Are you looking for a gift for a three-year-old? There are a lot of gift ideas here. I hope you find this list helpful! Scooter (AU here) - three is a great time to start scootering if your child hasn't already. This is the same scooter we have and still use at five years. Screw Board - promotes fine motor skills, coordination, concentration and focus. Silk Streamer - I like this for playing outside with the wind; we've given it as a gift many times. Children's Measuring Tape - for exploring length and math concepts at home. Children's Stop Watch... Read more →

My youngest recently turned five, and just before his birthday, I panicked because I couldn't think of a suitable gift. So I made a list of his favourites and some wish list items to help for his birthday and Christmas. If you have a four or five-year old I hope find this list useful!! Children's Yoga Mat & Yoga Flash Cards - we love this yoga mat and cards from Mindful & Co Kids; you can use the code MINDFULFRIENDS20 at checkout for 20% off your order! Check out the different mats, we have and the Nature Print. Colour Change... Read more →

I love the lead up to Christmas. One way to make this season more meaningful to our children is to involve them in practical hands-on ways. Children can be involved in decorating, baking, choosing or making gifts for others, writing cards and of course wrapping! We decided to try some child-made Christmas wrapping paper. I love these ideas as they make the gifts look and feel extra special and show that we've given some extra care and thought into the wrapping. We tried as much as possible to use craft materials we already have at home. With some of these... Read more →

Lockdown regulations are starting to lift in Sydney. While we are still laying low, yesterday I took a look around Kmart (Australia). Kmart has lots of really useful items for a Montessori home, and perhaps some for the classroom too. Let's take a look at some of my favourites. I've linked all products to Kmart but please note stock varies from store to store. Above is The Montessori Toddler and The Montessori Baby, this is the lowest prices I've seen which makes these books more accessible. We have three of these mini spray bottles at home. They are a fantastic... Read more →

Do your children enjoy playing with Magnetic Tiles? We've had a small set of Magnetic Tiles for years however Otto (pictured) received another set for his fourth birthday. 🎂 He can do so much more building with this extra set, it's really opened up new ideas and new creations! Magnetic tiles can help to develop: concentration and focus critical thinking problem-solving skills creativity visual discrimination skills geometry skills patterning skills coordination independent play. Most of all we like to use magnetic tiles for open-ended play. But I believe in getting the most out of our materials, rotating toys and presenting... Read more →

I have something so fun to share with you today! I recently discovered the new subscription boxes from Montessori For Every Child and I placed an order as soon as I could. The subscription boxes have been designed by Harshitha who is a qualified Montessori teacher and parent, right here in Sydney. Yes, this is a subscription box based in Australia! 🇦🇺 The subscription boxes are designed for children from 2.5 years to seven years. I've used the subscription boxes with my four-year-old and there was a lot he could do. Some of the activities can be adapted depending on... Read more →

I recently discovered two fantastic science experiment books for children 3-5 years. I hadn't seen science experiment books for preschoolers before. I was so surprised. The experiments are easy to follow, some of the experiments are familiar and some are new. We've also had a lot of success with the experiments so I really wanted to share. Our most used science experiment book for 3-5 years is Big Chemistry Experiments for Little Kids, we've done almost all of the experiments. I also really like Big Engineering Experiments for Little Kids in the same series. The books are super easy to... Read more →

Hands up if you love tree and branch blocks. They are completely natural, compostable, biodegradable, depending on where you live (and how handy you are) they might be free. They feel good, look good, are non-toxic, and come in lots of different shapes and sizes. My three-year-old is obsessed with Duplo so having some natural blocks around is like an antidote for all that plastic. It's nice to be able to bring new play materials into our home without adding to our environmental footprint, tree and branch blocks are an absolute feel-good toy. Standard cube blocks are reliable and predictable... Read more →

We've been reading Busy Little Hands Activities for Preschoolers: Food Play by Amy Palanjian. Amy has a refreshing approach to food and this is reflected in Food Play. I love the article on Yummy Toddler Food about the importance of exposure "We can expose kids to a wide variety of foods by eating it ourselves, by having them be involved in the preparation of it, by taking them to the grocery store. We can expose them to a lot of foods without putting that insane pressure on ourselves.". The conversation about the five internal drives to eat (hunger, togetherness, curiosity,... Read more →

Today Otis (9yrs), Otto (3yrs), and two friends used Glass and Porcelain Markers to decorate plain white plates. The decorated plates would make lovely gifts for Grandparents or other family members. Our friends will later wrap their plates and give them to their parents as surprise gifts for Christmas. Decorating plates (or bowls, mugs) is a fun group activity as younger (3yrs+) children can participate as much as the older children and it doesn't require a lot of time or set up. Otto enjoys drawing and was really into it. The finished plates were so individual and completely adorable. We... Read more →

1. Bunny Peek A Boo / 2.Night & Day / 3. Castle Logix / 4. Trucky 3 / 5. Three Little Piggies / 6. Duplo Matching When I choose games and toys I look at the educational benefit to the child. The problem I have is finding activities that my preschooler is attracted to and will use. We want the child to feely choose their activities, and we want the activities to speak to the child! These types of cognitive development games help to develop skills including: logic reasoning problem-solving persistence concentration matching positioning visual perception order some strategy &... Read more →

Have you thought about playing cooperative board games with your children? With the school holidays coming up I know my children will be spending more time together so I've got out a few of our favourite cooperative board games. I only discovered cooperative games while reading about Montessori in the home. Why are they recommended? Why do Montessori parents choose cooperative board games, especially for younger children? "Results showed that cooperative behavior increased and aggression decreased during cooperative games; conversely, competitive games were followed by increases in aggressive behavior and decreases in cooperative behavior. Similar effects were also found during... Read more →

Over the weekend I ordered a few stocking fillers from Etsy. Many items if in stock locally are still available for delivery before Christmas. If you are new to Etsy, you can log in or enter your location and you can receive a shipping estimate/date of arrival before you place an order. At this stage in December I'm only shopping from local stores but here are a few fabulous gift ideas that I've added to my Etsy favourites that you might like too. Most of these are educational and suited to Montessori families. Dinosaur Temporary Tattoos (US) - temporary tattoos... Read more →

Are you looking for gifts ideas for a three to five-year-old? These are the types of gifts that I love to give! These are gifts that I will often give to friends and there are also lots of ideas here that would work in Christmas stockings. Many of these gift ideas can be adjusted to suit the child's age and stage in development. Baking - Child size wooden spoon, Montessori-style baking apron and The Ultimate Kids' Baking Book. Other children's cookbooks that I like to give include The Tickle Fingers Toddler Cookbook, Little Helpers Cookbook and Cooking Class. Etsy is... Read more →

I am concerned that children (including mine) are spending more time learning about bugs with plastic models and books rather than by using and observing the real thing. Even though many bugs and insects can be found right on our doorstep, backyard, and neighbourhood nature strips. "A child, who more than anyone else is a spontaneous observer of nature, certainly needs to have at his disposal materials upon which he can work." - Maria Montessori, The Discovery of The Child. Children are natural explorers, they are curious and love to look, touch, listen and observe everything that is going on... Read more →