What Montessori Activities to Do with a 2 Year Old Toddler
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Terrible twos? Let me tell you; there's no such thing. It's just your two-year-old's ego developing rapidly. Two-year-olds crave even more independence than before. And your toddler might be letting you know this with undesired behavior such as tantrums. No matter how frustrating this phase of the child's development feels to you (I've been there!), remember, this is a perfectly healthy stage during which your child keeps separating more from you and his family.
To meet the need for more autonomy, give your toddler more age-appropriate choices to feel empowered. Let them do things they can for themselves, and include them in practical life activities.
Your child's interests might also be coming to the surface more. Try to follow his interests when setting up work on the shelf. See below our shelf inspiration.
MONTESSORI TOYS FOR 2 - 2,5 YEARS:
Top shelf left to right: Puzzle, Language Basket with Cards, Geometric Sorting Board, Balancing Cactus, Cutting with Scissors, Screwdriver Set, Wooden Geoboard
Puzzles
Once your toddler is used to peg puzzles, you can introduce more challenging puzzles to him.
I bought this geometric puzzle in Prague, and it used to be a favorite among toddlers I worked with.
Language Baskets with Cards (object-to-picture matching)
A language basket is a basket with objects of the same category—for example, trucks, kitchen tools, or farm animals. When your toddler was 15-18 months, we introduced a vocabulary basket with objects only. This time, we can include matching cards for object-to-picture matching.
The cards need to be identical to the objects. I got the cards that match our Schleich Wild Life animals on the Teachers Pay Teachers website. See here. You can also make your own matching cards by taking photos of your objects and laminating those.
The geometric sorting board helps refine your toddler’s eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills.
Your toddler still enjoys sorting and stacking. This sorting and stacking puzzle represents an additional challenge to the Stack and Sort Board we introduced when your toddler was 18 months.
Balancing Cactus
This balancing toy also aids in the development of hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
It can also be used as a game for multiple players.
I found this particular piece in a local thrift store and happily spent 5 dollars for it.
See a similar toy here.
Cutting with Scissors
Many parents worry about giving their toddlers scissors. First, it’s a safety concern. Second, toddlers like to cut, not only things that are meant for cutting. And only some parents are fans of a mullet haircut for their children.
This blog post will give you tips on introducing scissors without worrying about the above things.
How about learning to use a screwdriver while working on your fine motor skills? Yes, please.
This screwdriver set offers five different screws for your toddler to remove using the tools or their own hands.
If this toy is too challenging, simplify it by offering only the screws that can be removed using their hands. Later on, progress to using a screwdriver.
This toy will be very well-loved by toddlers and their older siblings.
By pulling rubber bands and attaching them to the board, your toddler refines his fine motor skills and works on the development of the mathematical mind.
Toddlers use the geoboard to create their figures. I enjoyed watching Emma figure out the different shapes she could make by stretching the rubber bands.
As your child grows older, she can make different patterns using this geoboard.
Note: Our shelf is here just for your inspiration. You don’t need all these toys, and your toddler might not enjoy all of them. Observe your child first and see what she needs and is interested in. Also, remember that your toddler might be ready for some of the toys earlier or later.
What are your toddler’s favorite toys? Please share them in the comments.
More Montessori activities: