Christmas Treasure Basket

Once we opened our box of Christmas decorations I pulled out a few things that would be safe for Otto to play with and explore without breaking. It wasn’t as much as I was hoping, but I like to work with what I have on hand instead of buying new items for every season.

Here’s what’s in our Christmas treasure basket:

Treasure baskets are a great way for babies to explore the world around them.

Weaving Ribbons

For Joey, today we tried weaving ribbon and he did an awesome job. I wasn’t sure if he had the patience to handle the fine motor skills involved with weaving over and under though the metal rack.

I did the first ribbon and said, “Over and under” as I wove the ribbon. He picked up the next ribbon and followed suit, even saying “over and under, over and under.”

It was a good first start to weaving. I’m thinking we may try making a woven placemat out of construction paper sometime.

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Only 2 days left to enter the giveaway for the train stacking puzzle! And on Friday the 2nd giveaway is announced!

Making any Christmas crafts this season? Come link-up and share on Saturday!

One day down…eleven to go! Onto today’s activities…

Crushing Paper

This is a fun activity for the older infant/younger toddler. I cut leftover Christmas tissue paper and wrapping paper into squares, and let them crush it. When I did this with Joey, I left the paper in an open basket, but since Otto is still putting everything in his mouth I used a tupperware container.

Decorating a Tree

This is always a fun activity for kids. We have a small 1′ tree. You can usually find them pretty much wherever there’s a Christmas tree or a craft store. I used plastic miniature ornaments and instead of the standard wire hook, I cut a chenille stick into pieces and wrap it through the hole. It’s easier for Joey to handle and safer than finding metal hooks floating around the living room.

I also have a light-up necklace that we use as the tree lights. There are a few other random ornaments in the basket as well. We have another work making a candy cane out of beads that will be added to this little tree as ornaments when Joey finishes them.

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Thanks for joining in with 12 Days of Montessori Christmas! I’d love to hear what ideas you have and what’s showing up in your home.

Don’t forget the Melissa & Doug giveaway ends Thursday at midnight. There’s still time to enter! 🙂

Planning an Christmas craft projects? Join in on Saturday for a Christmas craft link-up! 

It’s here! The 12 Days of Montessori Christmas to get you inspired to do “school” this holiday season while having fun celebrating.

I’m excited to share with you Montessori-inspired Christmas activities for infants/toddlers and preschoolers. Over the next 12 days, I’ll post an activity for each group every day. I’ll be revisiting some from the archives, sprucing them up, and adding new activities as well.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a Melissa & Doug stacking train! The giveaway ends at midnight Thursday, December 1st.

Come back on Saturday for a Christmas project link-up. If you need ideas, Pinterest is a great place to browse!

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Practicing In and Out

This is a simple activity you can make at home and gear toward different ages and abilities in the infant/toddler spectrum. I used an old icing can, covered it in construction paper, stuck a sticker to make it look pretty, and cut a whole in the top.

This is ideal for older infants who are interested in putting things in and taking them out. For Otto, we’re working with straws. He still puts everything in his mouth, so I wanted the object to be something safe.

Have the straws (or other objects) in front of the child and demonstrate how to put the straw in the jar. Then let the child have his/her turn. A younger child will need help removing the lid to take out the straws, unless you cut a whole big enough for their hand, which would depend on the size of the container.

For children who don’t put things in their mouth, you might try using chenille sticks or pencils supervised. It’ll give a different texture and/or sound.

Extension 1: Chenille Sticks

Extension 2: Pencils

Transferring Ornaments

A pretty simple activity and all you need is miniature (plastic) ornaments, an ice tray, and a basket to hold the ornaments. Have the child put an ornament in each space on the ice tray.

For an added challenge, add tongs to the mix.

 That’s it for Day 1 of 12 Days of Montessori Christmas. Come back tomorrow to see what’s next!

Last year I made a gift idea list for infants and toddlers. This year I decided to separate and extend the list, so that infants, toddlers, and preschoolers each get their own list!

If you’re wondering what to get for your child, a friend, niece/nephew, or grandchild, then I hope this helps you. Each list is a mix of items we own and what’s on our wishlist (or wish we had at that age).

Enjoy!

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Montessori-Inspired Preschool Gift Ideas

1. Wooden Tree Houses from Bella Luna’s

Tree Cottage 

 Small Tree House

Wooden Fairy Tree House Toy

2. Lincoln Logs

3. Child-Size Acoustic Guitar by Schoenhut

4. Animal & People Toobs by Safari Ltd

5. Board Games

6. Classic Building Set from Manzanita Kids

7. Princess Castle from Melissa & Doug

8. Books

9. Crayon Rocks from Bella Luna’s

10. Organic Lacing Toy from Little Sapling Toys