Prepared Environment

MONTESSORI TODDLER KITCHEN AND 10 FOOD PREPARATION TRAY IDEAS

October 26, 2020 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

Toddlers are active learners, readily absorbing, engaging and learning in their environment. Most parents notice that children love to participate in activities that have to do with looking after ourselves and our environment. Dr. Montessori quickly discovered that children in her school wanted to help care for the classrooms, themselves, their classmates and the environment, so she introduced child-sized tools to help them succeed.

Montessori Kitchen

Anika’s favourite practical life work is making her own snack in her Montessori kitchen.
We have repurposed an old spare shelf as our toddler kitchen. All modifications are straight forward including- attaching a water dispenser with 3mm tape and keeping a bowl underneath, which acts as a sink. We also have a cleaning set, bibs, apron, hand towel, rubbish bin, table and chair, cutlery and glass tray and a large thick towel to be laid under the bowl before washing hands in this area. Many families also use the IKEA Duktig kitchen and there are several hacks online on repurposing it the Montessori way but this simple setup works well too.

This area serves as our permanent handwashing, juicing station and snacking station. Here are some of our favourite “food preparation” tray’s that are displayed on a daily basis so Anika can help herself to a self-serve snack at any time of the day.

Tray 1- Pouring tea
Tray 2- Peeling and slicing eggs
Tray 3- Spreading nut butter on cracker
Tray 4- Peeling and cutting banana
Tray 5- Pouring milk on muesli
Tray 6-Cutting and scooping kiwi fruit
Tray 7- Fruit skewers
Tray 8- Slicing strawberries
Tray 9- Scooping passionfruit
Tray 10- Slicing cucumber

Benefits of Setting up a Toddler Food Preparation Area

Children love preparing their own food for the simple pleasure of it but this corner is valuable in more ways than one…

• The child is learning to look after themselves. These activities promote independence.
• The child is learning to take responsibility at home and they love to know that they are valuable contributors in the family.
• These activities involve a lot of movement, which is great for gross and fine motor development.
• The child is learning new skills, learning to use kitchen tools, cleaning while building their vocabulary and knowledge of the world.
• All the above activities need specific set of sequences to be followed. For example- wear an apron, get the tray to the table, sit, prepare, eat, put rubbish in bin…….this develops concentration.

Find it here…
Most of our wooden cutlery and tea set is from op shops or flea markets in Bali. Here are some items, we have sourced locally…

Water Dispenser- Storage Box
Egg cutter- Stevens
Food Preparation Tray’s- Daiso (Japanese dollar shop)
Cleaning set- Melissa and Doug

Books for Babies (Montessori Voices version)

December 11, 2019 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

In the proliferation and pruning process, simpler neural connections form first, followed by more complex circuits. The timing is genetic, but early experiences determine whether the circuits are strong or weak. Source: C.A. Nelson (2000). Credit: Center on the Developing Child

The importance of reading in the early months is essential for brain development. Latest research (chart below) shows that neural connections for language absorption is the most critical in the first year of life. Source: C.A. Nelson (2000). Credit: Center on the Developing Child

Reading books is a great way to bond and interact with your baby. Reading aloud with your baby also has the following benefits: (KidsHealth.org)

It teaches a baby about communication.
It introduces concepts such as numbers, letters, colours, and shapes in a fun way.
It builds listening, memory, and vocabulary skills.
It gives babies information about the world around them.

What are Montessori approved story books?

“Fantasy is very interesting to the older child, but only confusing to the very young. A rich foundation of stories about the real world is the best preparation for creative imagination. We should check that books present reality, since at this age children are trying to make sense of the environment and the life around them. There is nothing more extraordinary and interesting than our daily life. Fantasy can come later- after reality has been experienced and absorbed.” – Understanding the Human Being.

So some important features of a Montessori approved book for children are:

Based in reality.
Number of words per page is age appropriate.
Includes interesting details and pictures.

A Timeline of How we Read with baby…

“How” we read to Anika has evolved every month, after closely observing and following her development. Here is a timeline of ‘how’ we have read to her in the past 7 months….

1 month and 2 months old- We made books a part of our daily routine from early on. In the early days, babies can only see high contrast pictures so we loved reading small black and white books from the Usborne series and some black and white flash cards. In the early days, Anika enjoyed the visual aspect more than the oratory, so we spoke little and watched more. We did not disturb her concentration while she was absorbed. Once she looked away from the page, I then named it and turned the page.

3 months old- During this time, babies can see primarily colours well. We loved reading small simple books with 1 picture per page and no words. Following her interest, we started talking a little more about each page.

4 months old- Anika started grasping everything at this time. So instead of constantly saying “NO” we choose books that were safe for her to grasp and chew on. “The Indestructible Series” has been a favorite ever since and the books ‘Mama and Baby’ and ‘Baby Faces’ are particularly loved.

5 months old- Anika was lifting her playmats and everything around. So we introduced her to “lift the flap” books. It took us few weeks of role modelling but she got a hang of it soon enough and has since loved playing an active role in our reading sessions by lifting the flaps. Anika was interested in oratory as much as visual, so we started talking a lot about each page. We also added a lot of synonyms and actions into each page.

