Folding cloths independently at two and a half
Two-and-a-half year old cooking Givech together with his sister: independently from start to finish

Backwards counting Ten to Zero & Tracing using Marbles and Dot Stickers

Today, we are counting backwards.

We are also tracing dotted-number printouts with dot stickers to practice fine-motor skills and learn the number's shape. (Fore more on using marbles, read a post "Marbles and Sand-Paper Numbers" here.)

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We would also play a game, where Adrian would run around the table, and when I announce a number, he has to run to that number and point to it.

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To further exercise fine-motor control, with the same number printouts, we are using colorful neon dot stickers  (buy here). We are also using corresponding Numbers Rods (1-5) to solidify the concept of numeral vs quantity. (Read a detailed post about Montessori Numbers Rods here.)

DSC_0017-001By visually seeing the rods, a child concretely understands that one is small and five is big.

DSC_0017-001Children are also using marbles (in baskets) to correspond the quantity for a numeral. 

Although this activity was intended for Adrian (2 1/2 yrs old), Julia (at 6 1/2  yrs) got very engaged in meticulously placing the stickers on the dotted numbers! This activity, although appearing simple, is tedious, and requires patience while building on stamina. And such qualities are worth pursuing at any age.  Thus, I truly see the benefit of a mixed-age group, as suggested by Maria Montessori, as I see with my children, how one can gravitate towards the other: Adrian can step up to a more challenging level (if he is up to it), and Julia can gravitate towards a simpler activity when she might just need to reinforce some of the desired characteristics (like here).

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As you can see Adrian (on the left) would remove stickers starting from a border and working his way in (he would fold the paper to get the sticker out), while Julia (on the right) would go in a patterned order, regardless of the difficulty of retrieving a sticker. 

Do your children share activities together? 

I would love to hear what you think, so leave a comment! And, please, spread the 💖 love & SHARE our journey! CLICK 👇🏻below: 📍SAVE, 💌SUBSCRIBE & 📲FOLLOW

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