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Today I want to talk to you about one of my favorite parenting tools – Montessori treasure baskets. Also known as discovery baskets, Montessori treasure baskets encourage babies to explore a set of objects on their own and in their own way. These baskets are typically filled with everyday objects carefully selected to stimulate a child’s senses and curiosity. I’ve seen ones using only kitchen utensils, only the color red, or only starting with a specific letter of the alphabet, but really, the possibilities are endless. But I’ll be honest, although I’m entirely on board, I still struggle to know exactly what to put in one. So in this post, I’ll go over what treasure baskets are, why you should use them, and how to make one (with examples to get started right away).

What are Montessori Treasure Baskets?

Simply put, a Montessori treasure basket is a collection of everyday objects selected to

Benefits of Montessori Treasure Baskets

There are many benefits of using Montessori treasure baskets with your babies. Let’s look at the 5 primary benefits.

1. Encourages sensory exploration

Children are naturally curious and love to touch and explore objects in their environment. I know I’m not the only mom whose child has taken my phone or the remote control to explore. By providing a variety of objects with different textures, shapes, colors, and sizes, children are allowed to engage their senses and explore the world around them in a safe and contained way.

2. Promotes fine motor skills

As your child explores the Montessori treasure basket, they will use their hands and fingers (and probably mouth) to pick up and manipulate the objects. This helps to develop fine motor skills like hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and finger strength in a realistic way. Think of how many different shapes of objects you touch throughout the day.

3. Builds vocabulary

Every object has a name, and every object has a list of properties. As a parent, you can narrate what they are doing and increase exposure to new words and phrases. For example, “That’s the red firetruck. Did you notice how the wheels spun?” There is a balance here, though. If you constantly interrupt a baby’s exploration with words, they may not want to continue with the activity. Make sure to look for joint attention and willingness to hear the descriptions. At some point, your child may want to explain the object to you.

4. Encourages independent play

This is one of my favorite benefits. How many times have you wanted to sit down and drink your coffee before it gets cold? Well, Montessori treasure baskets can help with that. Because the objects are carefully selected ahead of time, you can be sure they are safe for your baby to explore without needing to intervene. I love putting out a Montessori treasure basket in the mornings as the day’s first activity.

5. Fosters creativity

There’s no right or wrong way to play with the objects in a Montessori treasure basket. This allows children to make up stories or scenarios with the objects and use them in novel ways. I love to put older, outgrown toy parts in a basket to see the new ways they are played with. It makes me feel like I’m getting more out of the toy, and it helps encourage creativity and imagination.

How to Create a Montessori Treasure Basket

Creating a Montessori treasure basket is easy. Simply grab 4-6 objects and put them in a basket. For older children, you may increase this number. The important part is that they are all visible in the basket at one time. I like these baskets with handles because they are easier for a child to independently get off a shelf and move to their play area. Here are some tips for choosing the right objects.

When selecting objects for your treasure basket, think about ways to engage your child’s senses. Consider objects with different shapes, sizes, and sounds. If you want to create a themed basket, this is the step to think about what that theme is and what would be part of it. Some popular themes are nature or animals, but they can be anything. I love using treasure baskets to introduce a new concept, like colors, beginning sounds, or shapes, in a non-stressful and laid-back way.

This is the most important tip. Ensure that every object you select is safe for your child to explore. Avoid objects that are small enough to be swallowed or pose a choking hazard. Also, ensure that there are no sharp edges or loose parts that could cause injury. I mentioned one of the benefits is independent play, which is only possible if it’s safe!

I lean towards using natural materials, like wood, cotton, or wool, in my treasure baskets. I know my baby will try to eat them, so these materials are safe, non-toxic, and provide a variety of textures to explore.

Finally, don’t be afraid to include everyday objects. In fact, your baby may like these more because they see you interacting with them. Simple things like a wooden spoon, a metal whisk, or a fabric napkin can provide hours of exploration.

