15 DIY Montessori Activities

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities, Montessori Tagged With: DIY This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

One of the best things about Montessori is that many of the activities and materials are easy to DIY.

The nature of Montessori is clean, simple, easy, and open-ended. It makes just about everything DIY friendly, affordable, creative, and FUN! Many Montessori toys are also suitable for multiple ages. Some of the DIY Montessori activities that I've posted here have multiple uses.

You may make colorful wooden blocks that your child will play with for years. They might start out having a favorite pink block and carry it everywhere to one-day building castles with those same blocks!

I hope you enjoy going through this list of fantastic DIY Montessori Activities. 🙂

DIY Wooden Gradient Blocks

DIY Color Tablets: I love these colorful wooden blocks! Making your own blocks is really easy and you can design them however you want. These gradient blocks are amazing for teaching colors, dark versus light, sorting, patterns, creative play, and architecture.

Colored Wooden Peg Dolls

Here is another painted wood activity! These peg dolls are perfect for matching, sorting, counting, patterns, and creative play. Montessori toys often suit different age groups because the simplicity allows for variation and creativity. This is a fun toy for infants through preschool.

Rainbow Rock Clock

I love this activity! First, you have an art activity! Painting rocks is already super fun and now you can make them into rocks for a clock! This activity helps children learn to tell time and practice telling time, but it also teaches counting by ones, fives, and tens as well as teaching the tricks of reading a clock.

DIY Washing Station

SO CUTE! Kid-sized things are way too adorable! I love this one. A kid-sized washing station teaches practical life skill and independence. Your kids will be able to help around the house and clean with their own accessible tools.

DIY Montessori I-Spy Game

This is such an easy one! You are probably familiar with “I spy with my little eye, something…” This activity is similar except the game is concentrated to a small space of different objects. The goal is to encourage language by focusing on which letter the object starts with. “I spy something that begins with the letter, G.”

DIY Heart Sewing Activity for Kids

Sewing is becoming a lost skill, but we should still be teaching it. Even if it is just the basics. Simple hand sewing for crafts is a perfect place to start. This heart sewing activity would be great for Valentine's Day, Mother's day, or a birthday gift. You could also translate the project into making anything you want! Your child could make their own little toys, gifts, or learn their shapes by sewing each one.

DIY Puzzles

I love the idea of making a variety of these puzzles and leaving them out for kids to discover. Children are naturally curious and never seem to miss a thing. If there is a new toy that has appeared in their space they are certainly going to have fun exploring it! These puzzles could be made from printed pictures, photos, old book pages, or magazines.

Montessori Smelling Bottles

Montessori smelling bottles are so much fun! There is so much variety as to what you can put in them. Spices, essential oils, and anything else you can find in your kitchen work perfectly. Use a cotton ball to absorb the smelling material, put it in a jar, and you will have a fun sensory experience with your child! This was our first smelling bottles experience. 🙂

Make Your Own Balance Beam

Balance beams are really fun and actually simple to make! These are great for coordination, gross motor skills, patience, and promote independent play. I always like to include something in a play space that promotes large motor development. A balance beam is great and further down on this list there is a DIY Pikler Triangle.

DIY Nuts and Bolts

This little nuts and bolts set is great for dexterity, fine motor skills, and keeping kids busy! It is so simple to make. You could add variety to this activity with a variation of sizes. This will turn it into a puzzle and busy problem-solving game. Here is another easy to put together nuts & bolts activity.

DIY Munari Mobile

Black and white are really beautiful and the simplicity works well with Montessori theory. I thought this Munari mobile would be a beautiful addition to any nursery or playroom. Little eye-catching exploration pieces are what really make a Montessori bedroom come to life.

Montessori Bell Rattle: Make Your Own

Rattles are one of the simplest toys. Every baby seems to have one they like and others that they don't want anything to do with. I love this idea to make your own. You could add other things as well such as ribbon or felt embellishments hanging from the end.

Build Your Own Pikler Triangle

What can I say…it is yet again another simple toy that promotes development in every way. The Pikler triangle encourages physical development, encourages challenge, promotes independence, supports posture and optimal growth. Pair this with the balance beam and you will have some simple gross motor development tools right in your home.

DIY Button Snake

One more DIY Montessori activity. The button snake is easy to make and simple for your children to play with. This is another easy one to take on the go or keep your children occupied. This is a perfect opportunity to practice shapes, colors, dexterity, sorting, patterns, and creative play. Check out this other button snake activity perfect for Chinese New Year or Midsummer Festival.

10 Amazing DIY Lego Mother’s Day Gift Ideas from Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: DIY, Gift Guides, Mother's Day This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

My family and I recently visited Legoland California and HAD a blast. Building with legos ignites my boy's imagination. As a mom, I have a warm and fuzzy feeling towards Lego and would appreciate any and all efforts to make a DIY Lego gift for Mother's Day. So, I scoured the world wide web and discovered ten unique DIY Lego gifts that any mom would appreciate!

Unique DIY LEGO Mother's Day Gift Ideas from Kids

Lego Mini-Figure Family Portrait

This Etsy shop will put together this adorable family portrait made up of mini-figures. An easy DIY Lego gift that won't take a ton of time or money.

