Are you looking for gentle, respectful book recommendations to support your child's Montessori-style toileting journey? In this blog, we review top books like, "Everyone Poops" by Taro Gomi and "Going to the Potty" by Mister Rogers, that align with the Montessori philosophy of honoring the child's natural readiness. Explore the pros and cons of each book to find the perfect match for fostering independence and confidence in your child's toileting process. Whether you're just beginning or already on the journey, these thoughtful reads will help ease the transition in a compassionate, child-centered way.

Top Bilingual Book Recommendations for Gentle and Respectful Montessori Style Toileting

Discover our Montessori toileting journey with my toddler – a gentle, respectful approach that emphasizes child-led independence, no rewards or punishments, and honoring each child's pace. Learn how we navigate toileting without "toilet training," and why trust, patience, and a prepared environment are key elements in fostering self-confidence and body awareness. Tips for handling regressions, accidents, and traveling with a potty make this Montessori-inspired toileting experience both practical and empowering.

Keywords: Montessori toileting journey, child-led toileting, Montessori toilet learning, no rewards or punishments, trusting the process, child independence, toileting tips for toddlers, Montessori potty training, respecting child's pace, prepared environment.

My Montessori Toileting Journey with My Toddler: Trusting the Process

Join us as we take my 3- and 6-year-old on a thrilling visit to Singapore's last surviving crocodile farm, where we dive deep into the fascinating world of these ancient reptiles. From touching crocodile eggs, holding baby crocodiles, to feeding crocodiles with raw chicken, this experience consists of many "firsts" and evoked many reflective thoughts for grownups.

A Memorable Family Visit to Singapore's Last Surviving Crocodile Farm

Embark on a captivating journey through the lush mangroves of Sungei Buloh with Young Nautilus and discover the hidden wonders of this natural sanctuary. Join us as we delve into the rich history of the mangrove ecosystem, its vital role in environmental conservation, and the diverse array of wildlife that call it home. Experience the magic of nature firsthand as we uncover the secrets of Sungei Buloh and gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all living beings. With expert guidance and insightful commentary, this guided nature exploration promises to be an enriching and unforgettable experience for nature enthusiasts of all ages.

Exploring the Tranquil Mangroves of Sungei Buloh with Young Nautilus

Discover how to create a safe and eco-friendly swimming environment for your kids with our guide to low-tox swimming. Learn about natural sun protection, skin care, and pool maintenance methods to ensure a healthy and enjoyable aquatic experience. Dive in and make a splash with confidence!

Dive into a Low-Tox Swimming Lifestyle: Tips for Skin & Health Protection

Join us on a flavorful journey as we delve into the world of cultivating adventurous eating habits in young children. In this blog post, we'll explore effective strategies and practical tips for parents to inspire little food explorers. From setting positive examples to offering a variety of options and making food exploration fun, discover how to nurture a lifelong love for healthy eating in your children. Let's embark on this culinary adventure together and watch our young food explorers flourish!

Raising Young Food Explorers: Inspiring Children in Adventurous Eating

Discover the perfect blend of fun and learning with our curated selection of top educational puzzles for young children. From self-correcting designs to vibrant animal illustrations, explore our family's favorite picks that foster cognitive development and spark curiosity. Whether you're seeking durable construction or engaging post-zoo activities, our expert recommendations cater to parents looking for the best puzzles to enhance their children's early learning experiences. Join us as we delve into the world of interactive play and unveil the must-have puzzles for your little ones.

Top Educational Puzzles for Young Children: Our Family's Favorite Picks

Discover the transformative power of Montessori journaling for children with our comprehensive guide. Explore traditional uses of daily journals, learn how to define their purpose in your home, and uncover the benefits of consistency and mindfulness in journaling practices. From fostering self-awareness to promoting communication skills and family bonding, our expert insights and personal anecdotes will help you kickstart a mindful journaling habit with your children. Dive into the world of Montessori education and create a nurturing environment where creativity, reflection, and emotional intelligence thrive. Join us on the journey to mindful parenting through Montessori journaling today!

Starting a Daily Montessori Journaling Habit with Your Children: A Mindful Practice

I love having my daughter work alongside me in the kitchen, and have included her as much as I could from an early age. Over the years, I’ve introduced kitchen tools gradually to my daughter. I entrust her with child-friendly tools (but not necessarily made for children) that have been curated to enable and empower her to work better in the kitchen. By doing so, and scaffolding the skills needed, she has become confident in the kitchen. Here shares our knife progression journey from baby to preschooler age (current).

Our Montessori Knife Progression from Baby to Preschooler

Montessori materials can be costly, especially classroom tools. Many times it's due to the material costs since Montessori items are typically high-quality and constructed from natural sources like wood, but sometimes it could also be a result of marketing. But Montessori is also possible on a budget. There are various things you could DIY or improvise to achieve similar results. These are 10 DIYs for the Montessori homeschool made from upcycled household materials or easily accessible items, on a budget.