Examples of Objects to Include in a Montessori Treasure Basket

“If it’s so easy, why am I struggling to think of objects to include?” If that’s you, don’t worry. I’m the same way. This is the most challenging part for my neurodivergent mind. The possibilities are endless, so I have trouble moving to the concrete. So, here are some suggestions to help you get started. For each of them, make sure it’s safe for your child. While I am providing links to examples you can buy, creating a basket doesn’t need to be expensive. You can use whatever you have at home.

Different textures

• Silk scarf. Sarah’s silks are my favorite and are a staple for Waldorf education.
• Bean bag. These bean bags are made of cotton and are the primary colors, which are great for color-themed baskets.
• Large, smooth stone. Go on a scavenger hunt to find one outside, or quickly buy large river rocks for painting.
• A piece of rough sandpaper. Tons of options for cheap. If you have any of the Montessori sandpaper letters, use the letter your child’s name starts with!
• Small knitted toy. This elephant teething ring is so cute.
• Leather scrap. Here’s a pre-cut leather piece you can buy. Your local craft store is another good option to find this.
• Baby hairbrush. I never thought of using the soft hairbrush until I saw how calm my little one got when I brushed his hair. The goat wool and wood fit perfectly into this category.

Different sounds

• Rattle. This classic Montessori wooden rattle is my favorite.
• Bell. These handbells can also be used as the baby ages for musical development.
• Rainstick. The Hape rainmaker is perfect for a 6-month-old to hold. It rolls though, so be aware!
• Wooden blocks. I got HABA’s basic baby blocks. Similar to the bean bags above, these come in primary colors and can be used for a color-themed basket as well.
• Metal spoon.

Different smells

• Real fruit, like lemons or oranges. Citrus fruits tend to have the strongest smells.
• Cinnamon sticks. This is my favorite smell of all time.
• Fresh herbs. Put these in a small glass jar to make it easier to handle.
• Tea bags. You most likely will want to cut the string off for safety if it has one.

Nature

• Pinecone
• Seashells
• Coconut shell
• Leaves
• Rocks
• Piece of wood

Kitchen supplies

• Whisk
• Honey spoon
• Tea strainer
• Measuring cup
• Wooden spoon

Conclusion

In short, Montessori treasure baskets are a fantastic tool for any parents or caregiver looking to promote learning and development in their little ones. They’re fun, engaging, and allow endless customization to match your child’s interests and abilities. Plus, they promote independent play and creativity, something any busy parent is looking for. Give them a try today. Your child will thank you.

The post Exploring the Montessori Treasure Basket (For Babies) appeared first on Mommy on the Spectrum.

This post may contain affiliate links. This simply means that I will earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through a link. I would and have recommended all of the products I list even without a link.

The famous Montessori shelfie. Social media perfection. The envy of all the cool moms on the block. Let’s be honest, there’s too much attention on curating the perfect shelf to look like a good parent when the focus should be on making sure the activities are suitable for your child’s skills and interests. So why am I posting one?

Part of autism is needing explicit instructions. What toys do I give? Which are safe for my child? What can enhance their development? If we don’t have explicit instructions, we can get stuck in all the possibilities. That sets us up for failure. This is a homeschooling blog with neurodiversity in mind. That doesn’t only mean the children. Neurodivergent parents should have access to explicit instructions on how to homeschool. So, today, I’m sharing a 4-month-old’s shelf.

Toy List

At 4 months, most of our little one’s day is observing what mom and dad are doing, rolling onto his belly, and trying to get to the toys. Because of our increasing ability to determine likes and dislikes, we now have a favorite toy. We’re also working on bringing everything to the mouth, so making sure every toy can be chewed on and eaten is the highest priority.

Nuby Jackie The Giraffe

Jackie the Giraffe comes in as the favorite toy for the month. It was a little hard to grab at the beginning, but no match for TWO HANDS! Just kidding, there was actually a lot of determined frustration over this toy. He even pulled it off the shelf and out of the basket once. That took a solid 30 minutes to do. It’s made of 100% natural rubber and squeaks. You should be aware of this if you have a dog. Our incredibly well-trained dog initially thought it was her toy, but we said “no” and gave her a new lampchop dog toy to make up for it.

