Who does not know the "Montessori Method"? A method that allows children to grow while developing their autonomy, being responsible, and experimenting.The Montessori approach relies on providing lessons and activities to the child using the least amount of explanation and combining pictures and illustrations and a lot of movement and exploration. The child must know how to focus, and this ability is developed through training to focus on matters.In light of the closure of primary schools and kindergartens, there is a need to occupy children's times and direct their energies with all that is new and useful, instead of the constant quarrels among them, or the loss of time sleeping and watching TV or smart devices. In the following article, discover 10 of Montessori activities to entertain children, especially in containment.

1. Montessori activity 1: Do the laundry

Take baby clothes and prepare two basins on a small table. Fill the first with lukewarm water and detergent to three quarters, and the second with lukewarm water for rinsing. Then take the time to dissect each action; we soak it in the basin of washing powder, rub it, rinse it in the basin of clear water, wring it out, and hang it on a wire with clothespins to dry it.

2. Montessori activity 2: Peeling vegetables and making bread

From the age of 2, cooking is an excellent way to develop fine motor skills in children. “We start by peeling hard-boiled eggs, peeling certain fruits, such as bananas with our hands, and then slicing the latter with a butter knife,” suggests the Montessori trainer.If you want to tackle a recipe, bread making is ideal for those over 3 years old. In practice, the adult prepares the ingredients beforehand, and then the children pour them one by one into a salad bowl and knead the dough with their hands. This activity has the same benefits as playing dough, namely to develop the muscles necessary for the work of writing and graphics.

3. Montessori activity 3: Open and close padlocks

Place three padlocks of different shapes and sizes with their keys in a basket. Before starting the activity, take the time to name the materials your child sees and ask if they know how to use them. Then explain the goal of the game to him. Namely, find the key that corresponds to each padlock to open it. Show him once how to do it with slow movements and in silence. Then let him explore as much as he wants. It is by repeating the operation that he will gain in concentration, agility, and self-confidence.

4. Montessori activity 4: The letter photo

This exercise helps the child learn and use the alphabet. He takes his first steps in learning to read.Prepare a grid on a large sheet of paper by writing a letter of the alphabet in each box. Write them in three ways: upper case, lower case, and script, show the tray to the child, and read each letter with him to follow the alphabet.Then move on to magazines. The goal is to find objects, animals, and items that the child likes. Let him cut them out and then place them on the board in the box corresponding to the first letter of the word. To guide the child in learning about the letters of the alphabet, invite the child to listen to the sound that the pronunciation of the word makes to identify the letter. A silent letter? Take a separate sheet of paper and write the entire subject word underlining the silent letter. Finally, to complete the alphabet, help him find a picture for each letter. You can explain to him how the whole word is written. When the activity is complete, fold the tray and store the cutout images in the envelope. You can reuse these images and the board next time.Related: Remaining focused and motivated while practicing social distancing

5. Montessori activity 5: Touch different textures

Between 0 and 12 months, touch gives the infant information about the world around him. Montessori pedagogy invites in this way to multiply the different textures with which the baby can be in contact. Avoid giving him only plastic games vary with wooden objects, rope, a metal cup, or wicker. The older ones, 3 to 6 years old, can help you fold the laundry; they will feel valued to help you, and it is a good way to discover the different textiles: cotton, terry cloth, linen…

6. Montessori activity 6: The memory game

Your 4-year-old can count. Great! But does he manage to associate a number with a quantity? To be sure, put tickets numbered 0-10 in a basket and offer to take one. Then ask him to fetch the quantity of objects equal to the number written on the paper. Repeat until there are no more tickets in the basket. You can play this game by clapping your hands twice, six times, eight times, to match a number with a quantity of actions and not just objects. One way to bring maths into your everyday life, like nothing.

7. Montessori activity 7: Classification of animals

Montessori pedagogy encourages children with real imaginations from the age of 3; how do astronauts live in space, what was everyday life like in the Middle Ages or even in the savannah? It's a necessary psychological escape during confinement to help them satisfy their curiosity, associations, and sorting of images and figurines work very well. Animals, adored by children, lend themselves to this enormously and can be sorted in an almost infinite way by continent, hairiness, species, diet ...

8. Montessori activity 8: The odor lottery

From birth, the baby guides and secures himself in his environment, thanks to odors. Later, around 3 years old, he discovers others and thus learn to recognize them. This is the purpose of scent bottles. You isolate the characteristic you want to present to the child, an aromatic herb, for example, and you hide its visual aspect by inserting it in a cleaned drinking yogurt bottle. We then fix a compress with an elastic band and invite the little one to feel. The exercise is also available as a scent lottery, where the little one must associate scent and image.

Originally published on Live Positively.