbles, and marbles to detect different sounds.
Olfactory( Smell) :
- Smelling jars, filled with lemons, lavender, cinnamon, cardamoms, etc for identification.
- Smelling fresh herbs or spices to familiarize with various aromas.
Gustatory( Taste) :
- Providing foods that are familiar, in small amounts to identify sweet, salty, bitter, sour, or pungent.
- Identifying foods with the same or different flavors by taste.
Montessori EPL Activities List:
Here EPL means exercises of practical life activities. These EPLs focus on concentration, fine motor skills, self-reliance, etc. Under my guidance, my children performed the following activities:
(a ) Household organization.
(b) Shoe polishing
(c) Making salad ( under my supervision).
(d) Arranging flowers
(f) Taking care of pets
(g) Gardening tasks
(h) Laundry care
(i) Counting coins
(j) Doing up the study room
(k) Washing bathroom
Montessori Cultural Activities List:
Montessori activities consist of different Montessori cultural activities that acquaint children with history, geography, arts, science, etc which I pursued and urged my 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter to grasp as much as they could.
Here is the list:-
History-
1 . Personal timeline – I encouraged my children to make their timeline with events that they faced in life.
- Weekly/ monthly activities – I asked my children to pay heed to activities that would teach them cycles of days, weeks, and months.
Geography –
- Land and Water – I taught my children various water and landforms on sand, clay, and water trays.
- Flags of countries – I showed my children flags of different countries and told them their traits.
- Maps and globe – I introduced them to their maps and the globe to recognize countries, continents, oceans, seas, forests, etc.
Arts & Music –
1 . Musical instruments – I asked my children to explore music and instruments from around the world and listen to the types and rhythms.
- Art appreciation cards – I presented to my children world-famous artworks and artists and discussed their techniques, colors, and styles.
Science-
1 . Animal Classification Cards – I showed them various animals and informed them of their Classifications, habits, and habitats.
- Botany Puzzle Cards- I used botany puzzle cards to make my children learn about plants, flowers, fruits, leaves, etc.
- Natural Phenomena- I tried simple hands-on science experiments in which my children explored plants, seeds, water-cycle, etc.
Montessori Language Activities List:
Montessori language activities stress a hands-on and multisensory approach. As a confident father, I pursued this and made my children perform these under no pressure. Some such activities are:-
- Reading Comprehension Activities: I gave my children a passage and asked them to answer various types of questions.
- Sentence Framing: My children practiced sentence structures and parsing for analytical ideas.
- Grammartical Idea: I introduced to them parts of speech and helped them to detect them in passages.
- Story-Making Cards: I supplied them with story sequencing cards and asked him to arrange them properly.
Montessori Activities At Home:
I tried some of the Montessori activities with my children at home to build independence refine motor skills and develop concentration and self-confidence.
- Building A Model– I gave my children building blocks or other materials to make a model. It encouraged their creativity.
- Nature Hunt- I also accompanied my children to our garden so that they could collect vegetables, fruits, and other natural things.
- Easy Safe Cooking– I involved my children in making snacks preparing salad or garnishing a plate of food.
Montessori Activities In The Classroom:
Undoubtedly, Montessori activities encourage learning through hands-on activities.
My children who are 7 & 5 now learning a lot of things in the classroom through a Montessori-inspired way.
I state here some common classroom activities:-
Sensorial Activities –
(a) Color tablets for matching colors, exploring shades, and enhancing visual sensitivity.
(b) Sound cylinders for distinguishing sounds when shaken to refine auditory development.
Practical Life Activities –
(a) Courteous Manners :
Introduction of oneself to others by saying polite words like’ please’, ‘ thank you ‘, ‘ welcome ‘ etc.
(b) Care Of Environment :
Sweeping, watering plants, and washing tables for developing responsibility and coordination.
(c) Pouring And Scooping: Transferring water, rice, and pulses to develop motor skills.
Language Activities:
(a) Object and word matching for enhancing vocabulary.
(b) Sandpaper letters to learn letter shapes and sounds while fingering them.
Mathematical Activities:
(a) Golden beads for learning units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.
(b) Colored rods to help children learn quantities and counting from 1 to 100.
Cultural And Scientific Activities:
(a) Maps on water/landforms to learn geography.
(b) Matching Cards with scientific images and learning their names.
(c) Exploration of natural objects like plants, animals, and insects through pictorial set-ups.
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