Lock and Key 

At 2 years old, A was really into this classic Montessori activity. It can be a really fun, engaging challenge – when she opens the lock, she beams with pride.

In addition to providing a young child with mastery over multiple practical life skills – inserting a key, opening a lock – this activity also has many other benefits: 

🔐 Fine motor skills

🔑 Hand-eye coordination 

🔐 Bilateral coordination

🔑 Develops strength in fingers

🔐 Pincer grasp 

🔑 Dexterity 

🔐 Concentration

🔑 Builds resilience and confidence 

I love that this activity has built-in control of error, which means there is no need for me to intervene at all. 

This activity can evolve with the child too. Once the child has mastered opening the lock you can present multiple locks and have the child match the right key to the lock.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

Bringing play to life:

• How about giving your child the opportunity to lock/unlock the entrance door?