Our Montessori Shelf at 15 Months Old

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It’s somewhat funny to me how last month I wrote about our lack of interest in shelfwork and this month I am here to say the interest exploded. It seems to be that is always the case. I hope it’s a reminder to anyone that things come in seasons. This month it is funny though because we were traveling with no toys. Yet when we got back he was all about his Montessori materials.

Bedroom Montessori Shelf

On the top of his bedroom Montessori shelf Yitzchak has his rainbow drum (a rarely used anymore favorite from infancy we still keep out for the occasional use), a basket of balls, and a basket of teethers. He uses all these materials from time to time but they are not his regular shelfwork.

I finally switched out the carrot posting activity on our bedroom Montessori shelf for the coin drop. I waited a long time because he was still interested in the carrot posting and using it daily. This interest began to fade and I decided it was time to take out the coin posting. I think it is the perfect challenge for him because sometimes he immediately gets them in and other times it takes him awhile. An interesting observation is he seems to either get them all in in a go or struggle a lot with each one. I think it depends on his focus at the time. A coin drop is great posting activity and he has really enjoyed it this month.

We have our Lovevery stacker out on our bedroom Montessori shelf. This remains a favorite. He is very into stacking right now. I love that on this one when he is done stacking he puts the disks back around the side before repeating.

Next up we have the peg drop. He figured out this material this month and was so excited. The joy in his face when he discovered how to do it was truly incredible. He has been working on it for awhile, posting the pegs but not knowing how to get them through, posting through when it is open, etc. Now he understands how to open it. I would point out the lever on the side the first few times and now he is able to do it without prompting.

We are enjoying our shape sorter. This came with our Lovevery block set (an awesome set because it really has so many uses). When introducing both this material and the puzzle I make sure to model struggle as I try the piece in multiple spots before getting it in. He now also tries maneuvering the piece until he gets it in. This material is not displayed well, however. The blocks needed somewhere to go and I could not find a basket that worked so I used this container. Unfortunately, he cannot see the blocks in it. I need to find a lower basket that fits in that spot where he can still see the box.

Finally, on his bedroom Montessori shelf we have his multipiece puzzle. Similarly, to the shape sorter, he is definitely still working on it but he now gets pieces into the correct spots far more often. He tends to still, however, take out one piece before putting in another. Sometimes he puts in multiple at once but he generally will take out another piece before completing the whole puzzle.

To the side of his bedroom Montessori shelf, we have the ball run. He loves this ball run. The original balls that came with it are plastic and shake. He still uses those but also likes to use the felt balls that go down in different ways and also take more pushing to get in.

Living Room Montessori Shelf

His second Montessori shelf is in our living room.

Here we have a DIY activity I created. It is Q-Tip posting into a spice jar. He loves this activity, it is easy, and cheap. I highly recommend for little ones interested in posting!

Next to the DIY posting activity, I have a threading material. This also came in our Lovevery block set. I introduced it near the end of the month but I think he would have been ready sooner had I remembered about it! This is a good challenge for a little one who has mastered or is quite comfortable with stackers. It is more challenging since he must use one hand to steady the rod while threading with the other. It is great for bilateral coordination.

On the bottom shelf, I have a basket of Magnatiles. These were a new purchase. Most recommendations would probably say I should have less out at once. I originally did but one of our favorite uses is me building towers and him knocking them down. Given that I prefer having more out. He also takes them apart and puts them back together which is great for finger strengthening.

Finally, we have his stacker that has been out for a few months. He loves this material and still plays with it daily.