6 months old– From around 6 months onwards, a child’s language absorption power increases drastically for the many months to come. We started pointing and narrating everything in the environment at all times from here onwards. Anika showed special interest in body parts by exploring our facial features. So we introduced her to books about body parts and started pointing and naming each one of them. We also sang songs like ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’ which fascinated her.

7 months old– At 7 months, Anika shows that she recognizes and understands several words. She started pointing to which book she wanted to read and also to the pictures of few words that she understood. Anika showed special love for animals and we read books about animals. At around 7 months onwards, babies’ brains starts classifying things into different categories (Wonder Weeks). So we introduced her to farm animals and sea animals of Aotearoa by displaying pictures of them at her eye level. This gives us a great opportunity to encourage movement (as she wants to touch all the animals while rolling and scooting) and conversations about where they live, the sounds they make etc.

Books are an excellent language resource for children. They also give them a peek into our real world. Some other tools that we use for language development are – narrating everything in the environment, displaying pictures on their eye level and singing nursery rhymes.

Our Top 15 favorite books for the First Year: Here is a list of our top 15 baby books for the first year. Most of these have real-life pictures and factual information. Although, we do give a bit of leeway for classics such as Goodnight Moon.

Baby’s very first black and white book series by Usborne
The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Little Learning Library by Eric Carle
Touch and Feel Playbook by Eric Carle
Mama and Baby- The Indestructible Series
Baby Faces- The Indestructible Series
My First Body by DK
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little toes by Helen Oxenbury
Goodnight Moon
Global Babies
Baby Touch and Feel Animals by DK
Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers
I see by Helen Oxenbury
Good Dog Carl by Alexandra Day
Smile by Roberta Intrater

A Montessori- Inspired Gift Guide

November 8, 2019 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

Clockwise: Playsilk, grimms cars, peg puzzles, willow rattle, xylophone and Grimms stacking bowls

With the festive season approaching soon, I thought I would share a Montessori-friendly gift guide for different ages.

This list is not exhaustive but I hope it gives you some ideas for your little ones. Many of these toys are classic Montessori, some are open ended and others are just classic toys that I have seen children have loved and used for a long time.

INFANTS

Willow Rattle- Anika’s absolute favourite rattle! This beautiful heirloom piece is hand made in NZ.

Cage Rattle- This is a classic Montessori rattle. It also rolls away slowly making it a great incentive to crawl for babies.

Bell Harmony- This amazing grasping mobile was Anika’s favourite for months and I highly recommend it.

Flip Fingers- This Montessori inspired toy is absolutely beautiful and so loved at our home.

Playsilks- There are 1001 ways a child can use a playsilk, all the way to their teenage years.

An open-ended toy that all children love- Play silk!

TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS

GRIMMS WOODEN TOYS- I can’t recommend these toys enough! Some of my favourite picks are large rainbow, stacking bowls, bead grasper, coloured cars, coloured geo-blocks and 12 rainbow friends. Anika uses many of these as a baby and will continue to use them well into her toddler and preschool years. This is the beauty of quality open-ended toys.

These Grimms car toys are well worth the investment

MONTESSORI SKILLS- These are all my favourite Montessori inspired toys for toddlers and pre-schoolers that teach them real-life skills…

Beehive Lacing– I have used this at schools that I use to teach in and it was an absolute favourite for many children.

Brooms- More than anything else, children want to do and be just like the adults in their environment! I have an indoor broom and outdoor broom as Anika’s Christmas present and I know this will be well loved and used.

Pound the Ball- This is every toddler’s favourite toy! It’s great to hammer a ball and be able to see the cause and effect at the same time.

Pound the ball- An all-time favorite Toddler toy!

Peg Puzzles- This is a great selection of peg puzzles and perfect for exercising pincer grip along with matching skills for toddlers.

Sand and Water play toys- Dr. Montessori said that children are sensorial learners and this great collection of sand and water play toys are excellent for their sensorial exploration this summer.

OUTDOOR TOYS- Outdoor is a favourite place to be for most children. Here are some toys that will be used for years outside..

Metal Colander Set– Colanders are a favourite toy for sand and water table. I love that these colanders have holes in them and children love to see sand and water drip through these.

Hula Hoops- Every child’s favourite way to move! Hula Hoops are so great to learn coordination and rhythm for pre-schoolers. For the younger children, it makes a great open-ended toy to use it as a jumping game, rolling it around etc.

River Stones– are another classic outdoor toy that builds and promotes skills such as jumping, judging distances, coordinating and balancing.

Classic Ball Set– I love this classic ball set. Great investment for a long time to come..

ART AND MUSIC- Every child enjoys art and music. Here are some of our favourite picks…

Crystal Organza Rainbow Pack– If play silks are over budget, then these crystal organza rainbow pack are a great solution. Babies to Teenagers love fabrics and use them in multitude of ways over and over again. In my opinion, there is clearly no better open-ended toy than this!

