Tap here
to get your FREE Montessori-inspired Bedroom Guide
WHL
About
Services
Positive Home™
1:1 Consultations
Blog
Play & Learn
Contact
WHL
About
Services
Positive Home™
1:1 Consultations
Blog
Play & Learn
Contact
A collection of activities
...for little hands and developing brains...
DIY Bauble Decorations
DIY Bauble Decorations This has to be one of our favorite holiday activities! It's super easy to set up and...
Read More
Anatomy of a Cat
Anatomy of a Cat *** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on...
Read More
Art
Bookish Play
DIY
Imaginative Play
Low Prep
mindfulness
Montessori-inspired
nature-inspired
Open-ended Play
Practical Life
Sensory Play
Shelf Activities
Socio-Emotional Learning
DIY Bauble Decorations
DIY Bauble Decorations This has to be one of our favorite holiday activities! It's super easy to set up and...
Read More
Anatomy of a Cat
Anatomy of a Cat *** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on...
Read More
Anatomy of a Squirrel
Anatomy of a Squirrel My daughter has been fascinated by squirrels lately so I decided to put together this...
Read More
Pine Cone Exploration
Pine Cone ExplorationOver the weekend my daughter and I collected pine cones so I thought it would be the perfect...
Read More
Apple Pie Autumn Sensory Play
Apple Pie - Autumn Sensory Play This sensory play set up is so easy to create and super fun for...
Read More
Insect Sweep and Find
Insect Sweep and FindMy daughter A has been super interested in insects since around 2 years old, and since she...
Read More
Ocean-Themed Transient Art on Kinetic Sand
Ocean-Themed Transient Art on Kinetic SandMy daughter loves kinetic sand and I find it is a great option for sensory...
Read More
Ocean-themed Sensory Play
Ocean-themed Sensory Play When we started learning about the oceans I set up this little sensory play using our IKEA...
Read More
Practical Life Tray Ideas
Practical Life Tray Ideas These preliminary practical life tray ideas are inspired by Montessori classics. They engage the child in...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 28 Months
Shelf Activities - 28 Months At the time of this shelf, my daughter was 28 months and her interests continued...
Read More
Bee Unit Study
Bee Unit Study Around age 3.5, I noticed my daughter was in love with Usborne's book “Why Do We Need...
Read More
Tissue Paper Rainbow
Tissue Paper Rainbow This activity is perfect to work those little fingers! It helps to strengthen hand and finger muscles, refine fine...
Read More
Human Skeleton
Human Skeleton As part of our exploration of the human body we looked into the human skeleton with this activity,...
Read More
Internal Organs
Internal Organs Since turning three, my daughter has been fascinated by the human body. This, and animals in general, have...
Read More
Rainbow Sensory Play
Rainbow Sensory Play This was my daughter's first time playing with rainbow-colored rice so she was super excited when she...
Read More
Valentine's Day-inspired Sand Tray Practice
Valentine's Day-inspired Sand Tray Practice Here's a simple activity I set up for my three-year old on Valentine's Day: a...
Read More
Bear Family Sensory Play
Bear Family Sensory Play To discuss bears and hibernation patterns during winter I created this little setup using green lentils,...
Read More
Farm Small World
Farm Small World Small world play is a great opportunity for children to expand their vocabulary, organize ideas, develop sequencing...
Read More
Fossil
Fossil This simple fossil kit was such a fun collaborative activity! My daughter and I took turns doing the excavating...
Read More
Frozen Acorns
Frozen Acorns Hiding and collecting acorns is one of my daughter's favorite things! She loved to do it with playdough...
Read More
Winter-themed Playdough Tray
Winter-themed Play Dough TrayAs my daughter approached her 3rd birthday she began to join me in preparing our activities. What...
Read More
Bee-themed Playdough and Bookish Play
Bee-themed Playdough and Bookish PlayTo explore a little bit about bees, when my daughter was approaching her 3rd birthday I...
Read More
Spring Art Trays
Spring Art Trays When Spring arrives I love to refresh my daughter's art trays with a spring twist. Here are...
Read More
Smell the Flower, Blow the Candle Breathing Technique
Smell the Flower, Blow the Candle Breathing Technique Because mindful breathing techniques are such an important tool in a...
Read More
Fill in the Numbers
Fill in the numbers If you have any type of wooden board (numbers, letters or other shapes) you need to...
Read More
Ocean-themed Shelfie - 29 months
Ocean-themed Shelfie In the summertime I love to create an ocean-themed shelfie. There's always so many different aspects of the...
Read More
Whale Study Unit - pattern and letter matching
Whale Study Unit - pattern and letter matching For this activity I used a whale study unit from @mymegabundles. A...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 26 Months
Shelf Activities - 26 MonthsThis shelfie was a combination of brand new activities for my daughter following her interest in...