10+ DIYs to Decorate & Furnish a Montessori Home from Household Materials

10+ Fun Pre-Writing Activities for PreschoolersPrior to learning to write, we can begin preparatory work to set our children up for success. This includes familiarisation with the written language (the alphabet for English / Chinese characters for Mandarin / symbols for Math) as well as building up our children's hand dexterity, control and strength through fine motor activities. These are pre-writing activities.

Supporting Preschoolers in Writing Through 10+ Fun Pre-Writing Activities

The Pikler triangle is associated with Montessori, as it is a long-time staple in many Montessori (and Waldorf) classrooms. It was developed by a Hungarian paediatrician, Dr Emmi Pikler, and intended for babies as young as 6 months to children around 6 years. Over the years, Pikler triangles have become a playroom feature in homes too. The Pikler Triangle allows children to explore their physical limits, understand their body movements and capabilities, develop their own boundaries and respond to developmental climbing needs. It offers a safe environment for development of gross motor skills, physical strength, agility, and its open-endedness empowers free movement and creative play. Here are places to buy the Pikler Triangle in Singapore.


Where to Buy The Pikler Triangle in Singapore

At 3 years old, my daughter's default language for communication is Chinese. Her interest in recognising Chinese characters started at 2.5 years old, and she began reading Chinese sentences as she turned 3. Her interest in writing Chinese followed soon after, and we started with lots of pre-writing activities (tracing, salt tray writing, sand writing etc). The interest kept growing and now she writes ~20 Chinese characters from memory. A year ago, I wouldn't have imagined this to be the case. I am extremely proud of how far we have come on this Chinese learning journey.

From Resisting to Loving Chinese - My Toddler’s Learning Journey

The pandemic occurred during my toddler's sensitive period for order We stopped our parent education classes, play gym classes, music class, art class, going to the children’s museum and all playdates. From seeing other children everyday to entering social isolation, it was a drastic change. Our daily rhythm and routine was disrupted, and so was the predictability, structure and security in her life. We had to find a new rhythm and routine (Normalisation in Montessori terms). While it took several weeks in classroom environments, we were fortunate that my toddler took a much shorter time to assimilate to the new rhythm and routine, helped by the fact that the home environment is already familiar and there isn’t a change in carer (I was still the one providing a supportive role in her care). These ways helped my toddler find back her calm and order, and us as a family to get into the mojo of staying home, and enjoy the extra bonding and physical face time.

Restoring Calm & Order to my Toddler’s Pandemic Disrupted Life

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of everyone on the planet, some more drastically than the others. Children are especially susceptible to the emotional impact of this public health crisis, as they are keen observers of people and happenings around them, experience disruptions to their daily lives (quarantine, school closures etc) + prolonged effects (loved ones missing their significant life events like birthdays), and through all these, they may be too young to fully comprehend why this is happening. Undergoing these can give rise to many big emotions in children - stress, fear of their own safety and that of their family, helplessness, anxiety, anger, frustration, sadness and even grief. Children are still developing the ability to regulate their emotions, and require their carers' consistent, supportive and patient presence to counteract the negative emotions and feel the sense of security and stability they need. By supporting our children in emotional regulation of their big feelings, we can help prevent adverse negative behaviour like aggression, withdrawal, and mental health issues..

Supporting Our Children's Big Pandemic Triggered Feelings

Like many other parents who wished they had discovered Montessori earlier, I didn't start Montessori from birth with Miss 3.1, my firstborn. With baby no 2 whom we're expecting in 4 months, I'm excited and also anxious about this opportunity to Montessori from birth. Turning to books to empower and equip myself with the knowledge. These are books I'm reading / re-reading / bookmarking on -- how to Montessori from birth, manage sibling relationships, as well as positive, respectful and mindful parenting.

My Favourite Pregnancy and Montessori-friendly Parenting Books

Fresh flowers are popular gifts for birthdays, Mothers' Day and other special occasions. Whenever I receive them, I feel joy, but also sadness, guilt and pity because fresh flowers don't last long. Here are ways to combat those negative feelings, by utilising the flowers to their fullest, for children's learning and play! Children love this hands-on ideas of experiencing and enjoying flowers.

10 Open-ended Children Play Ideas to Repurpose Wilting Flower Bouquets

In our Montessori homeschool, our home reference library works wonderfully for us in terms of:
- providing accessible and informative books to satiate any burning questions
- providing the platform for Miss 3 to cultivate the habit of independently seeking out answers
- opening her to diverse and myriad topics, ranging from space, to the animal kingdom, to our human body

Home Reference Library for My Preschooler in Our Montessori Homeschool

Miss 3 had her first taste of pickled radish cubes, the side-dish from a Korean fried chicken take-out meal. Initially, she chewed it slowly and thoughtfully, as she does with every new food. Then, she proceeded to eat a dozen more cubes, until none was left. While eating, she asked, "Why is it sour?" I thought this was a great opportunity to teach pickling science as well as involve her in the making of a now-favourite food, an important practical life skill.

Making Homemade Radish Pickles with My Preschooler

Growing mushrooms made for a wonderful "farm to table" experience for Miss 3, allowing her a hands-on experience to learn where her food comes from and how it is grown. I introduced interesting mushroom facts to Miss 3. Also included are mushroom Montessori-aligned resources.

