P is for Practical & Play

 

Babydoll had a range of practical life activities and role play this week.

 

 

Scooping & transferring ping-pong balls using a ladle.

 

Later, she decided pouring them was faster.

 

Threading with her Melissa & Doug lacing toy.

 

Pouring cheerios from cup to cup (& later eating them).

 

Cutting a 'banana' using her Mother garden play set.

 

A typical type Montessori 'play'. Here she has to work on her visual discrimination skills & learn how to estimate the varying sizes of each shape. I decided to tape down the other roles (triangle & circle) and let her focus on one shape at a time.

Working on the circles of graduating sizes.

 

Later, she tore out the tape and found the puzzles stuck on it. She tried to rip them out and i thought 'hey! that could be an impromptu sensory play for her!' YAY!

 

 

Another (too cute) puzzle to help her gauge the different sizes of each piece.

 

 

And what's a childhood without role playing?

 

 

I am also glad that she is begining to get the concept of going to our work shelf and selecting a 'work' of her choice. I caught her voluntarily drawing out activities and working them on her on. Last week activities are still on our shelf & she's been working on the boxes, the alphabet matching & Melissa & doug color sorting toy. Best of all, she knows well enough that she has to keep each activity and return them back to the shelf in order! :)

 

Lastly, i just want to be clear that it is not like she sits down and does the activity in 1/2 hour or so. The activities are largely over in a minute or two! She would be very interested to try them and will be over it in maybe 5 minutes max. Most of the activities are presented to her on a whim- i don't have an assigned hour for her to 'work'. Then i'd leave the activity somewhere around & sometimes she will ask to do.