Being indoors for the majority of the day with children is hard at the best of times. Juggling different ages is another thing to manage and if you have a toddler too it can sometimes feel as though their play is just plain disruptive. Added to being in the midst of a pandemic and it will seem like more stress than anyone needs right now.
Here are some simple Montessori activities for 2 year olds which, when repeated with consistency, can increase concentration, focus and fine motor skills for toddlers and hopefully give you some time to support older children if they need it. Or just have some quiet time to yourself. I, for sure, am always in need of more of this!

I can bet that you have all or most of these things already, so there’s no need scramble to buy new things as it is difficult to get outdoors at the moment. Use what you have and you’ll find you can create some really good go-to activities.

A quick list to keep in mind for a scan around your kitchen:

• Easy to handle utensils – think soup spoons, spice scoops or large teaspoons / butter knives without teeth / tea-bag strainers
• Dishes with compartments
• Cutting mats or boards
• Bowls
• Child size tumblers
• Citrus juicer
• Jugs
• Trays
• Dried beans and peas
• Small sponges (or cut a larger sponge in half)

Simple Montessori activities for 2 year olds:

• Pouring beans from a jug into a bowl, and back again
• Spooning beans from a bowl to a bowl
• Sorting different sized beans into different compartments
• Pouring water from jug to jug
• Sieving beans out of sand using a tea strainer
• Cutting a peeled banana
• Cutting a slice of buttered bread
• Squeezing an orange for orange juice

Things to keep in mind:

Spills and spillages are very normal for this age group and can extend onto practicing cleaning and mopping up. Your child may try something once and not be keen to repeat, in which case it’s best to just shelve it for another day. Alternatively, they may practice an activity many times and you’ll see them highly engaged. If you can bear it, only intervene when absolutely necessary – this will help to build concentration. The more meaningful the activity, the longer it will last – for example, anything they can eat/drink immediately will be a big hit! Use a tray for activities with beans to help them from scattering everywhere and a sponge with any water pouring activity.

I hope your little one will grow in ability and concentration. It would be great to know how you, and they, get on — let us know in the comments below!

Love and light,

Zainab x

PS Colour learning Easter egg magnets, Montessory style