Mushroom Growing Project

It's spring, the growing season! A while back, we did a seed-plant unit study that helped Miss 2.11 explore plant anatomy and plant vascular system. Embarking on this gardening project (organic herb garden) helped to reinforce the prior knowledge and if successful, would allow a hands-on and visual experience of how plants grow from seeds. This experience was great for my little learner to learn the ownership, responsibilities and practical life skills from taking care of plants. It also allowed her to better understand the job of a gardener.

Even if our herbs and vegetables don't sprout, it's a life lesson to learn that sometimes things don't happen the way we wish them to. There could be many unforeseen circumstances leading to that. And that it's okay to feel disappointed, and when ready, to keep trying until we grow our first plants.

Herb Garden Growing Spring Toddler Project

This is my second pregnancy. I had bad nausea and vomiting with my first pregnancy, but managed to keep food and water down. This time, I suffered the debilitating symptoms of HG. They started week 5-6, lasting till week 13-14. I lost 5% body weight and everyday was a struggle with water and food intake. For many hours in the day, I was too sick to move. Vomiting was so frequent that the back of my throat constantly burned. I was fortunate that my husband was working from home in this pandemic. He could take sporadic breaks to help me out whenever I threw in the towel. He also took a couple of time-offs, but the sickness was prolonged so there were many times I was still on my own to tend to my toddler's needs, including and not limited to meals, toileting, nap/sleep and learning. Days felt painfully slow. Thankfully, they also seemed to pass by in a blur. These were the things that helped me survive this miserable phase in a incapacitated state while taking care of my toddler:

Pregnancy Hyperemesis Gravardium with Toddler to Look After

Montessori advocates involving children in the preparation of their new sibling's arrival, helping them understand what to expect, learn about pregnancy, birth and newborns, so they are mentally and emotionally ready for their transition into big brother/sister. Books are a great way for children to gain knowledge about new topics, so I've been reading many pregnancy and sibling related books to Miss 3. 

10+ Montessori-friendly Books to Prepare Elder Sibling for New Baby

Words have power and the messages in the books we read our toddlers influence and inspire them. These messages may even become our children's inner voices. Therefore, I meticulously curate the books read to and placed in my toddler's book shelf. These are my top picks for 10+ beautiful, Montessori-friendly books which empower and inspire children to believe in themselves.

10+ Positive Affirmation Books to Empower Montessori Toddlers

My toddler and I crafted this DIY fortune bamboo potted plant to decorate our home for Chinese New Year (CNY). It's eco-friendly (made from recyclables), everlasting and easy to store and re-introduce every CNY. It was also particularly meaningful as I shared with my toddler CNY childhood memories. Exposing her to Chinese traditions and beliefs provides her with a stronger appreciation of her roots, culture and identity. This fortune bamboo craft is also wonderful for fine motor development and is an outlet for children to unleash their creativity.

Fortune Bamboo Toddler Craft for Chinese New Year

Teach by teaching, not by correcting. That's what I strive to do everyday when homeschooling my daughter. It can feel counterintuitive not to point out mistakes in my child's work. Wouldn't pointing out the mistakes help her learn not to repeat the mistake? Maybe, but it also robs the child of a learning opportunity to discover the mistake and develop the ability to self-correct.

Teach by Teaching, Not By Correcting - The Montessori Way

Young children ask questions because they are processing things about the world and environment that intrigue them. This is a display of their innate curiosity and interest in why and how things work, as well as what new things are. Satisfying their inquisitiveness helps them build technical knowledge of the workings of the world. Beyond the technical information, it is about stroking lifelong inquisitiveness, encouraging them to continually seek out answers for what they don't understand.

Respectful & Mechanistic Responses to Toddlers' Why Questions

Growing up, one way of ushering in the Chinese New Year (CNY) was to display plenty of red decorations at home. I've since left the nest and am thankful to have my own home to decorate. I even have a pair of little toddler hands to help me with this meaningful and nostalgic task! Of all the CNY decorations (paper cutting artworks, lanterns etc), my favourite are the Spring Festival Couplets (春联 / chūn lián) as they exemplify the writer's wishes for the new year.

DIY Chinese New Year Couplet (春联) Craft for Toddlers

For toddlers who love their routines and thrive in familiarity and predictability, the experience of moving house can be very disruptive. It can feel like being uprooted from everything you once knew. While there are surely moments of happiness and curiosity in enjoying and exploring the new house and its environment, negative emotions may set in. If that happens, remember it is normal and perfectly okay for toddlers to feel disoriented, upset, overwhelmed, stressed or even resentful as they learn to make adjustments and internalise what has happened. 

Allow them to feel these big emotions and acknowledge these physical and emotional reactions. Above all, reassure them you're there for them, and while it might feel different and challenging right now, it is okay to take time to settle in and enjoy the new home together as a family.