Mother Ducks & Her Ducklings

This simple mother duck DIY Lego creation is perfect for even the littlest builders. Read Make Way for Ducklings and let the warm and fuzzies begin!

DIY Lego Mayka Tape Frame

This clever gift is ideal for preschool and elementary aged kids. Use Mayka Tape to create a DIY lego picture frame any mom or grandmother will adore.

Lego Stamp Card

This Mother's Day gift comes from a child creative juices with printing art! Make a card using a DIY Lego stamp and paint.

Lego Wine Charms

Now, this is a Mother's Day gift I can definitely find room for! How fun are these Lego Minifigure wine charms?

Simple Lego Flower for Mom

Sweet and simple – allow the child space to create his own flower for mom.

DIY Lego Flower Scene

Another version of a Lego flower with a base and a scene added to it. Encourage the child to be bold and embellish the flower for mom.

Lego Mom Superhero Frame

Along the same lines as the Minifigure family portrait above, this frame has a special spot in mom's heart for sure.

Lego Pen Holder

Make the Mother's Day gift functional for mom with this DIY Lego pen and pencil holder with a picture embedded in it!

DIY Lego Business Card Holder

Most mom's like functional gifts and this business card holder is perfect. Mom can work at her desk and think warm thoughts as she glances down to her DIY Lego business card holder.

More Mother's Day Gift Ideas from Kids

Unique DIY Mother’s Day Gift Ideas from Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: DIY, Gift Guides, Mother's Day This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Whether you're wanting a unique DIY Mother's Day Gift from your kids, a Mother's Day gift from your toddler, or a lovely easy Mother's Day Gift for grandma, this comprehensive hand-picked list should have you covered! In addition, the gift ideas in this article include personalized DIY to functional DIY gifts for mom this Mother's Day season! Finally, enjoy and having fun making these DIY gifts for the moms in your life!

Unique DIY Mother's Day Gift Ideas from Kids

Cupcake Bath Bombs

Your kids will have tons of fun making these cupcake bath bombs. Mix a bit of baking with gift giving (and bathing!) makes for engaged kids. Furthermore, you can make many variations of these cupcake bath bombs based on favorite scents and colors.

Mother's Day Drawing

I love the simplicity of this activity because, let's be honest, it isn't always doing crafts with kids! Add a little personalized artwork that any mom would truly adore.

DIY Sugar Scrub

Can you sense a theme here? I should send this Mother's Day post to my husband as a hint. I love baths and this sugar scrub would be a perfect addition. Plus, like the DIY bath bomb cupcakes, kids will have a lot of fun making this gift. Above all, you could make the sugar scrub a customized Mother's Day gift by adding favorite colors and scents.

Clay Footprint Ringholder Dish

How sweet is this ring holder? This DIY is the perfect first mother's day gift. There are a few steps involved but this dish is actually quite easy to make. Plus it has a baby's footprints to make it truly personal.

DIY Peaches & Cream Bath Bombs

I can't get enough of these DIY bath bombs. So, I am guessing that the mothers in your life will enjoy them, too. Impressive to make by hand, these bath bombs are the perfect homemade Mother's Day gifts from kids!

Hand Painted Vase

Check out this fun and easy to put together DIY Mother's Day gift. Most of all, your artsy kids will adore making this hand-painted vase!

Pressed Flower Bookmarks

Yes, please. How adorable are these pressed flower bookmarks? Combine nature and crafting to create these stunning bookmarks for the moms in your life.

Creative DIY Mother's Day Gifts with a Nature Theme

This roundup of nature-themed DIY Mother's Day gift has got you covered for the occasion because it contains loads of creative crafting & outdoor learning fun!

Tissue Paper Flower Bracelet

Another craft gem from Buggy & Buddy! In other words, work fine motor skills by creating a tissue paper flower and beaded bracelet.

How to Make an Essential Oil Car Diffuser

I love my DIY essential oil car diffuser. Most importantly, not difficult to make, this diffuser packs a punch with making a car smell lovely & for crafting with kids.

Bottle Cap Keychain

This bottle cap keychain combines a bit of crafting with artwork created by a child. Moreover, this keychain is a wonderful personalized Mother's Day gift from a child.

Craft Stick Flower Pot

I like the gardening idea behind this craft stick flower pot. For instance, you can deliver this post with a planted seed or flower in the soil. Furthermore, this craft stick flower pot could also serve as a functional pencil and pen holder in a mom's home office or the kitchen's command central.

How to Make Your Own Montessori Smelling Bottles

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Curriculum Tagged With: DIY, Easy & Inexpensive, Sensorial Lesson, Shelf Work This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I love the beauty of Montessori materials. While I wish I could purchase them all, I can't. Thankfully, there are ways to bring Montessori into the home without breaking the bank. One such way is to make the materials, and Montessori smelling bottles are easy to DIY.

The smelling bottles are a part of the early childhood Montessori Sensorial lesson sequence, focusing on the olfactory sense. Children and adults, alike, can have fun with the smelling jars, and they're easily adaptable for different seasons and themes.