Read More
Counting with Seashells
Counting with SeashellsI love to use seasonal items for our home activities so when summer comes around I always have...
Read More
Sand Tray
Sand TrayIn Montessori education sand trays are used to help a child learn how to trace letters and numbers. It...
Read More
Counting with DIY Insect Cards
Counting with DIY Insect CardsThis activity is so easy to set up. I simply filled one of the Trofast bins...
Read More
Sock Matching
Sock Matching This practical life activity takes about 15 seconds to set up and is perfect for laundry days (which,...
Read More
Toddler Yoga
Toddler YogaYoga has so many benefits for young children! Beyond working on gross motor skills such as strength, flexibility and...
Read More
Herb Garden: Planting
Herb Garden: Planting We started (what will hopefully become) a little herb garden for our balcony! To celebrate Mother Earth I...
Read More
Butterfly Symmetry
Butterfly Symmetry This activity was so popular with my little one at two years old! The butterflies images are a free...
Read More
Flower Arranging using a Funnel
Flower Arranging using a Funnel This classic Montessori practical life activity is perfect for Spring and has so many benefits. It helps...
Read More
Shelf Update - 25 Months
Shelf Activities - 25 MonthsWith Spring arriving and A being fascinated by bugs at the time, I decided to cater...
Read More
Lock and Key
Lock and Key At 2 years old, A was really into this classic Montessori activity. It can be a really fun,...
Read More
Animal Washing
Animal WashingIf you're looking for a super simple, low prep but engaging activity, this is it. All you need is a...
Read More
Things That Go Shelfie - 24 Months
Things That Go Shelfie - 24 monthsWhen A was 24 months old I made this Things That Go Shelfie. We...
Read More
Building Site Sensory Play
Building Site Sensory PlayWhen my daughter was turning 2, I prepared a Things That Go-themed shelfie and created this simple...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 24 Months
Shelf Activities - 24 monthsA look back at what was on my daughter's shelf at 24 months.Many of these were...
Read More
Dinosaur Footprints
Dinosaur PrintsWhen my daughter was about to turn 2, we got her the National Geographic Kids Dinosaur book. She loved...
Read More
Emotional Awareness
Emotional AwarenessThis is a simple and fun activity to teach your little one emotional awareness. If you are just starting to...
Read More
Object-to-picture and picture-to-picture matching
Object-to-picture and picture-to-picture matchingObject-to-picture and picture-to-picture matching is a classic Montessori activity with so many benefits and opportunities for developing important...
Read More
Snow Coloring
Snow ColoringHave you ever tried to play with snow indoors? It's super fun!We don't get snow too often so when...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 23 Months
Shelf Activities A look back at what was on A's shelf at 23 months. At that time she was really interested...
Read More
Valentine's Day-inspired Glueing Activity
Valentine's Day-inspired Glueing ActivityFor this activity, I traced big and small hearts on coloured paper using cookie cutters and then cut...
Read More
Birthday-themed Sensory Play
Birthday-themed Sensory PlayFor the week that A was turning 2, I created this sensory bin using cloud dough, cupcake liners,...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 23 months
Shelf Activities - 23 monthsAt 23 months, my daughter was interested in typical toddler work, including puzzles, beading, hammering and...
Read More
Autumn-themed Shelf Activities
Autumn-themed Shelf ActivitiesMy daughter loves to collect and play with Autumn nature finds or related items she collects, so for...
Read More
Alphabet Puzzle Sensory Play
Alphabet Puzzle Sensory PlayWhen my daughter was around 2 years old, we got her this wooden alphabet puzzle. She was...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 20 Months
Shelf Activities - 20 monthsWhen my daughter was 20 months old she was very much working on the typical toddler...
Read More
Open-ended basket
Open-ended basketWhen my daughter was around 2 years old I noticed she was showing increased interest in open-ended play, so...
Read More
Magnetic Fishing Game
Magnetic Fishing Game This game has been one of my daughter's favorite activities ever since it made it onto her shelf...
Read More
Counting Peg Boards
Counting Peg Boards When my daughter turned 2, I introduced these counting peg boards (numbers 1, 2 and 3 only) to begin to establish...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 23 Months
Shelf Activities - 23 monthsA look back at what was on A’s shelf the month before she turned 2 years...
Read More
Holiday Art Activity Ideas
Holiday Art Activity IdeasA few ideas to keep you and your little one(s) busy and enjoying the holidays: *** This...
Read More
Toddler Holiday Art Ideas
Toddler Holiday Art Ideas When it comes to art trays for young toddlers, keeping it simple and open-ended is key. The most important...
Read More
Holiday Shelf Activities
Holiday Shelf ActivitiesWhen my daughter was 22 months old she was interested in sorting, counting, practical life activities and pretend...
