Nut and Bolt

Have you ever tried to get your tool box out to fix something around the house and your toddler immediately jumps all over it and tries to do whatever it is you’re trying to do herself/himself? If so, they might enjoy this activity. 

This simple Montessori activity can be so engaging for little ones and has so many benefits: 

• develops fine motor skills
• improves hand-eye coordination
• strengthens wrists and fingers
• refines grasp
• builds concentration and self-discipline

A loose nut and bolt is better to start with so the child can use both hands. The one pictured is from a Melissa & Doug set. You can use a wooden version like the one in the picture or the real thing. Using everyday items such as a regular nut and bolt will actually increase the child’s sense of accomplishment and self-worth as he sees you trust him with the same objects you use. 

Presentation is important and can really increase the shelf life of a material. To start with, you can present it with the nuts on the bolt already and let them practice the twisting motion. Then you can present it undone and later on introduce the block version which will require slightly different hand positioning. This bolts on board set offers the same benefits.

We introduced this activity at 18 months. I initially presented it with the bolt on but A kept unscrewing it and trying to thread it on herself so I started presenting it undone. It was challenging but kept her engaged and she wasn’t getting frustrated so I followed her. This was actually one of her favorite activities for a while.

With a simple tweak in the presentation of the material you’re able to extend its shelf life and also track your child’s skill development. It’s so neat to see their progress at this age. 

Provide the material and observe your child. If they get frustrated, adjust the level of difficulty accordingly. It should be hard enough to keep them engaged but not get frustrated and not so easy that they get easily bored.

Bringing play to life:

• Go on a nut and bolt hunt around the house. If your child can already count, give them a number of bolts to find for example.
• Discuss where can you see them being used and what they are used for.
  
• Compare and discuss their sizes.