DIY Montessori Smelling Bottles

Making the smelling bottles is pretty straight forward and can be done with items you already have at home. I found our bottles at a local art supply store, but you can find them in the travel section of your grocery store or online.

For this set of bottles, I used three different extracts we had on-hand. The beauty of these materials, though, is that you can choose your own scents based on the season, themes you're working on, or your child's interests.

Materials:

Small bottles
Cotton balls
Various scents (I used Vanilla, Peppermint, and Lemon extracts)

Approach:

To make your own sensory bottles, put a cotton ball into two of the small bottles. Place a few drops of vanilla extract on each cotton ball. Repeat this process with the peppermint and lemon extracts, using two bottles for each scent. It's best to start with only two or three pairs of bottles.

I placed colored sticker dots on the bottom of each the pairs. This builds in control of error to the lesson and allows the child to self-correct as needed.

Once the bottles are ready, it's time to your child to do the work by using a traditional Montessori approach.

Your children will love using these homemade Montessori sensory bottles. Trust me.

Thanks for visiting! I hope that we inspired you.

Marnie

What You’re Missing in Your Home & Classroom

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: DIY, Living This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The other day I was attempting to make a sign for my garden (you know, one of those adorable “welcome to mama's garden” type signs) and my not so craftiness revealed itself again and again.

but I refuse to give up.

Etsy Will Change Your Life

So, I turn to Etsy, my go to for finding unique items for my home, including my kitchen, my sons' playroom, my sons' bedrooms, and even for unique gifts for friends.

You know Etsy, right?

If you don't, please go visit Etsy right at this instant (but come back). You won't regret.

Etsy does not disappoint.

Here are a few ways I use Etsy in my life to make it more fun and more fabulous!

{Image Source: Mazais Meistars}

Beautiful Learning Materials

Etsy has some of the most unique Montessori Learning Materials I have come across in my search. Be careful with buying main works like the Pink Tower, etc, and use Etsy for creative variations or for supplies in your home or classroom. I also use watercolor clip art for my downloadable learning materials. I also love the Felt Board Story Sets offered on Etsy!

{Image Source: Charlie And Sarah}

Unique Gift Giving

Adorable and simple baby gifts are abundant on Etsy. Check out these sweet wooden toys for infants. I have given this exact set out for gifts several times. This shop is one of my favorites for special occasions like birthdays, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and St. Patrick's Day.

{Image Source: Design House Decor}

Laundry Loving

Spending evening holed up in the laundry room or space in your home is a bit lonely at times. So I chose to make our space cozy and inviting with this adorable, high quality wooden Laundry Room sign. A bit pricey but I love it!

{Image Source: BeIntertwined}

Family Food Affairs

Check out these fantastic Montessori style placemats. My boys love them! I also have unique reusable every day cloth napkins that I purchased from Etsy for fall and summer! I just ordered these cloth napkins for kids! Plus I'm drooling over this vintage wooden sign for my kitchen.

{Image Source: HornsHandmade}

Welcome to Our Home

These wooden signs are an inviting way to greet visitors! I have also ordered wreaths for each season to add an extra special hello.

{Image Source: Janey MacWalls}

Kids' Bedrooms

Light switch plates & outlet covers is a sweet detail to add to a child's space. We also have beautiful decals on their walls to add lots of character (like this adorable mama giraffe & her baby) to their rooms.

{Image Source: Limitation Free}

Kids' Playroom

There are so many cool ways to use Etsy for playroom decor such as fun artwork for the walls! Many prints are digital and super easy to put together for your child's play space. My sons love this Lego Patent poster! We also have a funny wooden sign for the playroom. By the way if you need play space inspiration, check out Fun at Kids with Home's incredible play area!

{Image Source: SeaTreeBee}

Kids' Parties

I love this creative Etsy shop for adding a little awesomeness to my sons' birthday parties. Check out the fun number & initial cake toppers, banners, and cupcake toppers.

I hope you enjoyed these ideas for your home and classroom!

Marnie

Creative DIY Mother’s Day Crafts with a Nature Theme

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Crafts, DIY, Gift Guides, Mother's Day, Nature This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I am a sucker for Mother's Day! There is no need to spend a lot of money on gifts. Now that I am a mom, I get that! This post gives you several DIY Mother's Day nature-themed crafts that moms will love! Even older kids will enjoy giving these gifts!

I have found, vivid memories of waking up early on a Sunday morning. My brother, sister, and I would work hard to make (the worst) breakfast for my mother, ever. She always wore a smile and appreciated the effort. I am laughing now just thinking of it. Mother's Day is special. We celebrate the matriarch of our family. We also celebrate and honor the “moms” in our life that are not biologically related!

Now that I am a mother to three sons, I view Mother's Day as taking a break for myself but also integrating the role a mother plays in a child's life. I tell stories to my son about my mom, their nana, to make the idea of a mother and a mother's role come alive to them. For that reason, I collected several meaningful & creative Mother's Day DIY nature-themed gifts from kids.

Mother's Day Crafts & Gifts with a Nature Theme

In my quest to deliver a beautiful Mother's Day gift to my mother and my mother in law from my sons, I gathered amazing ideas from my friends around the internet. I hope you enjoy.