We are trying something new. Will is 22 months old today, and we’ve been doing a little formal Montessori work here and there: practicing unrolling (and remembering) our work mat, sensitizing fingertips in warm water, grasping, spooning and pouring transfer work between bowls. He’s still really young for too much primary work, but I’m anxious, and he’s craving independence.
So…
I set up his toddler shelf in the big kid schoolroom. Normally I do this at 2.5 when most toddlers are able to transition into a primary Montessori classroom. Communication and impulse control are the keys for success here. Little Will is bright, but rough and tumble with a proclivity toward gross motor work. But you never know until you try, right? Follow the child.
One of our favorite activities right now are books. His ability to concentrate as we flip through simple board books is one of the measurements I judged for his readiness for “real” shelf work in our school space. He loves being read to right now. He also loves chewing on books (and everything), so as with anything for toddlers, its best to closely supervise them.
Will thought our book (we received from Timberdoodle to review) Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions particularly captivating. If you take a close look at the shelf picture, you can see he sampled it sensorially — working on his gustatory sense. Aside from the gnawing though he absolutely loves checking out the babies his age in this book. I appreciated the range of races presented and the overall simplicity. It’s thankfully realistic showcasing faces of actual babies with a range of real emotions. The book is interactive asking the toddler to select the matching face out of a collection of faces.
The last page has a fun mirror to peak into and make faces of your own. We use ours to play a kind of peek-a-boo with one another. At 22 months, this book is an enormous hit. Highly recommended!
Find it at Timberdoodle here or as part of their adorable Tiny Tots kit. Stay tuned for a plethora of reviews in the upcoming month. We’re staying home and staying busy with Timberdoodle Co.