Toddler Top 40 Fun Songs– I have been collecting Music CD’s since I was a teacher, so I do have heaps of them but this is a real favorite with Anika. Her face lights up as soon as I put it on. I absolutely love the song collection!

Julie Wylie CD’s– Another favourite is music CD’s by Julie Wylie. I have used these so much at preschool and children love them!

Xylophone– We love this xylophone and it’s surely one of those investments that children use for years.

Floor Drum– This drum is on our wish list and so much fun for children to play. No better way to keep your toddlers engaged.

Brain Development from Birth to Three years (Montessori Voices Magazine version)

October 28, 2019 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

The crucial importance that Dr. Montessori gave to the first few years of life, a century ago is resurfacing in today’s neuroscience. Dr. Montessori said that it was in these early years that the nervous pathways are established and the basic associative structures of the brain are completed. This will then serve as a foundation for how each experience for the rest of our life is processed, registered and recalled. The latest findings in neuroscience reiterates the same and that 85% of brain development happens in the first three years of life.

Dr. Montessori said that the significance of the first three years lies in the fact that child has an “unconscious absorbent mind”, which means that everything that is received from the environment is processed and stored in the brain cells with no effort. Neuroscience calls this “tacit (non-conscious) time frame”, where child absorbs how the social world works and this gets wired into how the brain works.

Since these first years are so crucial, here are some ways teachers and whanau can support the child during this period:

1. Pregnancy/ prenatal life- Dr. Montessori recognized these nine months as crucial for a child’s brain and emotional development. She said mother’s attitude and acceptance towards the baby played a vital role in babies development.

“It is very important to talk to the fetus and it is equally important to sing to him; this stimulation is like a massage for the brain and body.”- Understanding the Human Being.

Today, neuroscience confirms that a positive environment, mind set and experiences for a mother during pregnancy will have lifelong consequences for the child. Moreover sensory stimulation like talking and singing to the fetus aids in development.

2. Prepared Environment- Dr. Montessori emphasised that one of the key roles of an adult was to give the child a “prepared environment”. In the first year, this environment includes an area for rest (floor bed), area for change (change mat with supplies), area for feeding (comfortable chair) and an area for movement (horizontal mirror and a shelf with developmentally appropriate material).

“The most important way to achieve a better use of brain is to give it information of better quality and quantity in the first years of life. It is especially in this period that the brain shows a great capacity for developing very specialised functional circuits.”- Understanding the Human Being.

Today, neuroscience confirms that an important factor in stimulating the nervous system to develop and help human beings to progress and evolve is the kind of environment offered to them.

3. Responsive care and communication- Dr. Montessori famously said…

“Of all things love is the most potent.”

Research in neuroscience has proven that a child’s relationship with the adults in their life is the most important influence on their brain development. With responsive care, the brain’s systems learn to work well and keep the person healthy and socially engaged. What is learned in the early life will be applied ever after to relationships.

“Human relationships are NO 1 ingredient of child’s future success”- Theodre Roosevelt.

Talking to your baby not only helps in brain development through language information it has received but also helps in building neural networks as baby starts to make sense of the world around her. A child also absorbs the “emotional environment” of the home, so positive attitudes and emotions of the family members are crucial.

4. Observing and Responding to the child– Dr. Montessori emphasised that when a young child is observed and then responded to at the earliest, it helps them build trust in the world that their cries are heard. This also shapes their perception of the world, whether they will view the world in positive light and become optimistic or not.

Today, neuroscience agrees with this and further states that ‘when young babies cry they are not having tantrums or being emperors. They have needs and communicate them the only way that they can.’

5. Play/ work time- Dr. Montessori stated “Play is a child’s work” and the Montessori Method is based on this. Today, neuroscience emphasis on the same. While baby plays, the sensory information she receives establishes important neural connections. These experiences provide a critical foundation for future development.

Neuroscience agrees with Dr. Montessori that babies are ready to play from birth and it is their method of learning self-control, social skills and building intelligence.

6. Providing opportunities for development- Montessori emphasized on the importance of ‘freedom of movement’ for a child’s growth, which meant maximum awake time on tummy/ floor and no use of containers (walkers, swings, bouncers etc).

Neuroscience confirms the above and today more and more pediatricians all over the world recommend using minimum contraptions and giving babies freedom to move, which is essential for their growth.

7. Outdoor time– Dr. Montessori emphasized on the importance of nature for a child’s development and said…

“The best way of invigorating a child is to immerse him in nature.”

There is so much research in neuroscience that shows the connection between physical exercise/ movement and mental acuity. The brain loves exercise and research has shown it increases brains executive function anywhere from 50%-100%. Once a baby is comfortable with bright day light, letting her spend some time regularly outdoors is great for her sensory development and for gaining an understanding of the world. As it is rightly said, trees make the best mobiles.

8. Face to face conversations rather than screen time– Dr. Montessori said that children in the first plane of development (birth to 6 years) are sensorial learners. They need to touch, feel, taste, smell, move and experience the real world. And no screen can provide this information in a natural or full-sensory way.

