I love this age! At 18 months, so many areas are usually developing for new toddlers and some of their personal interests and preferences really become evident. 18 months for Aiden has been a period of language development, fine motor development, gross motor development, and practical life growth. There’s so much happening at once! Which also helps me to understand as a parent why this age can also be challenging from a behavioral perspective. I can imagine that it’s hard to have so much changing and developing at once and to not have all of the language wanted to communicate this! I love that the Montessori perspective brings understanding and grace to this.
Aiden has spent a large amount of time on practical work lately as we go about our daily lives, but he also has enjoyed some new shelf work the past couple of months. His Montessori inspired shelves at 18 months have been a mix of art activities, fine motor work, some sorting/matching activities, and language work. Here’s what he’s been up to the past couple of months-
Montessori-Inspired Activities for 18 Months
Sorting Cone
This sorting cone from Plan Toys has been a great challenge the past couple of months. I got this older version from a Montessori school that was closing and it is out of production, but Plan Toys has this Cone Sorting Rocket available which is very similar. Aiden has thoughtfully sat with this taking it apart and trying to place it together again. It has been a lot of trial and error but I don’t correct his placements and he is slowly figuring it out for himself. I love that this work focuses on visual spatial skills and mathematical reasoning- I think these are important life skills!
Dry Erase Crayons
This was an addition to Aiden’s Montessori inspired art activities at 18 months. He has been enjoying coloring with crayons and paper for quite awhile, and sometimes adding in a new material or medium can make the same type of work more appealing. I set out a small white board, some Crayola dry erase crayons, and a cloth to wipe them off with. I have this set of dry erase crayons, but I’ve also read great things about this set for a bigger group! This activity has been so fun for him! He often comes and asks me to join him as he colors which also builds in natural opportunities to talk about colors.
Michigan Woods Animal Matching
Aiden enjoyed the zoo animal matching work we had set up around 16 months, but this activity needed a change as he became familiar with those animals. So, I switched those out and added in animals that can be found in the woods in Michigan (our home state). Aiden has been showing a lot of interest in squirrels so I thought he’d enjoy this Montessori inspired matching work. I included an eagle, a moose, a squirrel, a fawn, a doe, and a buck. This has been one of his favorite activities since he enjoys matching the animals, trying to say their names, and lining them up to “walk” around together. To get a free download of these woodland animal matching cards he’s been using, head on over to my subscription page or use the form below. Signing up will give you access to my free printables library! In the library, the cards are called “Woodland Animals Matching Cards”.
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Peeling Work
More mini whiteboard fun with this one! When I left my middle school teaching job back in June, I brought home a mountain of supplies! A set of mini dry erase boards were in that mountain just begging to be used. At 18 months, one of the fine motor skills Aiden has really been interested in is peeling work. Recently, Asher had some Halloween window clings on one of our windows. I observed how much Aiden liked peeling those clings off and sticking them back on again. So, I used some of the reusable stickers from this Vehicles Removable Sticker Pad to set this activity up for him. I chose the stickers for some of the vehicles Aiden loves, stuck them to a mini whiteboard, and placed this on our shelves for Aiden. This has been a great Montessori-inspired variation for a young toddler who likes to peel!
Shape Sorter
I tried bringing this shape sorter out a few months ago for Aiden to work with. It was too challenging then and because of that, he was mostly disinterested in it. So, I put it away and brought it back out right around the time he turned 18 months. Much better timing! He has loved figuring out how to get the shapes into the box. I set this shape sorter up with the shapes in a bowl next to the box so that it shows that there is something to be done. This is definitely a favorite Montessori-inspired toy in our house! I love that it strengthens visual spatial awareness. Our shape sorter is an older version from Pottery Barn, but this PlanToys version is similar in its simplicity.
Primary Color Matching
We’ve been talking a lot about colors lately and Aiden has started repeating color words when he hears Asher say them. With that in mind, I set up this basic color matching activity for him with primary colors. I used the Melissa & Doug paint cups we had (with just the top lids) and the Grimm’s wooden marbles. Taking the lids off of jars and containers has also been a big interest from 16-18 months. So, I included that in this activity. This has been giving us more opportunities to talk about and recognize colors.
Insect-Themed Sensory Bin
At the end of this summer/beginning of fall, pointing out bugs has been a favorite outdoor activity. Aiden has always loved sensory activities, so I incorporated bugs into this one. The bin is filled with black beans and I included some insects from our Safari Ltd. Insect TOOB set, a magnifying glass from Learning Resources (the best magnifying glass for toddlers!), and some small pitchers for scooping and pouring. This was one of the activities Aiden kept going back to and I wasn’t surprised. Bugs and scooping and pouring are so inviting!
