Montessori homeschool : activities with baking pans
During our halftime homeschooling adventures, we do a lot of Montessori inspired activities. Usually right after breakfast, still in our pyjamas, we sit at the kitchen table and we take on the letters and the numbers. I want my daughter to feel like we’re playing, creating and discovering, so I usually use the playful approach to learning.
Here are two activities that look like a great fun for a child ( while secretly, are learning situations). I don’t know about your kids, but as soon as I take any baking gear out, for them it’s a party! So here I use baking sheets and muffin tins, for sorting and convenience. And for captivating my preschooler’s attention obviously 😉
This first one is a counting activity that also develops fine motor skills.
What you’ll need :
Muffin tin
Scraps of paper
Small objects:
pom-poms and pipe cleaners cut in pieces
Write numbers ( up to 12) on paper scraps and place them in muffin tins. Then let your preschooler match exact number of small objects ( like our pom-poms and pipe cleaners) with correct number.
Encourage your child to count aloud with you every time they fill another tin with tiny objects. At the end of this activity my daughter finally stopped forgetting the umber 4, so for us it was a success.
Now this one is using a baking sheet in order to prevent all of the small pieces of paper to end up on the floor ( nobody here wants that, right? I don’t know about you, but me, I’m usually planning our activities around one simple rule: is it going to end up as a huge mess?). Oh, and also to interest my preschooler.
So, this activity is an invitation to create. With a baking sheet full of shapes, piece of paper and a glue your child has only one instruction : make something. It can be an animal, a bug or a car. Or a monster. Sky is the limit. So here, apart from developing imagination and creativity, your child will also advance their fine motor skills. And you might get a 30 minutes of calm. ( it’s a win-win!)
What you’ll need :
Baking sheet
Colourful crafting paper
White sheet of paper
Scissors
Glue
Cut the crafting paper in to different shapes: circles, half-circles, triangles and rectangulars. Keep the size diversified, so your child can have a choice of shapes and sizes.
Talk to your child while they assemble their creature; ask them what is it, where can it live, what does it eat. If they are making an object, ask them what’s the use for it, and who can use it.
And what are your favourite playful homeschool activities?
