It’s probably the teacher in me, but I love a good theme. I try to keep our main shelf work interest and development-based from month to month, but I also like to add in some themed works. Sometimes they are seasonal and sometimes the themes are interest-based as well. Currently, Asher has been having some fun with fall-themed trays. Fall is my favorite season and I love that it provides so many possibilities for exploration and learning! Here are a few of our Montessori-inspired fall activities he’s been enjoying at 2 years and 5 months (and a link to a free download included below):
Apple Punching and Pasting-
This has been a favorite this month. When Asher found my corner punch a few weeks ago and instantly tried to start punching paper with it, I knew I needed to set-up a work for him that involved paper-punching. This apple punch provides the perfect amount of fine-motor challenge for him. He loves punching the paper, emptying the apples into the bowl, and then pasting them onto the tree pictures. I used an empty nail polish bottle and filled it with glue which is perfect for small fingers learning to paste.
Apple Cutting Strips-
Asher has been using scissors for a few months now. We talked about safety with scissors when he started with them around the age of two and began with plain paper strips for cutting. I knew he was ready for something a little more challenging, so I designed these apple cutting strips. He collects his scraps in the little container as he works and then empties it in the trash when he is done. Click here to get access to my Google Drive folder where you can get a free download of my apple and pumpkin cutting strips and much more!
Gourd Magnifying and Matching-
When I saw a bag of these mini gourds at a local hardware store, I couldn’t wait to come up with a shelf activity with them! We’ve been using them for object-to-picture matching with an added challenge: magnifying the image. I shrunk the images down on the matching cards, so Asher has to use his magnifying glass to magnify the image and match it to the gourd. We’ve been loving this magnifying glass from Learning Resources! He’s used it for many activities and has been enjoying using it to “investigate” the gourds when he isn’t interested in matching. This work has been a great foundational language activity as it has started to build in some science and inquiry-based vocabulary.
Leaf Matching-
Asher began an interest in leaves this summer and I had created a set of three-part cards for him to explore. We’ve continued that exploration this fall with this beautiful set of three-part cards from The Montessori Company. We have a few sets of their cards and the detail and accuracy of the images are always amazing. I left the label cards out for now, and he just works on matching the picture and label card to the coordinating picture card. I introduced this with the first two parts of a three-period lesson. I like that it familiarizes him with the information and we can build the labels in later when he’s developmentally ready for that. One of his most-used phrases right now is, “What kind of _____ is it?” so this has been a perfect match for his curiosity. With a younger babe, doubles of just the picture cards could be printed and used for matching as well.
Parts of an Apple-
This fall tray has been mostly just for fun and exposure. With a beginning interest in what is inside different types of food he’s eating and what the small parts are called on EVERYTHING, I decided to add this in. I used this free printable of nomenclature cards from The Crafty Classroom and corner-punched and laminated them. We also followed-up this exploration with reading a little more about apples in this book that we LOVE. I think for now he mostly is just fascinated with looking at the halved apple and asking me if he can eat it, but it’s still been a great introduction!
Card Stamping-
This shelf work consists of fall stamps, ink pads, and some paper cards that I pre-cut from card stock and folded into little cards. It can get a bit messy with the ink, so Asher usually carries this work to his art mat or his table. He chooses who he is making the card for, and when he is done I have him help with putting the stamp on and putting it in the mail. I like that this activity brings in some practical life work too!
More “Halloween” themed Montessori-inspiried ideas to come, including some practical life ideas! Do you have fall shelf activities that you’ve loved for two-year-olds? I’d love to hear your ideas!
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