WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE TEN IDEAS FOR MONTESSORI STYLE ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR 4 MONTH OLD? Then, please read on! This is Part Two of the "Nido" Basket #4 from my Montessori Baby-Ed eCourse that will be available in Spring of 2017. CLICK HERE to view Part One: the video /"Vlog".
Montessori Baby-Ed: The Arts and Your Baby
Nido Basket #4: The Lessons
Baby Yoga Art Cards from I Believe in Montessori
TpT Shop
YOUR LITTLE YOGINI HAS DISCOVERED HOW TO
GRASP THE FEET AND S/HE IS WORKING HARD TO ROLL OVER AND START TO CREEP!
By four months of age, Baby is moving with a purpose and
moving all the time, of course. S/he is bringing everything within reach to the
mouth, and s/he is probably moving the legs so strenuously that s/he will eventually turn
herself over!
Photo from Adobe Stock
Baby’s developing muscles are enabling her to move and grasp with intention!
Baby’s developing muscles are enabling her to move and grasp with intention!
Take a peak at what I have included in the
"Nido" Basket for the fourth month of
the Montessori Baby-Ed series.
1. Change the Instrument Picture in Baby’s
frame to The French Horn (HERE's the LINK)
2. Woodstock Percussion Chime Bar and
Mallet (HERE's the LINK)
3. Wooden Bell Tactile Mobile (HERE's the LINK)
4. Seashore Treasure Basket (HERE's the LINK)
5. Bell/ball Rolling Toy (HERE's the LINK)
6. Wooden 2-Hand Teether/Grasping Toy (HERE's the LINK)
7. Black & White Board Book featuring
Ocean (HERE's the LINK)
8. First Doll Rattle (HERE's the LINK)
9. Sensory Sounds Ball (HERE's the LINK)
Lesson 1. Change the Picture in the Frame from Nido Basket 1
(Instrument Cards and Frame from MichaelOlaf Company)
1. Change the picture
in the frame from Nido Basket #1. Slip
the photo of the French Horn in the frame and hang the framed picture at Baby’s
eye level to stimulate Baby’s developing sense of sight. (ex: changing table) SEE "Nido Basket" #1 for complete explanation.
2. While changing
Baby, give her the vocabulary: “French Horn” …”Brass” etc. (There’s a whole lot
of useful information written on the back of the picture about the musical
instrument, the French Horn.)
The French Horn is in the orchestral family of Brass
instruments. That is why I included the chime bar in the basket this month. (see
below) Even though the chime bar is a percussion instrument, the metal tube/rod
of the chime bar has a nice resonance that vibrates through the metal rod.
3. If you happen to
play French Horn, it would be nice for Baby to hear you play a little tune for
her. If you don’t have a French Horn in the home, you can play recorded music
for Baby that features a French Horn. Here’s a link to some nice music that
features the French Horn: French Horn on Amazon digital music.(see PDF
Download)
4. You can also
alternate with a picture from the Van Gogh Packet. (Develops the aesthetic
sense)
5. Observe Baby's reactions to these activities suggested above and
adjust as you feel it is appropriate so that Baby is soothed rather than
over-stimulated. (This respectful way of working with Baby instills in her a
sense of self worth and trust in you. These are important to the
social-emotional development in young children.)
LESSON
#2. Play the Chime Bars for Baby
1. This
Child-size instrument is a designed for producing a resonant chime that is
pleasant and soothing to the ear (and the soul!)
2.
Tap the bars with the mallet. Notice
that the sound lingers and Baby may be attentive as long as it resounds.
3.
These chimes are often used for
meditation to center the mind and may be soothing to you as well.
4.
When Baby is a toddler, s/he will be
interested in playing the chime bars herself!
5.
You may also sing or hum a tune while
you tap a steady beat on the chime bars.
6.
Observe Baby’s reaction and adjust
EXTENSIONS:
·
Lay the chime bars on the floor next to Baby so
that when you play it, Baby can feel the vibrations!
LESSON
#3. Wooden Bells Tactile mobile
1.
Hang the wooden bells on its string from a
sturdy hook so that it is within the reach of Baby when s/he is lying on her
back (Visual stimulation)
2.
Baby will likely begin to bat her hand at the ring
and then eventually begin to grasp the ring and pull on it (Develops eye-hand coordination)
3.
When Baby can grasp the ring, this will cause the
bells to make a sound (Aural stimulation and development of large and small
motor)
4.
Observe Baby and adjust to what you feel is
appropriate so that Baby is stimulated but not overwhelmed. (Develops trust and
high self esteem
LESSON
#4. Seashore Treasure Basket
2. Bring the basket to Baby and take out one of the objects (Aural
stimulation)
3. Hold the object nearby so that Baby can see it clearly, and then
give the vocabulary. Ex: “Sea shell”, “drift wood”, etc. (Language acquisition)
4. Place Baby’s hand on the object so that s/he can feel its
texture (Sensory stimulation)
5. Allow Baby to grasp the object, if s/he is interested.
(Development of small muscles in the hand)
6. Return the object to the basket. (This establishes the beginning
of the Montessori process called “care of environment” and aids in the child’s
desire for order in the environment)
7. The larger shell can be held to Baby’s ear so that s/he can hear
the quiet sound of the shell. (Aural stimulation)
8. Allow Baby to explore the other objects in the Treasure Basket,
if s/he is interested (Encourages independence)
9. As always, observe and adjust.
****If you haven’t done so already, I recommend setting up a sturdy child-size shelf in
Baby’s daytime play area. This begins the process of keeping an organized
environment for the child in which there is a place for everything and
everything in its place.