Koala Crinkle Sensory Toy with Teether

At 4 months, the sensory system exploded. Touching crinkly fabric to hear the sound it makes became a favorite way to explore cause and effect. However, as with all exploration at this age, putting the fabric into his mouth was also common. I looked for a long time to find a crinkly toy that wasn’t made of Polyester so it would be safe for him to chew. I finally found the Koala crinkle toy with teether. This toy is made of cotton and the teething ring is silicon so it’s easy to pick up and hold. In addition to the crinkle sound, there is also a bell. Since buying one, I’ve gifted it to two friends for their new babies.

Classic Skwish Rattle

The classic skwish rattle is another toy I’ve given as a baby shower gift. We even have two of them, one for upstairs, and one for downstairs, because it was annoying to walk back and forth to get it as we changed who was watching him. The bars easily fit in a 4-month-old’s hands, and the flexible wires decrease the number of times we pick it up because he dropped it. The ends fit in his mouth for easy chewing. The beads make a gentle “clink” sound, which as an autistic mother, I really appreciate. Finally, the whole thing squishes down and bounces back up. This made it safer when he rolls over onto the toy refusing to let go.

Natural Teethers

Here we have three teethers. We don’t tend to give the entire basket at once but grab one at a time to see if he wants it. I choose these three because of the different textures. First, we have a rubber owl. It’s very soft, and bendable, and has several different textures to soothe gums. Next, is the blue silicon teether. This one is the easiest for him to hold independently. He tends to switch between sucking and chomping. Finally, there is the wooden whale teether. A friend made that one for us. Here’s a similar wooden teether from Amazon.

Basket of Balls

This was my first attempt at a treasure basket. I’m not sure it’s been successful, mostly because the balls kept rolling away, frustrating him. I thought of a hack that helped this (see photo), but I will definitely be reintroducing this when he can crawl. There are a ton of sensory balls, but they are almost all plastic. I found some rubber ones, but they smelled like balloons — also not good. These ones are from a set of silicon baby toys. The set also has some cups we use in the bath and some blocks I haven’t put out yet.

Clutching Balls

This wooden clutching toy is perfect for grasping, but it’s probably better suited for 6-month-olds. At 4 months, he was learning to grasp it but was interested in the colors. It’s made of wood and the bright colors are actually non-toxic stains, not paint, so they won’t chip when chewed on. If you’re comparing the size with the balls on the end of the Skwish rattle, these are about double the diameter.

Montessori Spinning Drum

The Montessori spinning drum is probably the only “classic” Montessori toy we used this month, and it’s another one that will grow with us. First, it’s way bigger than I expected! Second, because he can’t sit independently yet, I had to do the spinning. Third, there’s a bell inside that makes a tumbling sound, so we also tried it with him laying down and kicking it to spin. He couldn’t see what he was doing, but he got the hang of it and enjoyed the sound.

The post The Best Toys for Your 4-Month-Old’s Playtime appeared first on Mommy on the Spectrum.

This post may contain affiliate links. This simply means that I will earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through a link. I would and have recommended all of the products I list even without a link.

It sounds a bit crazy to think of homeschooling a 3-month-old, but why not? Yes, they have 3+ naps a day. Yes, they eat every 3 hours. But what about the time in between? When I think of school, I think of learning numbers, letters, or shapes. But really, it’s all about understanding and supporting the child’s development, which doesn’t have an age. We’ll get to the shapes later. For now, let’s focus on understanding the mind of a 3-month-old.

Inside the head of a typical 3-month old

Remember, the milestones listed below are for the average kid. If you’re concerned, talk to your pediatrician.