Managing Moving House Transition & Stress for Toddlers - 10 Montessori-inspired Ways

I wrote a piece on 6 ways to encourage Pikler safety and it seemed that there're many caregivers out there interested in this topic! I'm pleased to share Schoene and Son Toys' insights regarding how to choose a Pikler Triangle, and additional safety tips. They are a mama-owned brand that makes Montessori- and Waldorf-friendly active play wood toys in Yorkville, IL, USA, and previously featured my non-climbing open-ended Pikler play ideas. Here's what the experienced active wood toy maker has to share regarding how to choose a Pikler Triangle and additional safety tips.

Choosing a Pikler Triangle - Interview with Schoene and Son Toys

Fortune cookies are crispy cookies with an iconic shape that has a piece of paper hidden inside inscribed with a prediction or affirmation. They are a common sight at Chinese restaurants in the US. This fun fortune cookie craft activity is great for Chinese language development and inspires culture appreciation and understanding.

Fortune Cookie Craft For Language & Culture Learning

Montessori classrooms with their inviting spaces are my inspiration as I transformed my 500 sqft apartment into an orderly Montessori home with a prepared environment for my toddler to independently learn and explore. A Montessori home does not need big budgets, large spaces or Pinterest worthy; they just need to be set up with the child's needs in mind.

How I Montessori My Small 500 sqft Apartment to be Child Friendly

This is a creative yet easy DIY Christmas advent calendar that gets young children excited about counting down the days to Christmas! This is perfect for last-minute crafters as it is made of art supplies commonly found at home - coloured construction paper (and optionally dot stickers!) Lots of learning involved - Children get to practise one-to-one correspondence, fine motor skills and kindness!

Make A Last-Min Christmas Tree Advent Calendar Out Of Paper

When safety precautions and usage rules are introduced, the Pikler Triangle can be a safe resource for children to explore and experiment with physical limits as well as gain lifelong confidence and mastery of their bodies. Tumbles, knocks and bumps are inevitable during the exploration and experimentation, thankfully they generally heal fast and well. It's the serious or lasting kind of injuries we want to prevent and shield our children from. These are the 5 ways I've found most effective in ensuring the Pikler Triangle is a safe, controlled and secure environment for my toddler's everyday use.

6 Ways to Encourage Pikler Triangle Safety

I love that in recent years, IKEA is gravitating towards a sustainable approach in its manufacture of products. More products are using environmentally friendly, natural materials like solid wood or bamboo, which is Montessori-aligned. These are my top IKEA picks for a Montessori home, keeping in line with the Montessori ideal of an inviting 'yes' space for children, while providing practical, affordable and lasting value at friendly prices.

IKEA Montessori Top Picks for a Practical & Child-friendly Home

These are 5 special DIY crafts we co-created for her grandparents. While these craft activities were adult-led, my toddler was very involved in the cutting, taping, gluing and designing of the crafts, and excited about gifting them to her grandparents. These crafts have great sentimental value and some are practical and functional for this gift giving season as grandparents could use them to wrap presents for family and friends, as well as decorate the house to give it festive vibes. These Christmas crafts are also lightweight or easily stored in a box, making it easy to be shipped afar as well.

5 Easy Christmas Crafts for Grandparents from Toddlers

Christmas stocking stuffers are one of the things most children love about Christmas. They can be small in size but huge in terms of practicality! As I practise minimalism with toys, I like my Christmas stocking stuffers to be useful, durable and promote open-ended play. Over the years I've learnt to be mindful and selective about stocking stuffers - so they aren't fillers which are fun, novel but break easily and end up being discarded quickly. My selection of Christmas stocking stuffers involve art and craft materials, functional household tools to help around the kitchen or garden, self-grooming items to use in everyday life and instruments to learn about science and math.

10+ Practical Christmas Stocking Stuffers for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers (Montessori-friendly)

While practising grace and courtesy is part of daily practical life for Montessorians, November is the month when giving thanks and showing gratitude is brought into focus. Learning about the concepts of thanksgiving and gratitude is a great extension of our fall themed activities.

6 Montessori-inspired Gratitude Activities for Thanksgiving Season

As a highly attached child, my toddler required me in her line of sight all the time. That led to me becoming heavily involved in her play, and she soon became accustomed to my presence and directions during play. These habits eventually stood in the way of independent play. Then, I discovered Montessori. It made a strong case for how important independent play (or 'work') is to children. That was when I became intentional, persistent and focused on encouraging my toddler to independently create play.

Encouraging Independent Play for Highly Attached Toddlers

There is strong and solid reasoning behind why Montessori advocates glass use for children at home and in the classroom. Fundamentally, glass and other breakable materials have "control of error" built in that help children to identify their mistakes and correct them without the help of an adult. There are other developmental benefits to. This post shares recommendations of how to safely introduce glassware, the type of glasswares to start with and what to do if glass breaks. Additionally, I shared my experience of when I knew my toddler was ready and signals to know when a child is ready for glassware use.

Introducing Glassware to Toddlers The Montessori Way

Play is a powerful tool that develops children holistically. My play-based homeschool strategies revolve around: Free Play and Play-based Academic Learning Activities. Together, they develop children's developmental and academic learning.

