Pom-Pom Snowball Activities
What you'll need:
1-2 Bags of White multi-size craft pom-poms, OR small cotton balls
Based on Activity:
Snowball Activity Worksheet (free download)
Repurposed cleaning-wipe or snack container with lid
Three small bowls
Pair of small tongs
Spoon or scoop
Scissors
Getting Started:
The winter months provide a fun theme for our Montessori activities, and seasonal crafts offer easy access to materials that can lend themselves to multiple activities.
Today's Montessori Monday will highlight five Montessori-inspired activities you can do with a bag on winter-themed or while multi-size craft pom-poms (cotton balls will also work for some of these in a pinch).
Simply gather your materials and download our worksheet to begin.
ACTIVITY 1: SNOWBALL DROP (Toddlers)
Place the snowballs in a repurposed cylinder (ex. snack, parmesan cheese, or cleaning wipes container).
Let your child turn over and shake out the snowballs, then using their fingers or tongs (depending on ability), pick up each snowball and drop it back in the cylinder. Practice counting with your child as they drop the snowballs into the container.
ACTIVITY 2: SORTING BY SIZE (Toddler-Preschool)
Either place the bag of pom-poms in a bowl, or give your child the bag and let them "make it snow" on their table of tray. Next, ask your preschooler to sort the snowballs into three small bowls by size (small, medium, large). Ask them to count how many snowballs they have in each bowl. If appropriate practice simple addition or subtraction by adding or taking away from each bowl.
ACTIVITY 3: SPOONING (Toddler-Preschool)
Place the snowballs into one bowl and ask your preschooler to practice transferring them to an empty bowl using a spoon or tongs. Again practice counting and math skills while completing this exercise.
ACTIVITY 4: BUILD A SNOWMAN (Preschool)
Print our Snowball Activity Worksheet and ask your preschoolers to cut out/around the snowman hats. Then ask him/her to build snowmen using as many snowballs as the number on each hat. How tall can they make their snowman?
ACTIVITY 5: FILL-IN SANTA'S BEARD (Preschool)
Print our Snowball Activity Worksheet and ask your preschooler to guess how many snowballs will fit in Santa's beard. Talk through if they will use large or small snow balls and how many might fit depending on the size they choose. This is good practice for spatial relations. Next have them fill in Santa's beard (being sure to count) and see if they were right.
And when all else fails... get silly, with an indoor snowball fight!
What it teaches:
Fine Motor Skills
Early Math Concepts
Spatial Relations
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