Recently, the world became bigger. Now, you’re more alert. You follow objects with your eyes and turn your head toward familiar voices, even if you can’t see the person. Your depth perception is just beginning to form. When you reach for a toy, you may be able to hit it or even grab it, which delights you. You discovered your hands and feet and constantly put your fingers in your mouth. In fact, you’ll try to put anything handed to you in your mouth. You can’t move much on your own yet, but you hold your head and chest up during tummy time and you’re trying to figure out how to roll over. You also love “talking”. There are no words yet, but you seem to understand the back and forth of a conversation and enjoy it.

Fine motor milestones

• Reaches for and grasps objects
• Holds and shakes a rattle
• Easily brings hands and objects to the mouth

Gross motor milestones

• Kicks, so much kicking
• Starts to roll over
• During tummy time, the head and chest remain up

Cognitive milestones

• Excited to be picked up or to eat
• Repeats activities over and over again
• Finds a partially hidden object
• Observes hands and toys in front of the eyes

Language milestones

• Begins to laugh or chuckle
• Makes sounds
• Responds when spoken to

The right activities for a 3-month old

The key to learning at this age comes from the environment. A 3-month-old can’t move much, so it’s our job to put them in the right places and interact with them. We are their teachers. Here are some of our favorite activities for the month.

1. Morning tummy time conversations

Our mornings start with feeding with Mom and then tummy time on Dad’s chest. We are slow risers. That whole thing about babies waking at 6 am is not for us, but mornings are when the little guy is the most talkative. We use this to our advantage. By combining tummy time with conversations, we strengthen the neck and shoulders, improve language, and enhance connection. As a bonus, we try to do this skin-to-skin to get all of the benefits.

2. Music time

Music is our favorite auditory sensory activity. Because we use vinyl, there’s a bonus visual sensory experience of the spinning disc. We vary the type of music, but electronic and heavy metal are our favorites. Classical was a failure. The constant changes in volume were upsetting. Of course, every child is different. I wonder what will be your child’s favorite genre.

3. Reaching in the activity gym

The main physical milestone at 3 months is grasping objects. This is one of two ways we encourage this. Using the Lovevery activity gym, we can encourage reaching and making contact with the objects. The crinkly fabric is our favorite, but it tends to be the hardest to grasp, so we added a wooden ring attached to some shiny ribbon as an easier version. Of course, once the baby can grab the objects, he wants to bring them to his mouth, which leads to our next grasping exercise.

4. Playing with light-weight toys

Babies and rattles. Before becoming a mom, that’s what I thought babies wanted to play with. It turns out 3 months old is about the earliest they become interested in them. We love this traditional wooden ring rattle and this twisting caterpillar because they are small enough to fit in a 3-month-old’s hand as well as be brought to the mouth. Both are made out of wood, so I felt safe letting him suck on them (and likely eventually chew on them.)

5. Even more tummy time

Yep, tummy time is on here twice. That’s because of how important it is for building the strength necessary to sit and crawl. We still use the black and white tummy time book from when he was a newborn, but to keep it interesting, we also added in soft blocks and a Skwish classic rattle. These two toys are very colorful and will continue to grow with him. For now, I stack the 4 blocks on top of each other. He’ll accidentally knock them down, which is the beginning of learning cause and effect. For the skwish rattle, I smoosh it and let it bounce up, which either causes laughter or just amazement. It’s similarly helping to teach cause and effect. In a few months, he’ll be able to manipulate these two toys on his own.

6. Cooking and running errands

For a 3-month-old, life is education. Whether cooking, watching us fold laundry, or heading to the grocery store or library, these are all things that excite a baby. They love the engagement with us, so we include them whenever we can. We use this time to talk about what we are doing, increasing vocabulary. For instance, when folding laundry, I will say what shirts and pants are. I may name the color or any animals I see on the outfit. I’ll specify which are mom’s clothes and which are baby’s.

7. Bedtime stories

This is the last activity of the day and one we will continue for years. Before bed, after we’re in our pjs and diaper is changed, we read two books. One from Mom and one from Dad. At 3 months, the baby is starting to reach for the pages, so it’s time to switch primarily to board books and to slow down so they can participate in reading. Depending on how tired he is, this can be a good time for some more chatting. Favorite books also get squeals, which is beyond cute.

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