“There are many who hold as I do, that the most important period of life is not the age of University studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed….The child has an intelligence of this unconscious type, and that is what brings about his marvellous progress. It begins with a knowledge of his surroundings.” – Maria Montessori

CDs and TV programs promoted as “educational” and aiding development have now taken away those phrases because they don’t. Neuroscience says that screen with animated characters teaching them colours and numbers is a means of passive absorption and can never replace a face to face real life interaction for learning and brain development. Although screen time is a very sensitive topic and for many families it can’t be eliminated altogether. Preferably no screen time or very minimum supervised time is recommended specially in the first 3 years.

9. Follow the child– Dr. Montessori always emphasized on “following the child”. She said every child has their own innate nature and it is part of education to recognize and utilize these predispositions, because education can aid and direct nature but can never transform it.

Every child has their own innate timetable and latest research in neuroscience shows that comparison or pressure could actually be a roadblock to their natural brain development. Observing, following and supporting a child through their personal and unique needs is optimum for their development.

10. Hold them- Dr. Montessori time and again recognised a baby’s need to be physically close to their whanau and stated…

“One observes, too, that the little one, going about with his mother, never cries unless he is ill or hurt in some way. Sometimes he may fall asleep, but he does not cry.”

Today, neuroscience reiterates that babies are meant to be held. There has been a lot of recent research which show that daily separation/ isolation for extended period causes enough stress in babies to induce epigenetic effects that heighten stress reactivity, causes deficits ion memory function in adulthood, causes underdeveloped serotonin receptors, endogenous opioids and oxytocin (happiness hormones) and influences the presence of various hormones and neuropeptides right when systems are being established.

Montessori philosophy is based on the child reaching their highest human potential. We have one hundred billion cerebral cells and we use only 2-4% of them. And a better educational environment, from the very beginning, is the only way to realise this potential. Neuroscience has established that the experiences that a child has in their environment determines the connections that are made in their brain. The richer the experiences and the more she experiences the more the connections are made. Within our brain, we have synapses which connect neurons together and allow signals to travel. In the first 2-3 years of life there are an immense number of these connections being made, a process known as synaptogenesis, which aids the child to adapt to their time and place. In conclusion, it is safe to say that much before neuroscience proved the above, Dr. Montessori made the above known through her extensive work and scientific observation with children.

Here is a brief timeline of brain development from conception:
Pregnancy- during this crucial period 20,000 brain cells are being added every minute.
First 3 years- A staggering seven hundred new neural connections (synapses) are formed in the brain every single second, equating to over one thousand trillion synapses by a child’s third birthday

Montessori Baby Timeline- Our favorite Montessori Mobiles, Rattles and Books for the first 6 Months

September 5, 2019 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

I recently had the opportunity to work together on Instagram with some amazing Montessori mum’s who shared lots of fantastic information for our miniseries called ‘#themontessoribaby’. Check it out if you haven’t already! I enjoyed sharing timelines for most topics as a way of reflecting back on past 6 months depending on what has been Anika’s favorite and how each book, mobile and rattle has worked for her developmentally. Montessori mobiles, rattles and books are baby’s “main toys” for the first 6 months and here is our timeline for each….

Babies have an immense capacity to concentrate for long periods of time and these early years are a sensitive period to build concentration. Montessori mobiles are scientific in the sense that they are developmentally appropriate to a child’s growing visual sense. Here is the sequence we introduced the Montessori mobiles in…

Munari mobile– We introduced this to her when she a month old. Since babies can see only high contrast colors in early days, this black and white mobile was perfect for developing tracking skills and concentration.
Octahedron Mobile– introduced at 6 weeks old. Babies eye sight develops at rapid pace. This mobile introduced primary colors in 3 dimensions.
Gobbi Mobile– introduced at 8 weeks old. Gobbi introduced gradation of colors from the darkest to the lightest.
Rainbow mobile– introduced at 9 weeks old. Introduces secondary colors and was Anika’s favorite mobile.
Dancers mobile– introduced at 11 weeks old. It shows realistic shapes, movements and bodily expressions.
Wooden figure/ whale mobile– introduced at 13 weeks old. Represents concrete and realistic form which aids in visual development and tracking.
Ring on ribbon or bell chimes mobile– introduced at 15 weeks old. Strengthens grasping skills that is developing at around this time.

We have read heaps of baby books from day. 1 and we have read lots. Anika showed a preference for the following during each month….

1 Month Old and 2 Months Old– We loved reading black and white books as she could only see in high contrast. She also enjoyed concentrating on high contrast flash cards. She enjoyed the visual aspect more than the oratory, so we spoke little and watched more.
3 Months Old- She could see primary colors well and we loved reading small simple books with 1 picture per page and no words. We started talking a wee bit more about each page.
4 Months Old– She started grasping everything. We loved reading the ‘indestructible series‘ for grasping and chewing. Instead of constantly saying No, we choose books that were safe for her to mouth and chew on.
5 Months Old– She was fascinated with ‘lift the flap books’ which made her an active participant in our reading time. For the first few weeks, she watched me open the flaps and slowly she started trying to do it herself. I have written about our top 3 favorite lift the flap books here. She also enjoyed visual as much as oratory, so we talk heaps. I also added a lot of synonyms and actions into each page; example- elephant was too big is described as he was huge, gigantic, humongous, massive (with actions) etc. She seemed to understand some words and many actions, even if not she enjoys the description.
6 Months Old- She was fascinated with body parts and loved to stare and play with my eyes, nose, ears etc. So we loved reading “My first Body” book along with some other favorites from the Indestructible series and Lift the flap series.