LESSON
#5 Ball Rolling Toy
1. Move the bell rolling toy close to Baby during tummy time (Aural
and visual stimulation)
2. Gently
roll the toy on Baby’s arm or hand (Tactile and Aural stimulation)
3. Give
Baby the vocabulary: “roll”, “bell”, etc.(Development of Language)
4. Place
the bell rolling toy within Baby’s reach when s/he is having tummy time, to
give Baby an incentive for grasping the rattle (Stimulates large motor movement
and small muscle development of the hand)
5. During
tummy time, roll the toy a little ways from Baby to invite her to begin to
creep after it. (Stimulates large and small motor development.
6. Observe
and adjust to Baby’s preferences.
Lesson #6. Wooden 2-Hand/Grasping Toy
1.
Place the wooden disk
teether in its own little basket on Baby’s shelf. (Fosters Baby’s developing
sense of order in the environment)
2. Bring the basket to Baby’s play mat and remove wooden disk
teether and place it within Baby’s reach
(Visual stimulation and large motor development)
3.
Roll wooden disk teether toy
a short way to invite Baby to begin to creep toward it (Promotes Large Motor development)
4.
Place the wooden disk teether
in Baby’s hand and gently encourage her to grasp. S/he will soon begin to grasp
it with both hands (Development of eye-hand coordination and small muscles in
the hand)
5.
When Baby is done, place the
teether back in its basket and put it back on its place on the shelf. (Fosters
Baby’s sense of order)
6.
Observe and adjust to Baby’s
preferences
1. Place the Black and White board book on the
floor mat during tummy time, where Baby can see and touch it. (Sensory
stimulation)
2. Open the book and turn the pages as you show
Baby and give the vocabulary Ex: “ocean”, “fish”, “octopus” etc. (Language development)
3. After a feeding, when Baby is cozy in your
arms, show the book again and you can even sing the vocabulary words so that
Baby is engaged in a sensory way. (I just make up the melody when I sing the
words!)
4. Set up a small basket with 2 or 3 board books
and then place this book basket on Baby’s shelf. (Contributes to Baby’s
developing sense of order.)
5. Once again, observe and adjust to Baby’s cues.
(Develops sense of trust and inner self worth.)
LESSON
#8. First Doll Rattle
1. Bring the Doll rattle in its basket over to the floor area where
Baby is playing, then take the doll out and shake it so that Baby hears it.
(Stimulates Aural and Visual sense)
2. At this age, Baby is more and more interested in the human face.
You can show Baby the doll and then point to the eyes, or arms, etc and give
Baby the vocabulary words. (Language development)
3. Place the Doll in Baby’s reach so that s/he can grasp it
herself. (Aids in small muscle development)
4. When Baby is done, place the Doll back in the basket and back on
its place on the shelf. (Contributes to Baby’s sense of order and promotes the
Montessori process of putting activities back on the shelf)
5. Observe and adjust to your baby’s desires.
#9.
Sensory Sounds Ball
This ball is made up of sections so that it is possible to
place fingers in between so that it is easier for Baby to hold it.
1. Place the
sensory sounds ball on Baby’s floor mat during tummy time, so that Baby can see
it and it is within her reach. (Visual stimulation)
2. Grasp the ball
with both hands and squeeze one of the sections to make its sound. (Aural
stimulation)
3. Gently roll the
ball over Baby’s arms, legs, etc and sing or name the body part (give Baby the
vocabulary in a sensory way)
4. Try rolling the
ball a short way from Baby to entice her to begin to grasp and then eventually
creep toward the ball (Encourages large and small muscle development)
5. When Baby is lying
on her back, you can squeeze a section so that Baby hears the sound. Baby may
even begin to grasp for the ball. (Develops small muscles in the hand later
used for writing)
6. In the Montessori
pedagogy, this shape is called by its name in geometry: “sphere”. It is fun to
give Baby this vocabulary since she is in the sensitive period for language!
7. Observe Baby’s
reaction and adjust
#10. Sensory Cube
1. Bring
the cube to Baby’s playmat and take it out of its basket. Rub one of the sides
to create a sound so that Baby can hear it. (Aural stimulation)
2. Show
Baby how to grasp the ring on the cube. (Develops small motor development)
3. During
tummy time, place the cube near baby but slightly out of reach to encourage
Baby to creep over to the cube. (Encourages large and small muscle development)
4. Gently
roll the cube over Baby’s bare arm or leg so that s/he feels the various
textures on the cube. (Sensory stimulation)
5. Give
Baby the vocabulary: “cube’, “four”, “black”, “white”, “side”, etc. (Language
development)
I hope you've gotten inspired to provide some lovely Music and Art activities in the Montessori style for your little one!
So happy to have you visiting my Blog and I hope you will check out my upcoming Montessori Baby-Ed eCourses coming in the Spring of 2107!
I hope you've gotten inspired to provide some lovely Music and Art activities in the Montessori style for your little one!
So happy to have you visiting my Blog and I hope you will check out my upcoming Montessori Baby-Ed eCourses coming in the Spring of 2107!
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