Play-based Homeschool Strategies to Prepare My Child for School & Life

Though I lacked the Montessori credentials and qualifications, I believed it was still possible to adopt Montessori in my everyday life with my daughter. Montessori is a way of life, not just a curriculum. I spent 1+ year extensively researching and trying to make sense of everything Montessori. The Internet's rich (and free) resources was fodder for my learning. But like a double-edged sword, information overload and picture-perfect Pinterest setups also got me overwhelmed and discouraged. 
Eventually I found my own comfort zone, my style, my system. It became clear to me that while I embraced many Montessori ideals, not all worked for me. For example, I wanted to encourage pretend play for boosting creativity and imagination, something not emphasised in favour of authentic experiences in Montessori. Having clarity and knowledge about Montessori eventually gave me the confidence to decide to homeschool. Today I'm happy to share that my Montessori-inspired homeschool system is working wonderfully for my daughter and me.

I've crystallised the 7 ways that helped me learn and get up to speed with Montessori education, as well as get started on my Montessori-inspired homeschooling journey.

7 Ways to Learn & Start Montessori Homeschooling Without Formal Training

These 20+ Montessori-aligned Baby Books with Real Pictures encourage the learning of varied topics: Self, Emotions, Animals, The World Around Us (Object/Color Recognition etc), Diversity and Health (Exercise & Healthy Eating). Most of all, they are visually appealing baby books with realistic pictures that are fun and educational for babies, and even toddlers!

20+ Montessori-aligned Baby Books with Realistic Pictures

This DIY cardboard Halloween town small world is a safe and creative indoor idea for trick or treating in these covid-19 pandemic times. The small world play provided lots of opportunity to explore and learn about Halloween, boosted language development, creativity and imagination, refined her fine motor skills as well as enabled learning of teamwork, social and problem-solving skills.

DIY Cardboard Halloween Town for Small World Trick or Treat

This DIY cardboard amusement park provided hours of open-ended, indoor small world play for my toddler, with lots of opportunity for language development, creativity and imagination building, fine motor refinement, learning of teamwork and social skills, as well as honing problem-solving skills.

DIY Cardboard Amusement Park for Creative Small World Play

These 10+ fun, tactile, indoor fall-themed activities help children understand seasonal changes, learn about the fall season, fruits/vegetables harvested in this period, animal behaviours as they prepare for winter hibernation, events/holidays during this season, as well as initiate a discussion about thanksgiving and gratitude.

10+ Indoor Montessori-inspired Fall Activities for Toddlers

The Mid-autumn Festival is my favourite Chinese celebration, and with good reason. It is an occasion to celebrate togetherness and the gathering of family, over delicious mooncakes and traditional tea. I created 10+ Mid-autumn Festival themed activities to help my toddler understand this holiday and its significance in a fun and hands-on manner.

10+ Fun Mid-autumn Festival Activities (Montessori-friendly)

It is important for Montessori parents to actively include the toddler in the process of welcoming the newborn baby home which emotionally and psychologically prepares their firstborn for their future role of big brother/sister. Here are 10+ easy, low-cost DIY baby toys you could involve your toddler to create for his/her new sibling. Nothing beats a handmade greeting gift to show the newborn baby that he/she is received with love.

10+ Montessori-inspired Toys Siblings Can Make to Welcome New Baby

Self-care is an integral aspect of the Montessori practical life education. Teaching our children the importance of caring for their teeth and dental hygiene is one of the most valuable and lifelong lessons we can gift them. These hands-on activities are framed around three topics:
Learning about teeth, dental health and dentistry. These activities are also great for Dental Health Month and hopefully for helping children overcome their first visit to the dentist's.

Teeth & Dental Health Unit Study (10+ Montessori-friendly Activities)

This DIY farm harvest activity invites toddlers to plant and harvest play vegetables. Through this tactile and hands-on activity, children learn Chinese vegetable terms through repetition of oral vocabulary used during play conversation as well as the exposure to print labels on the play vegetables.

Plant & Harvest Activity: Hands-on Vegetable Learning in Chinese

This tactile, hands-on and fun elements of this magnetic fishing game helped to reinforce food web and food chain knowledge from the "Who Eats What?" book. The purpose of this activity wasn't to drill in my toddler the memory work of who eats what, but to cultivate an understanding of the importance of each species in the whole ecosystem.

Food Chain & Food Web Learning: Magnetic Fishing Game

When I redesigned my home to be more Montessori-aligned, one of the biggest changes was setting up an open and accessible art corner where my toddler has the freedom and autonomy to select and use any of the supplies present to create her own artworks. Here's my experience, suggestions and tips on how to contain mess, keep the area orderly as well as encourage proper use and care of the art materials.

Setting up an Open & Accessible Art Corner at Home (Montessori-friendly)

10+ Montessori toddler art trays to encourage open-ended creativity in young children. I like to include interesting and novel materials for my toddler to express herself in new, creative mediums. I model the use of new art tools she has not been exposed to, but don't dictate any end-outcomes, or provide instructions on what to create. This is so that my toddler can explore the art materials independently, focus on the process art and learn through experimentation.