Read More
Christmas Baking
Christmas BakingMy favorite holiday invitation to play in 2020 was this little Christmas baking setup.I set this up two days...
Read More
Playdough Gingerbread Man
Playdough Gingerbread ManWhen my daughter was two years old I made a gingerbread man garland for her kitchen during the Christmas...
Read More
Dry Pouring
Dry Pouring This simple Montessori Practical Life activity prepares the child to pour without spilling, but has many other...
Read More
DIY Color Matching Posting Activity
DIY Color Matching Posting Activity When my daughter was around 20 months old I made her this simple DIY color...
Read More
Cinnamon-scented Autumn Play Dough
Cinnamon-scented Autumn Playdough I love to make season-themed playdough invitations to play because they offer opportunities to learn about different...
Read More
10 - Counting Frame
Counting Frame When my daughter was around 18 months old I introduced this ten-frame activity. It was the very first...
Read More
Pine Cone Growth Stages
Pine Cone Growth Stages The best way for children to learn is through hands-on experiences. And that is exactly what...
Read More
Shapes-themed Shelf Activities - 18 months
Shapes-themed Shelf Activities - 18 months When A was around 18 months old I prepared this shape-themed shelf, which...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 18 Months
Shelf Activities - 18 months At around 18 months my daughter was really interested in stacking, doing the velcro...
Read More
DIY Car Race Track
DIY Car Race TrackTape is such a versatile material and many activities can be created with it and very little...
Read More
Transfer With Spoon
Transfer With Spoon This classic Montessori Practical Life activity is great for refining fine motor skills, developing the pincer grasp, hand-eye...
Read More
Art Tray Ideas
Art Tray Ideas When it comes to art trays for young toddlers, keeping it simple and open-ended is key....
Read More
Sensory Play With Shape Sorter
Sensory Play With Shape Sorter BaseWhen A was around 19 months old I prepared a shapes-themed shelfie for her and...
Read More
Animal Rescue - Wall Edition
Animal Rescue - Wall EditionFor this activity all you need is tape and some animal figurines. Children derive so much...
Read More
DIY Posting Activity - Craft Sticks
DIY Posting Activity - Craft Sticks Posting activities such as this one are great for strengthening fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination,...
Read More
Shape Hunt - Sensory Play
Shape Hunt Sensory Play When A was around 18 months old she had some wooden shapes she enjoyed playing with...
Read More
DIY Posting Activity - Wooden Chips
DIY Posting Activity - Wooden Chips Posting activities such as this one are great for strengthening fine motor skills,...
Read More
Scoop and Transfer - Pom Poms
Scoop and Transfer - Pom Poms This simple Montessori activity is a great way for children to practice scooping and...
Read More
Shelf activities - 17 Months
Shelf activities - 17 Months At 17 months my daughter was mostly working on color and shape recognition, fine...
Read More
Planting-Inspired Sensory Bin
Planting-Inspired Sensory Play When my daughter was 17 months old I prepared this sensory bin so she could start practicing...
Read More
DIY Wrapping Paper
DIY Wrapping Paper When A was 22 months old we made DIY wrapping paper for Christmas. This was the first Christmas...
Read More
Fall-inspired Sensory Play
Fall-inspired Sensory Play A season-themed sensory play setup is a great way to deepen a child's understanding of seasons, seasonal...
Read More
Exploration of Primary Colours
Exploration of Primary ColorsWhat better way to learn about color theory than a hands-on exploration of primary colors?For this activity...
Read More
DIY Mushroom Sensory Puzzle
DIY Mushroom Sensory Puzzle A was 21 months old when I made this DIY mushroom sensory puzzle. She had been...
Read More
''It Starts With a Seed”- Bookish Play
It Starts With a Seed - Bookish Play A is in love with this book by Laura Knowles. Beautifully written,...
Read More
Walking On The Line
Walking On The Line This activity is so fun and so easy to set up! All you need is...
Read More
DIY Fall-Themed Puzzles
DIY Fall-Themed Puzzles Instead of investing in new puzzles all the time, you can actually just make your own for...
Read More
Acorn Push Pin
Acorn Pushpin Like many other pre-writing activities in Montessori, pin pushing work prepares the child for writing later on, refining...
Read More
Polar Animals
Polar Animals I used this super simple setup with sensory snow so we could explore and learn more about polar...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 2.5 Years Old
Shelf Activities - 2.5 years old At 2.5 years old my daughter was working on color matching, fine and gross...
Read More
Butterfly PushPins
Butterfly Pushpins This is a fun way to introduce push pinning to your toddler but with a fun twist. Instead...
Read More
Russian Doll Layered Puzzle
Russian Doll Layered Puzzle Layered puzzles such as the one pictured challenge and help toddlers develop important cognitive and fine...
