Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Selecting A Great Montessori Gift For Two Year Old

By Maria Sanders


Early childhood development was described by Maria Montessori as happening in several stages for the first seven years of a child's life. She called these sensitive periods as that is when a child is especially interested in a certain thing. Three of these stages begin at birth, another begins around six months, and another at around a year. All extend well past the age of two. Knowing these stages can help inn choosing a Montessori gift for two year old.

The first three stages that start at birth are Movement, Emotional Control, and Math Patterns. The next two periods, added at six months and a year, respectively, are Need for Order and Interest in Small Objects and Vocabulary. Recognizing the states and knowing what the interest is at that stage makes it easier to select an appropriate gift to encourage developmental growth.

The following suggestions for toys are related to the stages indicated, but they may also span a number of stages as well. For example, emotional control includes the bonding between them and their parents. A movement toy such as colored silks can be used to dance and focus on movement, but the relating to the parent during that play will focus on emotional control.

The stage of Movement begins at birth. It is during this stage that the baby strives to move toward interesting objects. A ball is excellent for this stage. Having a ball hidden in it give it even more appeal. Having the ball with an odd shape keeps it from rolling away from him. Tactile balls give even more encouragement. Using colorful silk squares encourages the older toddler to swirl and dance with them, encouraging his movement.

Emotional Control involves bonding to others and relating to the people around them. Nothing beats actual relationships, but there are toys that encourage that. Realistic cookware, tool kits, and other things that the baby or child sees their parent using daily encourage that social relationship. Toy cell phones are a very favorite of many children, and can be used to encourage bonding and relating.

Math Patterns is another stage, one you might not expect in the young baby, but the baby starts from birth trying to make sense of the world mathematically. They discover such things as patterns, and that one cup of liquid can't be poured into a half cup. They are learning measurement as well in their daily live. They are also discovering geometry and relationships. Thus, geometric shapes and such make a good gift.

Around six months the baby enters the stage of Need for Order. They need toys that have to be sorted according to size, colors, shapes, and such. They have a need to put things in order. Toys like stacking rings make great toys for this stage. Circle sorter toys are also excellent for ordering during this stage.

The next stage, beginning at around age one, is Interest in Small Objects and Vocabulary. The child becomes very fascinated with miniature animals, play figurines, and any other item that is much smaller than in reality. The more realistic it the better. This also encourages vocabulary development as the child plays with and discusses what the figures are. Just be cautious about them putting them in their mouths.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment