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Play supports language development - the evidence demonstrates the importance of play in the development of language skills, problem solving, gaining perspective, representational skills, memory and creativity. Children learn to see things in different ways and from others point of view, representational skills and imaginative play where for example a spoon becomes a hair brush, memory and creativity.

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Play supports language development - the evidence demonstrates the importance of play in the development of language skills, problem solving, gaining perspective, representational skills, memory and creativity. Children learn to see things in different ways and from others point of view, representational skills and imaginative play where for example a spoon becomes a hair brush, memory and creativity.

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This website uses cookies. Some cookies may have been set already. To find out more about our use of cookies you can visit our Privacy policy. By browsing this website, you agree to our use of cookies.

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30 day free trial to easily create visual schedules.

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With schools closed across the world to help fight the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) we wanted to do something to help parents, teachers and carers who use symbols to support their children and...

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Tips for transition

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Preparing young children for primary school

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Preparing young children for primary school

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NCSE document

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Advice and Support from Evelina Speech and Language Therapy Service

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Advice and Support from Evelina Speech and Language Therapy Service

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The Duchess of Cambridge visits Evelina London for National Portrait Gallery creative arts workshop

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge visited Evelina London Children's Hospital, to meet children, young people and their families, taking part in a creative arts workshop led by the National Portrait Gallery.

A schoolgirl can walk and talk thanks to care at Evelina London

A girl who was locked in her body is now able to talk and take steps after receiving life-changing treatment.

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Evelina London Children's Hospital and community services are part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. We are the second largest provider of children's services in London. Our vision is to be a world leading centre of life-changing care for children, young people and their families.

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A website with lots of useful information. Have a look at the top tips videos.

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Welcome to the Parent Portal, our award-winning speech and language support website for parents, carers and families.

At Speech and Language Link, we understand that supporting your child's language learning, alongside everything else that life demands from you, can be challenging. The Parent Portal provides ideas and advice, information and activities for developing your child's understanding, talking and listening in a way that works for all of your family.

How to use the site? Visit the development tab to help you work out what the next steps are for your child's learning and then go to the stage-appropriate activities section. You don't always need to create a special time for working on listening and talking, use our everyday activities turn many routine tasks into support activities.

Our speech and language therapists have devised support videos for you. Check out the 'Can I have your attention please?' series to help get your child in the right frame of mind for learning and access super fun games and ideas to encourage a range of language skills.

Our activities are designed to fit around normal family life and by implementing some of them every day you can make a real difference to your child's language development.

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Supporting Parents and Carers who support children with SLCN - Speech and Language resources, information and activities

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An Information Booklet for Parents (NCSE)

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This is a really challenging time for children with ASD as their routines are completely disrupted. Hopefully now as we face into our third week off school, the children are settling into a new form of normal for them.

This time at home could be beneficial as it will give children a lot of time to work on life skills, which may not always get quite enough time in school. By working on life skills, you are also working on fine and gross motor skills, following a sequence of events, following instruction , and so much more.

Daily chores can help your child with autism.. You should start slowly by assigning just one and breaking the task down into its most basic steps. Work alongside your child to model the correct task sequence. When tidying up the kitchen, for example, it is wise to show your child to use a spray bottle (just water) and then a cloth to wipe the counters. Operating the nozzle is great for fine motor skills.

Matching socks is also a skill which requires concentration, and is a form of maths.

Setting the table for dinner is a nice habit to get your child into!

Washing dishes is another valuable skill, which some children will love because they'll get to play and splash with soapy water! Using different size containers also works on the maths strand of capacity, working on terms such as empty and full!

Matching lunch boxes to the correct sized lids is a job which will promote problem solving.

Watering plants/tending to the garden is a great hobby and if your child enjoys playing with clay all the better for their FMS!

Preparing meals- getting cheese/butter from the fridge, getting the plate out of the cupboard are all tasks your child could be doing to promote vocabulary and understanding- even if it is hand over hand try encourage your child to do this daily. It is also an opportuntiy to practice sequence of events- e.g. 'First, give me the butter, next give me the cheese.'

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Simple At Home Life Skills for Children with ASD - Múinteoir Valerie

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This is a really challenging time for children with ASD as their routines are completely disrupted. Hopefully now as we face into our third week off school, the children are settling into a new form of normal for them. This time at home could be beneficial as it will give...

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Tips for parents around new school/new teacher/new class

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Tips for parents around new school/new teacher/new class

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The OT Toolbox

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Occupational Therapists are often times consulted to assess a child for their fine motor skills that are needed in school and for resources to build fine motor skills in the classroom. When a child's fine motor skills are lacking, classroom tasks can be difficult and result in delays in many aspects that are necessary for learning and functioning in the school environment. Today, I'm sharing a breakdown of

fine motor skills in the school environment and how to build these skills during the school day through simple strategies. One of these strategies is Finger Aerobics. Read on to learn more about finger aerobics exercises for a fine motor writing warm-up exercise.

Fine Motor Skills Needed at School

A recent article in the American Journal of Occupational Therapist called Fine Motor Activities in Elementary School Children: A Replication Study examined the motor and technology requirements of kindergarten, second-, and fourth-grade general education classrooms.

The study found that students spend between 37.1% to 60.2% of the school day performing fine motor activities, with handwriting accounting for 3.4%-18.0% of the day. Does that surprise you? We are talking about all of the fine motor tasks students complete during the school day in this post, but it certainly makes sense that a large portion of the school day includes fine motor work.

The study provides an updated information on the amount of handwriting, technology requirements, and fine motor work that children are taking part in during the school day.

The study also found that fine motor skills were integrated into tasks throughout the day, including transitions to and from the classroom and between activities. tasks like unzipping a backpack to get out paperwork for the teacher, gathering materials, managing writing utensils such as pencils and markers, activities of daily living (e.g., zipping and buttoning jackets for recess), and technology use (e.g., using a finger to complete a maze on the Smartboard) all are included in the school day. These tasks require development and integration of fine motor skills. It should be noted that students who struggle with fine motor skills will likely struggle throughout the day.

When you stop and think about all of the contributing factors that impact fine motor development and strength, it is no wonder that kids are struggling more than they seemed to in the past (this is coming from personal experience, but I think most of you might agree that kids seem to struggle more with fine motor, pencil grasp, and visual motor skills than they did years ago.) There are so many considerations that play a part in fine motor woes. Check out the fine motor development considerations listed below.

Fine Motor Development Considerations

These are areas of childhood that impact the development of fine motor skills.

Skip crawling and move straight to walking

More time being rushed around in baby carriers

Time spent in "baby positioners"

Less "free play" and more scheduled activities

Less exposure to small parts and creative play (More structured and planned play)

Less movement-based and developmentally appropriate learning in preschool, kindergarten, and the younger grades

More time on screens

Early screen-time exposure

Less outdoor time and strengthening through heavy work/outdoor play

What would you add to this list?

Knowing all of this, we can empower our kiddos with support and fine motor activities integrated right into their classrooms and play. Here are some tools and resources to help with those fine motor struggles:
Spring Fine Motor Activities Improve Pencil Grasp with Fine Motor Fine Motor Skills, Defined DIY Fine Motor Activity Kits
Fine Motor Examples at School

Fine motor skills are essential for independence and functioning within the classroom environment. Consider all of the areas where fine motor skills are needed for ease during the school day:

Handwriting and pencil grasp
Scissor grasp and cutting paper
Paper management including placing papers into folders
Paper clip management
Paper connectors (brads) management
Erasing with a pencil
Rotating a pencil within the hand
Coloring
Squeezing glue bottles
Removing glue caps from squeeze bottles or glue sticks
managing zippers on backpacks
Tying shoes
Managing clothing and clothing fasteners during bathroom breaks
Donning and doffing jackets and coats
Managing buttons, snaps, and zippers on coats and jackets
Tying shoes
Opening containers in the lunch room
Holding utensils and scooping food to eat
Picking up small pieces of food
Manipulating coins in the lunchroom
Typing on a computer keyboard
Toileting (tearing toilet paper and wiping)
Toileting (pulling up pants)
Using a stapler
Opening and closing a three ring binder
Managing glue sticks
Art projects
Packing a backpack
Endurance in writing
Removing and putting on caps on markers
Sharpening pencils
Placing manipulatives and counters accurately in hands-on math activities
Opening jars of paint

Fine Motor Skills Examples

Fine motor skills play a huge part of a student's day! So what are fine motor skills? I explained in detail the various aspects of and examples of fine motor skills. For more examples of fine motor skills, check out the list below. These are the aspects of motor work that play a part in fine motor tasks during a child's school day. All of these skill areas are types of fine motor skills that impact function, in big ways.

These daily functions within the school environment require many fine motor skills. Each daily task requires many fine motor skills:

Definition of Fine Motor Skills

Occupational therapists know the definition of fine motor skills. It's an integral part of every therapy evaluation.

For a layman's definition of fine motor, the Medical Dictionary defines fine motor skills as: "Any of the motor skills that require greater control of the small muscles than large ones, especially for hand eye coordination or for precise hand and finger movement. Fine motor skills include handwriting, sewing, and fastening buttons. Most movements require both large and small muscle groups, and there is considerable overlap between fine and gross motor skills, but distinguishing between the two is useful in rehabilitation settings, special education, adapted physical education tests, motor development tests, and aptitude tests in industry and in the military."

When fine motor skills are delayed, a student's success in the classroom can be greatly impaired. IncompleteUnderdeveloped Difficulty with

There are many reasons that fine motor skills might be lacking, resulting in delays in functional skills:
Muscle weakness
Dysgraphia
Low tone
Delayed wrist and hand development
Poor posture and core strength
Insufficient somatosensory input with failure to develop kinesthesia
Insufficient visual control

Incomplete utilization of proximal joints of the upper extremity including poor support
Inadequate spatial analysis and or synthesis skills
Insufficient visual-motor control
bilateral integration Delayed or inadequate arch development

precision handling Motoric separation of the two sides of the hands.

Fine Motor Development

Fine motor development and successful use of refined motor skills in functional tasks relies on a sensorimotor foundation of trunk and arm stability, strength, manipulation, ability to motor plan, and effective coordination of visual motor information.

When kids are required to perform classroom and school activities without these foundations in place, difficulties arise, resulting in frustration, feelings of failure, and behaviors. So many times, there is a question of whether a student should be referred to the school-based OT for evaluation and assessment of fine motor skills for improved success in the classroom.

Teachers, parents, and school support staff should consider a referral to the school-based Occupational Therapist if the following fine motor conditions are observed and are effecting school occupations and learning.

Signs a Student Needs Occupational Therapy in the School for Fine Motor Skill Development:
Difficulty holding scissors and cutting shapes when age-appropriate
Trouble with letter/number formation or reverses letters
Avoids fine motor activities
Trouble using an effective pencil grasp
Fatigue when coloring
Difficulty erasing without tearing paper
Writes too lightly or too dark and written work is illegible
Difficulty putting on coat, managing buttons/zippers/snaps, or tying shoes (from what is age appropriate)
Switches hands during activities

There are some easy ways to build fine motor skills right in the classroom. Try some of these strategies to accommodating for poor fine motor skills that might impact a student's success in the classroom:

Classroom strategies for addressing fine motor skills at school

Try various writing utensils. Utilize
Work on various writing surfaces (chalkboard, slant board, easel).
Use a kneaded eraser for less required effort when erasing.
Evaluate pencil grasp and try various pencil grips to modify for efficiency.

Manage papers and bilateral coordination by taping paper to the desk.
techniques for organizing papers when motor planning is an issue.

Finger Aerobics for Building Fine Motor Skills

One strategy that is helpful in building fine motor skills in the classroom is finger aerobics. These finger motor movement exercises are activities that can be used by the whole classroom as part of a handwriting warm-up exercise. Kids with poor fine motor skills can oftentimes struggle with hand functions and tool use in the classroom. Finger dexterity activities like finger aerobics promote sensorimotor awareness and manipulation of the hands. Finger aerobics are ideal as a transitional movement activity for the whole classroom or a brain break type of activity.

Check out the finger aerobics in the images and descriptions below:

Spider Push-Ups: Show the students how to place both hands together with palms and fingers touching. Then, show them how to push the hands away from each other at the palm. The fingertips should remain in contact.

Finger Pick-Ups: The students should stand at their desk and place their hands flat on the desk surface. They can then pick up each finger in isolation. Ask them to raise each finger from the desk surface 3 times and then pick up and hold each finger individually for several seconds.

Fingertip Touch: Ask the students to touch their thumbs to the tips of each of the fingers. They can do both hands at the same time or one hand at a time. Then, ask them to touch the tip of their thumb to the base of each finger. They can touch the tip or base of each finger at different speeds, as they spell words, or count in various increments. Next, ask them to touch the tips or bases of each finger with their hands held behind their back or out of their field of vision.

Finger Sounds: Ask the students to close their eyes. Then, the teacher or group leader can ask the students to listen carefully as she makes sounds with her hands. The teacher can make one sound and then ask the students to repeat the sound using their hands. Ideas include: rubbing the hands together to make a soft swishing sound, snapping, clapping, thigh slapping, finger tapping, or patting the desk. The students should keep their eyes closed as they repeat each individual sound.

Fist Squeeze: Ask the students to make a fist with both hands. Then, they should try placing their thumb in different positions and squeezing as hard as they can. Try the thumb at the side of the fingers, wrapped over the knuckles, and tucked under the fingertips. Show them how to stretch out the fingers and then repeat.

Spider Crawl: Ask the students to stand up behind their desks. They can then place both hands with the palm and fingers flat on the desk surface. Show the students how to make their hands "crawl" across the desk like spiders. They can move both hands together symmetrically and individually in different directions. Keep the palm lightly positioned on the desk surface.

Finger Muscles: Show the students how to use their other hand to provide resistance for squeezing. They can place their pointer finger or their pointer and middle finger of one hand on the outstretched fingers of the other hand. Ask them to squeeze their fingers and then to try to push against the fingers.

Writing Gloves: Ask the students to pretend to put a glove on their hands, slowly moving the glove over each finger. They should push each finger down individually. Then, they can remove that pretend glove, one finger at a time. This is an especially calming activity that provides proprioceptive input through joint compressions.

Finger Ducks: Ask the students to straiten the fingers and thumbs to create a "duck" puppet with just their fingers. They can make the duck open and close it's mouth to spell words, count, or read. Then, ask them to pretend that the duck ate a lemon as they pull the finger tips into the palm. This is a great activity that strengthens the lumbrical muscles of the hands.

You can view all of the exercises here:

Be sure to visit the other Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists who are writing about School Day Functions this month in the
Functional Skills for Kids series.

More Fine Motor Activities that will build skills needed for Function and Learning in School:

Sierra Caramia, Amanpreet Gill, Alisha Ohl, David Schelly; Fine Motor Activities in Elementary School Children: A Replication Study. Am J Occup Ther 2020;74(2):7402345010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.035014

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Fine Motor Skills Needed at School - The OT Toolbox

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Occupational Therapists are often times consulted to assess a child for their fine motor skills that are needed in school and for resources to build fine motor skills in the classroom. When a child's fine motor skills are lacking, classroom tasks can be difficult and result in delays in many aspects that are necessary for learning and functioning in the school environment.

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A document giving you information to support your child's development at their different stages

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An Oral and Written Story Telling Resource For Parents

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A great bank of fine motor tasks from the Imagination Tree!

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Animations of some of the best-known traditional nursery rhymes, many sung by BBC Children's TV presenters, with music that your children will love! They're an ideal resource to support a range of Early Years objectives, whether used in a nursery, reception class, or at home.

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Animations of some of the best-known traditional nursery rhymes, many sung by Cbeebies TV presenters, with music that your children will love! They're an ideal resource to support a range of Early Years objectives, whether used in a nursery, reception class, or at home.

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Picture books and related activities to aid transition into 'big school'

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Booklet with lots of ideas for schools to aid the transfer of children from pre school to primary school

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Transition from pre school to primary school for children with Down's Syndrome

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Transition from pre school to primary school for children with Down's Syndrome

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Tips for transition

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Parent and child 'getting ready for school' home pack

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Parent and Child School Readiness Coloring Checklist Transition Pack

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Starting school can be an anxious time for both parents and their child. Use this pack of transition coloring checklists to help parents and children prepare for starting school. These delightful coloring sheets can be sent home for children and their parents to complete together.

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Learning and Exploring Through Play
We have a huge bank of activity ideas - arts, crafts, printables, sensory play I could go on to help see you through this time. We like to use materials that we already have in around the house so hopefully many of the things you see on our website are things you have to hand and can set up pretty quickly.

Vooks are currently offering a whole year free to educators. There are hundreds of books that have been brought to life with pictures in the stories animated! My personal favourite over there is Where the Wild Things Are.

I can quite often get lost of Agnes website and social media channels. Her work and ideas are beautiful. She had children that are passionate about helping others and making the world a better place to be. Their dedication to make a difference is rather inspiring.

Twinkl are currently offering a months free membership. Thousands of resources to access and enjoy with the children at home. Suitable for children in Nursery to the end of Junior School.

To access your free month you need the following code - UKTWINKLHELPS

Always been a firm favourite of mine. Their play dough recipe is divine. Make sure you check it out.

Use the following details to access the site for a limited time. -

Lots of interactive phonics games.

Explore the world at your fingertips.... Here's a comprehensive list of virtual tours you can take with your children, adventure all over the world from the confines of your own home. A fantastic resource to have whilst we push our way through the current pandemic. A wealth of travel, geographical and historical knowledge to incorporate into your day.

So many lovely things to inspire you here from crafts, activities to a huge range of art ideas.

A website that has something for all. Lots of learning topics covered linking to the curriculums that are in place in school settings across the country.

Lots of free learning and activity packs on this site. You can go on virtual field trips, meet best selling authors or simply dig deep into a topic that the children enjoy.

Topmarks is good for all ages from Preschool through to Secondary. Access interactive games and activities to help with visual learning.

In a nutshell this site has lessons that inspire children to love science. Free memberships are available for a year.

M y youngest two really enjoy the games on CBeebies. All linked to their favourite characters its a great first website to explore for Preschoolers and Infant School children - KS1.

Here you can find a wide range of practical resources to use in your primary classroom. There are full lesson plans to choose from, covering different topics and themes, all organised according to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).

We also have shorter activities, as well as ideas for using songs, poems and stories to help your learners improve their English in engaging, motivating and enjoyable ways.

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Learning and Exploring Through Play We have a huge bank of activity ideas - arts, crafts, printables, sensory play I could go on to help see you through this time. We like to use materials that we already have in around the house so hopefully many of the things you see on our website are things you have to hand and can set up pretty quickly.

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How I would have loved these resources during my years teaching in Montessori schools or in my own homeschool! I still find it amazing that there are so many free Montessori materials available online today. What great resources for parents and teachers alike!
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Note; I went through every link here before updating and republishing this post. If you have materials I should add or see something that should be changed, just let me know!

The little experience I had with using free online downloads for teaching was wonderful. I had WAY too much fun during my 2006-07 master's program in early childhood studies. Because I had completed my B.A. so many years ago (and before the Internet), it was almost magical for me to do much of my research online and find free Montessori materials online to use in my school placement at a day nursery.

With free online downloads, it's easy to create professional-looking Montessori materials. For school or home use, all that's needed to prepare most of the materials is paper or cardstock, printer and printer ink, paper cutter or scissors, and lamination (which is preferred but not essential for home use). Montessori Print Shop has some great instructions for preparing Montessori materials.
Following is a listing of sites with free Montessori downloads. Note: Almost all of these sites also has Montessori printables available for sale as well. I'm just sharing the free printables here, but if you look around on the sites, you'll find the printables available for sale, too.
The Pioneers of Free Montessori Printables with Large Collections:

Montessori Print Shop was one of my main sources for free Montessori materials during my school placement. Along with many materials for sale, it has a very nice selection of free Montessori materials.

Montessori for Everyone was another great source of free Montessori downloads for me. The site also has an extensive selection of downloads for sale, both at the preschool and elementary levels.

Montessori Materials was started to help homeschool moms and has a wide selection of free downloads (the downloads with purple links).

Wikisori encourages collaboration among Montessorians and has many free information and downloads.

Montessori Mom has another extensive collection, and everything offered through the site is free.

Free Montessori Printables from around the Blogosphere (organized alphabetically by my computer):

1+1+1=1 has a section of free Montessori printables along with lots of other free printables.

ABC Teach has free Montessori printables and Montessori printables available by subscription. It also has many other free printables.

At Bits of Positivity, I have lots of free Montessori word art/quote printables (instant downloads).

Carrots Are Orange has a free Montessori printable each month for subscribers plus free printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Chestnut Grove Academy has many free printables, both instant downloads and subscriber freebies.

Confessions of a Montessori Mom Blog has a free Montessori homeschool PDF.

Counting Coconuts has many free printables (instant downloads).

Cultivating Dharma has free downloads of timelines and other cultural activities.