Read More
Gross Motor Color Sorting
Gross Motor Color Sorting This was probably the easiest activity to set up we’ve ever done. It's so fun for...
Read More
Looping Hair Ties
Looping Hair Ties This is another super easy low prep activity - very popular on social media - using things...
Read More
Tumi- Ishi Blocks
Tumi Ishi Blocks These Tumi Ishi balancing blocks have been a hit with A AND mom and dad! This activity...
Read More
Sorting by Size - Big and Small
Sorting by Size - Big and SmallWhen my daughter was around 20 months old we started working more intentionally on...
Read More
Far Far Away Game
Far Far Away GameIf your child is all about movement at the moment, this activity may be ideal for them.We...
Read More
Birthday-themed Shelf Activities
Birthday-Themed Shelf Activities For the week of my daughter's second birthday we had this very festive shelf! It was a...
Read More
Arctic-themed Playdough with DIY Stampers
Arctic-themed Playdough with DIY StampersI’ve had these wooden shapes for a while - they were actually Christmas tree ornaments -...
Read More
Nut and Bolt
Nut and Bolt Have you ever tried to get your tool box out to fix something around the house and...
Read More
Shelf Activities - 16 Months
Shelf Activities - 16 Months At 16 months A’s shelf was a combination of Montessori-inspired and open-ended materials. Open-ended...
Read More
Animal Rescue - Bin Edition
Animal Rescue - Bin Edition This activity is so fun for children and so easy to set up! To recreate this...
Read More
Nature-themed Homemade Playdough
Nature-themed homemade playdoughManipulating playdough has lots of benefits for toddlers, as rolling, poking and pounding the dough helps develop essential...
Read More
Plant Watering
Plant Watering Practical life activities are a central part of daily life in a Montessori-inspired household and plant watering falls...
Read More
Story Basket - Amelia Earhart
Story Basket - Amelia Earhart We are big fans of the Little People, Big Dreams book series and this book...
Read More
Upper and Lowercase Letter Matching Sensory Bin
Upper and Lowercase Letter Matching Sensory Play This activity has been in and out of our sensory table for the past...
Read More
Salt Dough Ornaments
Salt Dough Ornaments Salt dough ornaments are not only fun to make with little ones, they also make a perfect...
Read More
Tracing with Stones
Tracing with Stones This mindful activity is super easy to recreate. You will need: - a sheet of paper- a marker- a...
Read More
DIY Matching Game
DIY Matching Game I made this simple DIY matching game using a Melissa & Doug animal stamp set and some...
Read More
Story Basket - Frida Khalo, Little People, Big Dreams
Story Basket - Frida Khalo, Little People, Big Dreams I had so much fun putting this activity together. I had the...
Read More
DIY Object Puzzle: Food Edition
DIY Object Puzzle: Food Edition This activity is so easy to prepare and can be done with just about any...
Read More
Autumn Leaf Negative Space Painting
Autumn Leaf Negative Space Painting This activity is perfect to creatively use up the fall leaves you inevitably will collect...
Read More
Treasure Basket
Treasure Basket When my daughter was a young toddler I loved presenting invitations to explore in the form of treasure...
Read More
Sink or Float
Sink or Float This classic Montessori activity is a fun way for toddlers to begin to grasp the concepts of...
Read More
Marine Life Playdough Puzzle
Marine Life Playdough Puzzle Playdough is always a good idea in our home, and you just can't go wrong combining...
Read More
Seashell Cloud Dough Sensory Tray
Seashell Cloud Dough Sensory Tray Cloud dough is such a fun texture to manipulate and it's super easy to make....
Read More
Eggshell Smash
Eggshell Smash This activity is so much fun and so easy to set up! All you need to do is save...
Read More
Butterfly - Themed Playdough With Flower Petals
Butterfly-Themed Playdough With Flower PetalsThis butterfly-themed playdough with flower petals activity is fun, calming and sensory-rich. Perfect for Spring!I kept it...
Read More
Flower Soup
Flower Soup Soon after my daughter turned 2, we welcomed Spring with this simple activity. Setting up a flower soup...
Read More
Vegetable Patch
Vegetable Patch Around 21 months old my daughter used to love playing with her vegetable and fruit set by Djeco...
Read More
Acorn Sorting
Acorn Sorting If your child is in the enveloping schema (loves to hide/cover objects) or simply enjoys color matching, this...
Read More
Bookish Play with Forever... by Emma Dodd
Bookish Play with Forever... by Emma Dodd This book has been one of my daughter's favorite books for a long time. It’s...
Read More
Rock Water Painting
Rock Water Painting This easy, mess-free and taste-safe activity is perfect for young toddlers. They can paint, watch the stone...
Read More