Rattles help in strengthening hand muscles and developing baby’s grasp. 2 Montessori concepts we always follow with any material are:

Are they ready for it?- Never set them up for failure! It should be doable, not too easy (results in boredom) and nor too difficult (results in low self esteem).
Order of introduction- Every material is introduced in order from the easiest to the most difficult, when they are ready for it. So here is the rattle timeline that we followed with Anika…

2 Months old- We introduced the soft crochet black and white rattle. This soft and light weight (and safe!) bell rattle perfectly fit in small hands.
3 Months old– We introduced the stick rattle. We love this willow rattle and also the wooden rattle. The stick is a firmer texture for a babies growing hand control and excellent for grasp refinement.
4 Months old- We introduced circular rattles, which gave her a different grasp to work with. It also gave her an opportunity to practice hand to hand transfer.
5 Months old- Anika could grasp and hold things with both her hands and the egg rattle was great to practice that skill.
6 Months old– Anika was slithering and the rolling rattle encouraged her to move more.

Montessori Shelf at 6 Months Old

August 23, 2019 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

I love preparing Anika’s Montessori work shelf every month depending on her skills and interest. Here is a brief description of each work on the shelf at 6 Months old…

Diffraction Mirror Paddles- We are so so lucky to receive beautiful gifts from Every Educaid. Thank you Sarah! Anika enjoys swiping the paddles clockwise and anticlockwise to build her hand strength and muscle control. The reflection in the mirror is enticing. I cant wait to take it outside so Anika can really enjoy its diffraction properties.
Basket with objects that roll away slowly- Anika is slithering! These objects that roll away slowly encourage her to crawl. We have been using all of these materials again and again for different purposes from early months. We have our black and white puzzle ball (part of Lovevery gym), teething ball, bell rattle and a soft ball. To be honest, an avocado or a lemon would work just as well too 🙂
Treasure Baskets- Anika LOVES treasure baskets. Just random things from around the house with different texture, made up of natural material and that are safe to mouth. We have 2 treasure baskets on this shelf (bottom left), one has different kind of brushes and other one has various wooden objects.
Tissue box with playsilks– Anika loves pulling everything! So I did a DIY (video on Instgram) with a tissue box and placed a few playsilks inside that she could pull. Its one of her favorites.
Sound shakers- We got these glitter shaker bottles from Every Educaid that are perfect size for little hands. I filled them up with various beans. Anika loves to shake and hear the sound each bean makes.

20 ways to encourage Tummy time from birth to 5 months

July 7, 2019 by jayabalar 1 Comment

At the end of 4 months, Anika started rolling from her tummy to her back. I never helped her learn the skill because I did’nt want to take away her joy of being able to do it herself. So, instead of ‘pushing’ her to gain a skill earlier, I just gave her lots of ‘time and opportunity’ to be able to do it when she was ready. I sincerely believe these milestones are not a competition or a race. Whenever my inner voice tells me to help her do it, I remind myself to STOP and TRUST her because Einstein spoke his first word at 3 years and that didn’t define his potential. In terms of giving opportunities for physical growth, we all know the answer is tummy time. I get most number of messages on Instagram asking me when to start tummy time and how to encourage it. Since I have not written about the “encouraging” part yet, here we go…..

Let’s start with some facts:

Tummy time is hard work.
Most babies dont like it much.
It is essential to build neck and shoulder muscles for head control and all the future gross motor movements.
All babies have different level of strength, so its best to ease and motivate the child but never force them to do tummy time. Increase the duration gradually…
Make tummy time a “routine” from birth, so babies know what to expect and will resist it less. Our routine is as soon as Anika wakes from any day nap, we change nappy and do tummy time. Duration differs but the routine stays the same.
The more tummy time and floor time a baby gets, the stronger and more physically active they will be. Minimize the time in contraptions.
Most children need “incentives” to do tummy time. These incentives were different each month depending on her capability and interest. So here is how we encouraged tummy time during Anika’s first 5 months of life….

Birth and First Month- We started tummy time on Day 4 on my tummy! Mumma’s body feels like the safest and the most known place to little one’s and this is the best + easiest place to start. We put Anika on the floor on Day.10 when she seemed OK to lie on her tummy and occasionally try very hard to lift her head. The most important thing was to place her on soft/ thick rug or floor mat.

Start tummy time on mum or dad’s tummy

For the first few weeks best place to start tummy time is on dad or mum’s tummy

Place on thick rug once they can lift their head, while lying on tummy. Anika on Day 12..

2. Mum’s (primary caregiver) presence is comforting during tummy time for at least the first 2 months– I stayed with her throughout and often did tummy time with her, so she could see me and this got me the few extra minutes from her.

Mum’s presence and voice is very comforting
during tummy time, esp in the first few weeks…

3. Tummy time in different places around the house– encourages babies to engage for longer and try their best to lift their heads up since this ‘new world’ is fascinating!

Tummy time in different places at home is a great incentive for them to try very hard to lift their head!

4. Make it a part of your routine from the start- this way babies will know what to expect and resist it less.

A way to least resistance for tummy time is to make it a part of your “routine” as soon as possible. After every nap, we changed nappy and did tummy time.

Second Month- From Week 5 onward, she particularly enjoyed seeing ‘the baby’ in the mirror. Babies visual sense is limited in the first few weeks of life so high contrast images are perfect for getting their attention + developing their visual sense. We have absolutely loved these black and white flash cards. I printed these on 250 gsm paper and used corner punch to trim the edges.

5. Black and white images/ mats are visually stimulating- Babies can only see high contrast images during the first few weeks of life. Anika has absolutely loved these black and white cards and her brolly sheet, which we use as an extra layer under a carpet or rug during tummy time.

Mirror + black and white flash cards are a great aid for tummy time + concentration

Black and white brolly sheet was a great incentive to lift up and concentrate

6. Tummy time is always better when babies can interact with people

Interaction with an adult is the best tummy time incentive at ANY month old!

7. Montessori Mobiles are wonderful tummy time incentives from Week 4 onward

Montessori mobiles are great for tummy time as well

Tummy time watching the dancers mobile at 10 weeks old

Third Month- Anika became increasingly aware of her surroundings at 3 months. She was earlier very sensitive to many people and especially noise! Introducing her to the “outside world” was done while on tummy 🙂

8. Trees make THE best mobiles- and a great tummy time motivation + introduction to the outside world, once babies are settled in their home environment.

Babies love watching the natural environment once they have settled in at home-usually 3 months

9. Various ‘sensorial’ materials that they can grasp- At 3 months old, babies have discovered their hands and are busy practicing their grasp. Combine this into something exciting during tummy time and they wont complain! Anika loved grasping the sand, grass, bark, leaves etc while she was on her tummy time (on my thighs) outdoors. At 3 months, their hand to mouth reflex is still developing so you can stop them (just in time :-)) from putting things in their mouth.

3 months onward, they also love to “grasp” and “feel” everything in their environment.

This whale mobiles represents concrete wooden form and worked great for tummy time and back time

10. Follow the child and observe to find their interest and continue to motivate them during tummy time- Following the child and observation is the backbone of Montessori philosophy. Its also where all these ideas are derived from 🙂 At 3 months old, Anika went through a phase where toys during tummy time would annoy her! All she wanted to do is put all her energy to lift up into a push up.

When babies learn new skills like this push up at 3 months, they are intrinsically motivated to repeat it till they master the lift…

11. Pictures of other babies- Babies are fascinated and love to watch other babies at around 3 months. Printing some pictures from the internet and displaying them on their eye level is a great incentive for tummy time.

Pictures of other babies are very exciting to watch during tummy time

12. Let them explore books with various textures- At around 3 or 4 months, many babies can comfortably balance on their forearms. Giving them books with various textures to feel keeps them reading on their tummies for longer.

We LOVE this touch and feel playbook for tummy time!

13. Let them explore teethers- Most babies start teething anytime between 3-6 months. Teethers are exciting to gnaw on during tummy time and require less effort to hold compared to when babies are on their back. We love Sophie the giraffe.

Teethers are exciting to grasp and gnaw on while on tummy

Fourth Month- At four months old, babies have developed good shoulder and neck strength and almost ‘demand’ to be entertained during tummy time. This is also the time when they have a great interest in ‘motion’ and seeing things pass by. So we often did our afternoon tummy time at our local reserve where Anika could see people and cars pass by…

14. Show them “Smooth Transitions”– Babies go through a growth spurt around 4 months old, where smooth transitions fascinate them. Some examples are- cars passing by, people passing by…

At 4 months old babies love seeing things passing by in ‘smooth transitions’ watching cars and people pass by are great incentives to be on tummy…

Continue placing them in random places at home at 4 months old! Here Anika discovered that her hand could go “under” the mat and enjoyed practicing it on repeat…at 4 months old

15. Give them various sensorial textures to explore- Babies are sensorial learners. Giving them different kinds of sensory textures helps their brain development and keeps them motivated to do tummy time.

Babies can usually balance on their forearms at 4 months, this felt ball is a great sensory experience at 4 months old…

16. Give them real-life objects to explore– More than any ‘toy’, babies want to be and do what the other adults do. Anika loves to see how my fingers hold the brush, how I hold a spoon etc. Giving them these experiences during tummy time keeps them motivated to explore on their tummies for longer.

More than any ‘toy’ babies want to do all the ‘real-life’ things that they see adults around them do. Here Anika explores how to ‘hold’ and mouth a toothbrush (new + eco friendly).

Babies love watching what adults hands and fingers do at all times including while eating. Exploring another real-life object during tummy time!