10+ Montessori Toddler Art Trays for Open-ended Creativity

Montessori-inspired tray work remains an integral part of our homeschool environment. At 26 months, my toddler has made leaps in fine motor skills, developed an interest in uppercase and lowercase letter differentiation, begun to challenge herself to puzzles of more pieces and incorporated one-to-one correspondence in many practical life aspects. These Montessori-inspired tray activities will build on these growing interests and strengthen them.

10+ Montessori-Inspired Toddler Tray Activities at 26 Months

It's Singapore National Day week! Here are 10+ Montessori-inspired indoor crafts and activities for children to understand more about Singapore while having lots of patriotic fun.

10+ Montessori-Inspired Singapore Themed Toddler Activities

This curated gift guide of 10+ Montessori-inspired and open-ended toys is for toddlers from 2-3 years of age. They are high-quality, nature-based, purposeful and grow with the child so they can be used to boost developmental skills for a wide age group of children. I've categorised the gift recommendations according to approximate price tags to suit your budget needs.

10+ Montessori-inspired & Open-ended Toys for 2 Year Olds

Frogs are incredible. There is so much to learn about frogs that would interest children, like how their young looks completely different from the grown-ups, how they go from living completely underwater to breathing air and how they don't drink water (they absorb water through their skin). To extend this interest and reinforce her learning about frogs, I created these 10+ tactile, hands-on activities for my toddler. This provided an early biology introduction for my toddler to learn about metamorphosis (life cycle of frogs from birth to adulthood) as well as other interesting facts about tadpoles and frogs.

Frog Unit Study for Toddlers (10+ Montessori-friendly Activities)

Getting fresh air and being outdoors is important to staying physically active and protecting our mental health. But with the spread of COVID-19, during these strange, unprecedented times of quarantine and isolation, what does safe outdoor exposure look like for children?Here are the 10+ outdoor activities my toddler and I have engaged in to make the most of the wonderful sunshine, as well as the reopening of states, while doing our best to stay safe and socially distance.

10+ Outdoor Activities for Toddlers During COVID-19

These Montessori-inspired camping activities provided lessons on practical life -- self-care, care for the environment, as well as grace and courtesy.

10+ Montessori-inspired Camping Activities for Toddlers

My toddler thrives on the Montessori way of learning and I intend to carry on with Montessori homeschooling for as long as we can. However, Montessori learning materials can be expensive, and there are limited avenues to purchase them from. With creativity and inspiration from other Montessori moms, I created these 10+ low-cost homemade Montessori-inspired toys suitable for toddlers.

10+ Low-cost Homemade Montessori-inspired Toys for Toddlers

Looking for a family-friendly activity in Washington State? Discover the joy of berry picking at Remlinger Farms! This fun, outdoor experience is perfect for young children and families to connect with nature, learn where their food comes from, and enjoy the fresh summer air. Explore Remlinger Farms' U-pick raspberry fields, and get tips for a safe, enjoyable day out with kids. Learn why berry picking is a must-do summer activity, and how it supports your child's development. Ideal for nature-loving families seeking memorable outdoor adventures in Washington State.

Berry Picking at Remlinger Farms: A Family-Friendly Outdoor Adventure in Washington State

Dot stickers are incredibly useful for early math introduction for toddlers, as they could be purposed in counting and one-to-one correspondence activities in myriad creative ways. Dot stickering is also a hands-on activity that is great for fine motor development.

10+ Creative Dot Sticker Counting Activities for Toddlers

Sorting is important for children to learn to create order in their worlds, refine senses and hone logical thinking for math skills at a later age. Color sorting is one of the most prevalent sorting means. Here are 10+ Montessori-inspired activities for sorting by color, using everyday household items and existing toys around the house. Enjoy!

10+ Everyday Items for Montessori-inspired Color Sorting

Here are 10+ simple and hands-on science experiments for children to explore chemistry through the world of chemical reactions. Science experiments don't have to be complex and can be created using everyday materials found around home -- repurposing old toys, recycled household items etc.

10+ Chemistry Home Experiments with Everyday Materials for Children

Here are 10+ fun, open-ended and creative sensory small worlds for children, set up in the bathroom sink, with themes like a bubble tea store, penguin habitat and the life cycle of a frog. Sink play allows for efficient, hassle-free and fast clean-up after play, which can be independently managed by children.

10+ Creative Sensory Sink Play Ideas for Children

This American flag craft is easy for toddlers to make, utilising dot stickers that serves as a great fine motor activity. It makes a wonderful Memorial Day and 4th of July party decor. Also, use this opportunity to teach about US history.

4th of July American Flag Fine Motor Craft for Toddlers

A number of fundamental skills have to be developed for mastery of scissor skills, such as bilateral coordination, finger and hand strength, hand-eye coordination and precision of grip and release. Scissor skills development happens most naturally and easily through play! As such, I introduced these 10+ fun and creative scissor skill activities to my toddler. Scissor cutting activities enhance fine motor control, visual motor integration, cognitive ability and self-expression.

10+ Fun & Creative Scissors Cutting Activities for Children

This unique Father's Day craft is perfect for children who think of their dads as superheroes and wish to create a one-in-the-world handmade gift. The superhero's hair can be styled by cutting, combing and even braiding, so children can give their superhero dads an unforgettable hair makeover!

Superhero Father's Day Craft with Customisable Hairdo & Handprint Cape

Here are 10+ simple and hands-on science experiments for children to explore physics: absorbency, light, opacity, density, gravity, and more. Science experiments don't have to be complex and can be created using everyday materials found around home -- repurposing old toys, recycled household items etc.

10+ Physics Home Experiments with Everyday Materials for Children

Unstructured, open-ended play dough invitations to play in the form of small world themed tinker boxes -- which toddlers would thoroughly enjoy. These play dough tinker boxes generally hold young children's attention longer than ordinary play dough play, generates lots of pretend play opportunities and reinforces their learning of nature and science.

10+ Open-ended Play Dough Tinker Box Ideas

Learning colors in Chinese can be really fun, natural and easy for toddlers if the teaching is done in a creative, hands-on manner. I used resist art to teach my toddler the Chinese word 白 (Bái / White) and introduced other exciting activities for the other colors.

10+ Sensory Ideas for Toddlers to Learn Colors in Chinese

My toddler started developing a keen interest in space and astronomy from books. To reinforce her learning, I prepared a space unit study with 10+ Montessori-inspired hands-on, language-rich, tactile activities for her to better understand the abstract and complex topic of space.

Space Unit Study for Toddlers (10+ Montessori-friendly Activities)

Here are 5 fun, hands-on crafts and artworks to co-create with toddlers in the theme of Mother's Day, aligned to toddler's interests (such as threading) with some inspired by meaningful Chinese phrases about parental love.

5 Meaningful Toddler Crafts to Celebrate Mother's Day

This is a fun and hands-on activity for children to learn about fruits in Chinese. Toddlers can personalise the fruit smoothies they make and this activity suits their growing independence and creativity in pretend play!

Juicing Activity: Fun & Hands-on Fruit Learning in Chinese

When my toddler displayed curiosity in learning about 'poop' (human excrement) and shows toilet readiness, I took this opportunity to begin a Montessori-friendly unit study of the human body, starting with the Digestive System. I created several hands-on, visual and concrete activities to help her learn, explore and understand about the human digestive system.

Human Body Unit Study for Toddlers: Digestive System (Montessori-friendly)

Everyday life presents the opportunity for Montessori toddlers to engage in Practical Life Activities -- self-care, care for the environment, grace and courtesy and movement of objects. I strike to provide as many opportunities as possible for practical life activities in my toddler's daily routine. These are the ways she takes care of herself and helps around the house.

A Typical Day of My Toddler's Practical Life Activities

Sensory activities are an important aspect of Montessori learning because they engage the senses and in doing so promote brain development and build neural pathways critical for advanced learning tasks. These are 10+ open-ended sensory activities to engage and sharpen toddlers' five senses, bringing about a myriad of learning benefits.

10+ Montessori-inspired Toddler Activities to Engage the Five Senses

Sorting is important for children to learn to create order in their worlds, refine senses and hone logical thinking for math skills at a later age. Size sorting is one of the most prevalent sorting means. Here are 10+ Montessori-inspired activities for sorting by size, using everyday household items and nature-based loose parts which are inexpensive. Enjoy!

10+ Everyday Items for Montessori-inspired Size Sorting

A few months ago I dreamt up plans of celebrating my toddler's second birthday with a getaway holiday and outdoor photoshoot. But the world is a dramatically different place today with the pandemic. I switched gears and threw her a birthday celebration with fun, hands-on activities which I hope she would remember (through all the photos and videos taken).

10+ Experiential Activities to Celebrate My Toddler's Birthday at Home

With some creativity, recycled cardboard boxes could be recycled into open-ended toys for toddlers, customised to their developmental needs and interests. From mini golf to a cash register, these 10 cardboard play ideas wonderful for pretend and imaginary play.

10+ Creative Open Ended Toddler Toys to DIY from Cardboard

Sensory small worlds enable young children to engage in pretend play and stimulate their senses with myriad materials. These 5 themed small world ideas bring the diverse outdoors to the comfort of your home and are perfect for stay home sick days or rainy days.

10+ DIY Indoor Small Worlds for Toddler Real World Learning

This is a fun collection of 10 Easter Montessori-inspired activities for toddlers to partake in. These hands-on activities help to reinforce learning of Easter. Children would love these diverse Easter activities, ranging from sensorial exploration, matching and sorting, math learning, arts to fine motor refinement.

9 Fun Montessori Inspired Easter Activities for Toddlers

Hands-on, multi-sensory activities help children learn, remember and recall alphabet letters more easily. I created 12 Montessori-inspired sensory activities to support and reinforce my toddler's alphabet letter learning.

12 Fun Sensory Activities for Toddlers to Learn Alphabet Letters

It is the Montessori philosophy to inculcate in children the lifelong skill of problem solving and reasoning that will enable them to become independent and confident in adulthood. I provided these 14 Montessori-inspired DIY problem solving activities for my toddler to try things on her own, make discoveries and learn self-correction.

14 Montessori Inspired DIY Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers

14 open-ended, home-based indoor activities for toddlers to refine fine motor skills, improve hand-eye coordination and build concentration and focus. These hands-on and fun activities are mainly DIY, utilising recyclables and nature-based elements.

14 Open Ended Fine Motor Indoor Activities for Toddlers

The Pikler Triangle is a common feature in Montessori classrooms and homes, as it is one of the most versatile and useful tools for building children's gross motor skills. It sparks creativity and imagination when children find myriad ways to play with it. These are 5 exciting open-ended play ideas I have tried with my toddler using our Pikler Triangle.

5 Open Ended Play Ideas with Montessori Aligned Pikler Triangle

Teaching toddlers personal hygiene is a lifetime lesson on health and caring for oneself. Such is the Montessori principle. I wanted to help my toddler understand how to protect themselves against germs through hands-washing and created these 5 Montessori-inspired germ and hygiene education activities for toddlers. This is particularly important as we are living through a coronavirus pandemic, in addition to the yearly cold and flu season.

5 Montessori Inspired Germ and Hygiene Toddler Learning Activities

Fine motor development is important for babies to master their environment and succeed in independent everyday tasks and advanced ones like writing and fastening of clothing at a later age. To help babies work on matching, sorting, hammering and transfer, I created these 13 open-ended fine motor indoor activities for stay-home days.

13 Open Ended Fine Motor Indoor Activities for Babies

For stay-home days when the outdoor weather isn't agreeable or we're down with a bug, I provide Reggio Emilia inspired open-ended sensory play activities for my baby to engage in. These are the top 13 open-ended sensory play activities I have tried with my baby, all using nature-based elements, everyday household items repurposed materials. These sensory provocations enable my baby to make new discoveries and learn about the world around her through her senses.

13 Open Ended Sensory Play Activities for Babies

Exposure to music is one of the ways I provide a rich learning environment for my baby. I created 5 DIY Montessori-inspired music makers for my baby to intuitively use and explore from upcycled household materials.

5 DIY Montessori Inspired Intuitive Music Makers for Babies

Toddlers are enormously capable when we place trust in them and they can definitely be great help in the kitchen, if you let them. I love having my toddler work with real food, for a hands-on experience of making food from scratch for themselves.

10 Easy Recipes for Montessori Toddlers in the Kitchen

I believe in the power of The Prepared Environment. A thought out play shelf with hands-on activities for my toddler at 22 months gave her the ability to explore, play and learn independently, and work on interests aligned to her sensitive periods. Here's 10+ Montessori inspired toddler tray ideas I put into practice at 22 months.

10+ Montessori Inspired Toddler Tray Activities at 22 Months

Pre-planned "Invitations to play" for long plane flights can be helpful in providing some form of choice, familiarity and play structure for children in a new and foreign (plane) environment, who might otherwise experience some degree of discomfort or intimidation. These activities are mostly open-ended, spark curiosity and provide opportunities for children to play imaginatively and independently, when the interest in the plane surroundings has waned.

10+ Invitations to Play for Toddlers on Long Plane Flights

How do I keep boredom at bay for my active young toddler on long travels? Inspired by the Montessori way of fulfilling toddlers' needs for their little minds and hands to be constantly engaged, I created 5 shoebox-sized small worlds using upcycled materials that enable my toddler to immerse in imaginative play while we are on the go. Now lengthy plane flights or car rides can be interesting too!

5 Engaging Shoebox Sized Busy Boxes for Toddler Travel

Here are 5 exciting, open-ended art activities for toddlers in the theme of Valentine's Day that generate great process art fun! Your toddler might not think much of the end-products, but these homemade Valentine's Day cards and memorabilia would make great gifts for family and friends.

5 Open Ended Valentines Day Toddler Art and Craft Ideas

Valentine's Day is drawing near and it's the best time to organically teach little ones about love with 6 Valentine's Day Montessori-inspired tray activities for my 21 month old toddler. The activities were created in Chinese as part of my initiative to heighten my toddler's print awareness of Chinese characters and to learn her mother tongue.

6 Valentines Day Montessori Inspired Tray Activities for Chinese Toddlers

I believe in the power of The Prepared Environment. A thought out play shelf with hands-on activities for my toddler at 18 months gave her the ability to explore, play and learn independently, and work on interests aligned to her sensitive periods. Here's 10+ Montessori inspired toddler tray ideas I put into practice at 18 months.

10+ DIY Montessori-inspired Tray Activities at 18 Months

I prepared a series of Chinese New Year Montessori-inspired tray activities for Miss 21 months to explore and try out independently when I have guests over for the Chinese New Year! From fine motor practice to sensory play to problem-solving challenges, I think she is spoilt for choices!

10 Chinese New Year Montessori-Inspired Tray Activities for Toddlers

Here's a roundup of engaging crafts and activities for toddlers to celebrate the Chinese New Year! This is a great way to introduce young children to Chinese heritage, culture and traditions.

12 Exciting Chinese New Year Crafts and Activities for Toddlers

Chinese New Year is nearing and I wanted Miss 21 months to be more in touch with her heritage and learn more about this key Chinese festival and its traditions. As such, I created a Chinese New Year Montessori Exploration Shelf for her to try fun activities that are related to the Chinese culture.

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