It's been awhile since I have shared the work that Gus has been using. As a reminder when I say work, I mean the same things as "toys, activities, materials." It's all his work. I see no distinction between work and play, and this reminds me that his play is as important as any work that I may have to do. Read my last shelf update at 25 months here.
Gus is 2.5-years-old now (32 months). These items have been chosen based on his interests, abilities, and things I have observed in him. Much of it is fine motor work which he seems particularly drawn to as he strengthens his hands. I'll go into detail below!
I also want to make it super clear that this is only a small part of what Gus spends his day doing. Most of his day is spent involved in practical pursuits, reading, or playing outdoors. The materials are only a small part of how we incorporate Montessori into our home.
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So here's a look at what's on his work shelf right now (top to bottom, left to right):
Ravensburger Frame Puzzle - Hands down his most favorite work. He does this puzzle multiple times a day and it's been out for months. It has so many great language opportunities that I really don't mind! I find it so interesting that he has almost no interest in jigsaw puzzles or more complex puzzles than this. At this age, Nora was far past this point and couldn't get enough of jigsaws. It just shows you that every child will be different!
Clothes Line and mini pins - This is just a small string tied between two handles of a tray with a small number of frog shaped clothes pins. This work is great at refining a pincer grasp.
Car Layer Puzzle - This is simple but great reasoning for him. I love that it's self correcting by size and not because they are matching a color.
Pegging Puzzle {similar, but uses different shapes} - This was an old Target dollar store find, I hear they have had something similar lately, but I haven't seen it in my store. The puzzle matches pieces based on the number of pegs. It would be a bit better if all the pieces were one color, but this is a fun challenge for him and he starting to become more and more interested in counting.
Lacing Card {similar} - Another difference between Gus and Nora is that she was much more adept at sewing by this age. But Gus has a lot of interest in these lately. He doesn't do it perfectly, but loves to string in and out.
Ring Stacker {similar} - Gus has always loved pegging, and this adds a counting dimension that is fun for him. Our stacker is pretty old, but it's well loved. I will say Gus used this a lot more a couple months ago, and I almost recently removed it but then he was using it again. So I left it on, but he's definitely starting to move on from it.
Biggie Bead stringing - This is another current favorite. Gus will sit and string these beads until the lace is full, over and over again. It's great pincer work and he's been doing some interesting exploration of color matching and patterns.
Locking Coin Box - A Montessori classic, that I probably could have introduced earlier. Gus has used a lock and key for a long time, but the coins are a new feature for him. This is one of the newest works on the shelf. He can complete it easily but is very drawn to it.
Nuts and Bolts - Another very popular work, just large nuts and bolts, he loves threading them on. Again, great finger work.
DIY Color Pegging Work - This is probably the least popular work on the shelves right now. In fact, I may even remove it in the next couple of days for something else. Gus can match colors (the main objective of this work) but doesn't for some reason. He will peg but ignores the colors completely. He's just not that into it. But, he will occasionally use.
Hape Twist and Sort - Another extremely popular toy with Gus (that somehow didn't make the main picture - oops!). He has used this for months, moving from just one shape to all 4. He still loves and uses daily.
And, that's it! He has access to some open ended toys too that all the children can use. But as far as tray work goes, this is what we have!
What is your 2.5-year-old using right now?
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