17. Let them ‘feel’ some raw fruits and vegetables (with hard skin)– Many babies start developing a real interest in food at around 4-5 months old and letting them explore some real fruits and vegetables with hard skin is a great way to keep them on their tummies for longer.

Babies also develop great interest in what adults are eating at 4 months old. Letting them explore real-life sensorial unripe fruit and vegetable sustains their concentration + tummy time for a while. We use washed pumpkin, lemons, oranges etc anything with hard skin that she cant eat 🙂

18. Let them see “real life”- Babies are fascinated with watching what a vacuum cleaner or a mop does and enjoy tracking their movement too! Tummy time hardly feels like a chore when they can see all these exciting things.

Seeing real-life chores is so fascinating for babies. Tracking + tummy time incentive all in one.

19. Batting and grasping mobiles– I just DIY’ed this black and white ball which a part of our Lovevery playgym into a batting mobile (sewn with elastic on top + satin ribbon). At 4 and 5 months old, its a great and exciting challenge to balance on one arm and bat it with another. At 4 months old, babies are also refining their grasp, so a grasping mobile is a great challenge for babies during tummy time.

Batting a ball hanging from the ceiling hook is so much fun at 4 months old

Grasping the bell chimes mobile is challenging + exciting at 5 months old

FIFTH MONTH- Babies are now more or less comfortable with tummy time. Many are rolling or will be rolling soon. Babies are getting increasingly mobile at around this time. Read this post for details on how to support this mobility.

20. We love objects that roll- at 5 months old, which encourages movement for babies.

Anika rolling over in an attempt to get the cage rattle

Figuring out how to reach the Hugg-a-planet ball which has just rolled away…

Observations at 4 Months Old

July 4, 2019 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

Anika turned 5 months on Tuesday and I love to do these observation post just to record the memories because time seems to be passing so fast! Hey 5 months already??

“I observe little children; I sensed their needs; I tried to fulfill them; they call that the Montessori method.”- Dr. Montessori

I will be honest, 4th month has been challenging for me in many ways. Little miss went through her 19th week growth spurt + sleep regression + object permanence at the same time. I have spoken in details about the 19th week growth spurt and 4th month sleep regression on Instagram. I will talk about object permanence here….its when babies are still learning that objects can exist even when they can’t see them. It meant a lot of screaming for every minute, I moved away from her eyesight. So we have been baby wearing a LOT and my back is a bit stuffed…But challenges are a part of life just like the good times and each day, I am immensely grateful for my daughter. So I am not complaining but sharing cause I want to be honest in my journey as a mum…. I should record observations every week cause I dont seem to remember much but here are a few things I remember….

Obsession with hands and feet has been intense this whole month.
Loves grabbing her left toes and taking both her socks out. Right toe seems a bit more challenging to grasp. It’s amazing to see minor muscular differences in both sides of the body from such a young age.
From week 18 onward, she was constantly ‘arching her back’ while feeding, playing etc. Well its a preparation for rolling! I supported her upper back while carrying her so she was safe.
Towards the end of 4th month she started rolling from her tummy to her back. It was done obsessively like 30 times a day at least. It was almost like she could not help but had to roll over 5 times before her body stopped arching back and she could sleep.
Rolling on her right is much easier than her left.
She hardly misses grasping anything now. Her grasp has come a longgg way this month.
She has always been a very alert baby but this month her personality has shown even more. She is super happy, giggly, chatty and also very strong willed 🙂
She now responds to her name.
She watches my every move and wants to imitate me all the time. I have been eating on the floor so she could see how I eat. This resulted in some serious tantrums if I didn’t give her something to eat, so yes at 4 months she started chomping on solids like a pro. More on this later…
We have some new sounds this month, my favorite is when she says ‘ayeee’.
She seems to be imitating me every minute. Every evening, we dance and this is her (and my) most favorite part of the day! I dance and sing songs and she vigorously moves her hands and legs with big smile trying to match my moves 😀
She “demands” lullaby before each nap time. I have been singing her Annie’s song (John Denver), You are my sunshine, Top of the world, I just called to say I love you (Stevie Wonder) from when she was in my tummy and its fascinating to see how much she loves listening to me sing these tunes(probably the only one who does ;-)). She kicks her legs hard attempting to dance, while I sing.
She can sit unaided and arches forward for about 10-15 seconds.
She absolutely loves watching trees and feeling all the world around her. I take her around the house and let her feel whatever she looks at. Some favorites are door knobs and taps.
Turns out she is a tummy sleeper! We still co-sleep at night and use carrier during day naps.
Our routine at the start of 4th month, looked like this. Towards the end of 4th month, her awake time increased to 2-2.5 hours and our routines have completely changed. I will post our new routine soon.
We loved doing heaps of work/ play together. Check out 20 Montessori inspired activities she loved at 4 months old.
This month, she seemed increasingly restless and demanding of my attention, which in turn decreased her ‘work’ and time for ‘concentration’. Although I know this is a developmental thing and I am doing all in my will to make her feel secure, I wonder if there is something else I could do…..
She can pick up toys from her side.
Teething continues and tends to get more intense at night time.
Oh wait, did I mention she loves water? Apart from splashing in bath tub every night we do a small water play in our bathroom sink after breakfast.