Geometric Sort & Stack Board
There are so many fun activities to work on with this Montessori-inspired board! Aiden enjoys trying to match the shapes up on the dowels. At 18 months, he can match the same shapes together to stack them and get them on the dowels, but doesn’t line them up exactly on top of one another yet. It’s also a great opportunity to naturally build in shape names. I set this out with one of each shape already on the board to make the challenge level more appropriate for his age. Ours is an older version, but this wooden sort and stack board is very similar.
Cleaning Tools Language Cards
If you have read my practical life at one year post, then you already know that Aiden has a lot of interest in cleaning right now. So, I decided to include some language cards with images of cleaning tools on his shelf. I used pictures of the cleaning tools that we actually have. I think this helps to make a more concrete connection between the 2-D images, the vocabulary word, and the actual tool that he uses. The vacuum, of course, is the hands-down favorite!
Baby Doll
As Aiden’s language has recently just started to grow, he has been saying the names of more body parts. I brought out our anatomically correct doll in order to give him more opportunities to continue that work. I bought this doll as a Christmas gift for Asher a couple of years ago and I haven’t regretted it once. It’s detail and accuracy is amazing and it’s the perfect size for young toddlers! He points out and names the body parts, but he also loves to care for the baby! I didn’t expect that yet from him and it was so sweet to see. He loves covering the baby with a blanket, saying “baby” and making a “shhh” noise to me as he holds his finger up to his mouth. I think he learned much of this from watching Asher but it is still fun to see him play in this way.
Bolts
One of the greater challenges in Aiden’s Montessori-inspired work at this age has been these wooden bolts from PlanToys. He is really interested in twisting and often works on it with bottle caps right now. These bolts encourage the twisting movement but it takes a lot of effort and sustained attention to twist enough to take the bolts apart or put them together. Such an awesome fine motor challenge! I couldn’t find this older version we have anywhere online, but this is PlanToys newer version of this nuts and bolts toy.
Kwik Stix
Painting has been a frequent interest for Aiden at 18 months. With our Kwik Stix, he can paint on almost any surface and they are so easy for him to grasp. I’ve been saving and cutting apart cardboard boxes from packages and packaged foods we eat, which have been perfect for this new art tray! Both of my boys are really enjoying painting with these together at their art table in the living room.
Those are some of the Montessori-inspired shelf activities that Aiden has been enjoying around 18 months! It’s been such a fun period of development in many areas. I love watching him figure things out in his own timing. What are some of your favorite activities for 18 month olds?
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Jenny says
What great ideas. My daughter is in Montessori so this is very helpful.
Lorena | www.lorenaylennox.com says
These are excellent ideas. I definitely want to try the animal matching and bolts activity with my two-year-old.
Lindsey says
This is a great list, I can’t wait to do them with my son:)
Adriane Thompson says
I absolutely love all of these so much! We have so many commercial toys that we are slowly donating so I only want to bring quality into my house like this. Thank you for sharing
Christy says
These are some great learning tool! I also love how you share your son’s experiences with them. Thanks 😊
KMenko says
Thanks! Hope that in sharing it can help someone else. 🙂
Erin says
I love all of these! Wooden toys are my fave and I may need to get Santa to bring a few of these!
KMenko says
I definitely love the quality and durability of wooden toys!
Miranda says
My daughter is 17 months and was preemie. I work with her constantly. But I am finding frustration in that all the posts I find about things to do are all things she can’t do yet. She is just starting to walk. But all the Montessori blogs say to have her clean house, do arts and crafts, pouring, color sorting. She doesn’t walk, eats crayons and just throws things to be sorted or tries to eat them. So I’m lost.
KMenko says
I can understand your feeling of frustration! I always debate even putting ages on my post because I firmly believe every child develops and discovers at their own pace. Aiden started walking between 16-17 months so until he hit 18 months he really wasn’t able to do many of the activities that required more mobility. What sorts of things is she interested in doing? Does she like placing objects in containers or taking lids off of things yet? If you’d like, please send me an email and we can chat more. I’d love to hear more about where she’s at and what she likes/doesn’t like.
Darcey says
This is a wonderful list of Montessori ideas. It looks like your son has lots to explore. I love the wooden toys.