The Best 7 Montessori Shelf Work For Your Toddler

7 Montessori Shelf Work + FREE PRINTABLE FRUIT FLASHCARDS

Did you run out of ideas on what to do with your toddler at home? Are you looking for montessori shelf work to keep them busy while you’re cooking a meal or working from home?

I got you mama! I will be sharing the Montessori inspired shelf work we did for Evelyn. (17 months old)

1. Fruit Matching
2. Brown Bear, Brown Bear Felt Board Story
3. Scribbling
4. Mega Legos
5. Coin Drop
6. Flexible Wooden Stacker
7. Wooden Montessori Toys Musical Instruments

I also have more Montessori Inspired shelf work here.

Montessori Shelf Work for 16+ Months

I started doing the Montessori toy rotation. So instead of having all of Evelyn’s toys out to play, I divide her toys into smaller and more manageable groups and I try to rotate her toys at least once a week. Toy rotation created a more functional play system for my child.

With that being said today, I will be sharing with you Evelyn’s Montessori inspired shelf work for this week. With the hope to give you some ideas to try with your toddler.

I will be linking everything and will try to find similar toys to the Lovevery Play Kits.

This Is Why I Chose Lovevery Subscription Play Kit.

Also, this post contains affiliate links, which means that I’ll receive a commission if you purchase from this link. This will not change or increase the cost of your purchase.

1. Fruit Matching Montessori Inspired

Goal: Language and Classification

Will Need: Flashcards and Fruit

Objective: Child will match the fruit with the corresponding flash cards. Eating will be involved!

• Simply download the flashcards FROM DOWN BELOW and laminate them (optional)
• Give your toddler 3-5 flashcards and help her/him find the fruit from your kitchen.
• Prepare and wash the fruit because this activity your toddler will be tasting it too.
• Model to your toddler how to match the fruit with the flashcards
• Most likely in the beginning they will not match the fruit because they will prefer eating it and that’s totally okay! Just follow your toddlers lead.
• Talk to them about the colors, the names of the fruits, the textures, how they taste, and how they smell to improve with more new vocabulary.

2. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? Felt Board Story

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a classic favorite, it is has many opportunities for learning. Adding felt board stories is a perfect playful hands-on learning activity for toddlers.

Goal: Interest in Literacy, Receptive, Expressive, Responsive to language

Will Need: Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? and felt board story

Objective: Child will explore with the felt board pieces, point at pictures, make sounds, and say new words

• Read to your toddler and then encourage them to use flannel board pieces.
• With each animal, ask your toddler what animal sound they make. Animal noises are a GREAT way to begin introducing intentional sounds with children.
• Ask your toddler what the name of the animal is (labeling).
• Ask your child what color the animal is (labeling)

3. Scribbling

Evelyn has been enjoying using colors, pens, markers, and pencils to scribble. This activity has been so fun her her.

Goal: Fine Motor, Curiosity and Initiative in Learning, Problem Solving

Will Need: Crayons and Paper

Objective: Child will make marks on paper when given crayons and paper.

• This activity is pretty simple and fun for toddlers.
• Give your toddler crayons and paper and have them scribble
• Make a line from the top to bottom with a crayon and have your child copy you by drawing a single line on the paper on any directions

4. Mega Legos

Goal: Fine Motor and Spatial Relationships

Will Need: Legos

Objective: Child will connect legos and will develop dexterity and strength in the fingers

Give your toddler a few legos to explore spatial relationships and develop their fine motor skills.

5. Coin Drop Montessori Inspired

This coin bank set is from Lovevery Toddler PlayKit. The coin bank set is to practice fine motor precision while posting with coins, carrots, and smaller home items for fun DIY flexibility.

This week we aded the coin lid to our wooden coin bank from Lovevery. The Lovevery 13-15 Months Play Kit comes with this wooden coin bank set, which includes a CARROT LID WITH CARROTS FOR COIN BANK, COIN LID AND COINS FOR COIN BANK, and POSTING LID FOR COIN BANK.

Goal: Fine Motor

Will Need: A container with an opening, home items to put into the slot.

Objective: Child will manipulate the wooden coins into the slot.

Practice fine motor precision while posting with coins and home items for fun DIY flexibility.

6. Flexible Wooden Stacker Montessori Inspired

This Flexible Wooden Stacker is also from the Lovevery Toddler Playkit.

Learn how things fit together with these colorful stacking rings.

Goal: Spatial Relationships, Fine Motor, and Classification

Will Need: Colorful staking rings. (DIY with Fruit Loops and Uncooked Spaghetti Noodle)

Objective: Child will learn how things fit while using their hand-eye coordination.

Since I focused on learning colors this week, every time Evelyn would stack the rings, I would say the colors.

7. Wooden Montessori Toys Musical Instruments

Children love to bang, clang, shake, scratch, tap or hit.

We love to play instruments with Play Your Instruments song by Ella Jenkins.

Goal: Inquiry Through Observation and Investigation

Will Need: Instruments or a good ol’ fashion wooden spoon with a few pots and pans will do the trick

Objective: Child will observe and explore with the instruments

• Movement, balance, hearing, and touch are all involved as your toddler learns to hold and play different instruments.
• They begin to understand, for example, that banging a drum slowly and softly creates a different sound than banging it quickly and forcefully.

10 Remarkable Activities For Toddlers At Home

Conclusion

I hope you were able to get a few Montessori inspired shelf work ideas for you toddler. These activities are great for them to do independently while you’re making dinner or working from home. These activities are open ended activities and they will be engaged while working on their skills.

Stay tuned for more ideas for young toddlers! Follow us on instagram or facebook so you don’t miss it!