All in all she grew up heaps this month, physically (check out those thighs :-)) and with her skills. I love my life as mumma to this precious ray of sunshine.

Montessori Shelf at 5 Months Old

July 3, 2019 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

Anika is 5 months old already! It reminds me to savor moments like these….

Love cuddling her when she is asleep and awake!

Anika is rolling over and has got a lot more mobile on her tummy and her back. So it was time to make some important changes in the room. While Anika slept in the stroller this morning, I quickly re organised her room and shelf. The final look for this month is…

The 2 most important changes in the room are:

We replaced our much loved rainbow wool rug with this large thick play mat (PVC and phthalate free). So she now has more space to explore her movements. We found this rug at Baby Show in Auckland last year, but you can find similar one here.
I have placed my breastfeeding pillow, near the shelf. We now spend 5-10 minutes every work cycle doing assisted sitting practice. Sitting is the only gross motor skill that babies need to “practice” with help before they can master it on their own and 5 months is the perfect time to start this. To be honest, 2 pillows joined at an angle will work just fine.

For a few more days, her favorite bell chimes mobile stays because she absolutely loves working with it. I am always in the room with her, so it’s ok but generally as soon as babies start to roll over its safer to take all the mobiles out.

Practicing assisted sitting with pillow and my hand

Now time for our exciting shelfie!!

We were very happy to receive some amazing rattles from Sarah at Every Educaid. I love this company and all their beautiful natural and hands-on educational resources. Anika has come a long way with her grasp this last month, so these beautiful rattles are just perfect for 5th month to further refine her grasp.

Thank you Sarah (Every Educaid) for these beautiful rattles + wooden spiky balls for heuristic basket

Top shelf Details:

Wooden bowls- are from flea markets in Bali.

First bowl– Playsilk since Anika is REALLY into peekaboo atm. She is trying to make sense of order permanence.

Second bowl– Interlocking discs. During 5th month a very important thing happens with hands- TRANSFER FROM ONE HAND TO ANOTHER. So if there is only 1 resource I recommend for this age, it would be this beautiful discs designed ideally for hand to hand transfer.

Third, fourth, fifth and sixth bowls- are all rattles from Every Educaid. Anika hardly misses grasping what she wants now. These rattles are much more trickier to hold than her previous ones, which will further refine her grasp.

First box- has willow rattle (from Every Educaid) and wooden rattle from Essential Montessori.

Hug a Planet– We LOVE this cloth ball. It gives a great height and support to work with specially when Anika is practicing sitting.

Skwish Toy– Still a favorite at 5 months!

Montessori Perfect Pacifier– we use it as a teether and its easy to hold and great to gnaw on.

We have another basket with toys in the living room. That includes her all time favorite teether- Sophie the Giraffe and lots of books! Happy Wednesday everyone.

3 Most Loved Montessori materials in the first 3 months

June 12, 2019 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

I have written a detailed post about ‘Preparing a Montessori Newborn Space‘ earlier. Here is a quick guide to Montessori playroom furniture and three materials we have loved in the first three months.

A Montessori playroom for babies has 2 main pieces of furniture, which are used daily for many years:

Horizontal mirror– Easily our most loved and used piece of furniture. Anika has loved looking in this safe acrylic mirror since the first few days after birth. Some uses of the mirror for a baby are: it helps the child to have an extended view of their environment, Anika enjoys the mirror image of the mobiles, she watches her face and tries out facial expressions, she watches her hands and feet move, she enjoys interacting with others through the mirror, she prefers to be held (by a new person) while looking in the mirror so she knows whats happening with her body. Basically I cant recommend it enough 🙂 I love this particular mirror because we can easily move it, does not damage the walls and it can be reconfigured vertically when she starts walking.
An infant shelf- Babies are sensitive to order. So having this piece of furniture to store their play materials neatly in trays adheres to this sense of order and they learn from start and things belong to and have to be put back in their place. We got a wooden infant shelf from a local woodsman in Auckland , which will be used for years to come. But a shelf from Ikea or Kmart works well too.

As far as Montessori materials go, here are top 3 that we have used heaps and absolutely loved….

Montessori mobiles have been the most loved in these first 3 months

Montessori mobiles– We have had so much fun with these! They have been marvelous to develop Anika’s concentration. This being our main ‘toy’ for the first 3 months (and even now!) these mobiles have been totally worth its use.

Baby books and these black and white flash cards have been loved!

Baby books– Reading books has been a great way to bond and also form concrete routines for us. Anika loves these books and they are Montessori (real-life images) approved. We also love using these books and the black and white flashcards as our tummy time incentive.

Lovevery Play gym-this Montessori inspired playgym has been a big hit for us. Anika loved the black and white images, mirror, mobiles…I love that the little guide book that comes with it and tells you how to change the material every few months according to their development stage. It can be used right till she is a toddler.

Prepared Environment

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