E & O Montessori has free sample pink and blue picture word cards and labels.

Every Star Is Different has many subscriber freebies (Go to Free Printables tab at the top of the Every Star Is Different blog to see the related blog posts.)

Foresight Montessori (includes the former Helpful Garden) has many subscriber freebies.

Förskoleburken has a free extension of the knobless cylinders.

Free Montessori Resources has many free resources (instant downloads) for both primary and elementary.

Green Tree Montessori Materials has a number of free Montessori printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Homeschool Escapade has free geometry, math, and English Montessori instant downloads.

Homeschooling My Kinetic Kids has many free Montessori 3-part cards to go with Safari Ltd. TOOBS (along with other printables).

Honey's Life has free 3-part cards on India, symbols of America, and parts of a bird (instant downloads).

I Believe in Montessori has free printables available through Teachers Pay Teachers.

Imagine Our Life has many free Montessori printables.

Just Montessori has some free printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Little Schoolhouse in the Suburbs has free Montessori checklists, natural science cards, Great lessons, human anatomy, and magnetic puzzles (all instant downloads).

Magical Movement Company has a freebie collection (subscriber freebies) of Montessori music and arts downloads. Magical Movement Company also has free printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Making Montessori Ours has many free printables (instant downloads and subscriber freeebies).

Mama's Happy Hive has many subscriber freebies along with free printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Midwest Montessori has a few free printables (instant downloads).

Montessori Album has a page of free printables (instant downloads).

Montessori Assistant has some free printables (instant downloads).

Montessori for Learning has a whole page of free Montessori printables.

Montessori Helper has free materials available by registering.

MontessoriKiwi has free printables in the MontessoriKiwi shop and at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Montessori Nature has many subscriber freebies and a freebie at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Montessori Soul has many free Montessori printables (instant downloads).

Montessori Up! has a page with many free Montessori printables (instant downloads).

Montessori Workjobs has free work plans with pictures for non-readers and free nomenclature cards (all instant downloads).

Mummy's Homeschool has a page of free Montessori printables (instant downloads).

Natural Beach Living has a variety of free printables, both instant downloads and subscriber freebies as well as free printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Our Worldwide Classroom has a number of free Montessori printables (instant downloads).

Research Parent has lots of free printables (instant downloads).

Savy Activities has free printables (subscriber freebies).

Sugar, Spice and Glitter has free CVC worksheets (instant downloads).

Teachers Pay Teachers has many free Montessori printables. You have to register to download the printables.

Temple of Ganesha Montessori has an upper elementary unit on leaves available in a free download.

The Helpful Garden has joined with Foresight Montessori, which doesn't have instant downloads but has many subscriber freebies.

The Homeschool Den has pages of free printables (instant downloads). Many of them are Montessori printables.

A number of my monthly themes include a free culture card (instant download) from The Montessori Company.

The Montessori Notebook has a variety of free instant downloads.

The Natural Homeschool has a page of free printables (subscriber freebies), including many Montessori printables, along with free printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

The Pinay Homeschooler has a page of free Montessori printables plus free printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

The Silvan Reverie has a page of free 3-part cards, many available in either uppercase or lowercase.

Training Happy Hearts has a number of free Montessori-inspired printables.

Trillium Montessori has many subscriber freebies as well as free printables on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Volcano Mama has instant downloads and subscriber freebies.

Free Montessori Printables Found in More Than One Language:

Eltern vom Mars has a page with a variety of free Montessori resources (instant downloads) in German.l

Escuelita Montessori has a number of free Spanish Montessori downloads at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Leptir has a page of free downloads. Many of the materials are in Croatian, but the lines for cutting paper and some of the other activities work for any language.

Montessori en Casa has some free printables in English and Spanish.

Montessori en El Hogar has free printables in Spanish.

Montessori EtCie has free Montessori printables in French and English.

Montessori Materials (a Swedish blog) has Montessori printables in Swedish, some in English, and some without words. (I think you have to email for the printables.)

Welcome to Mommyhood has Montessori themes and other free printables in English and Russian (subscriber freebies) plus free printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Wise Owl Factory has Montessori printables that are instant downloads as well as ones that are subscriber freebies. Some are available in more than one language. Wise Owl Factory also has a variety of free printables at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Z lesa has some Montessori materials in English and Czech. Some of the printables can be used without words.

Free Montessori Albums and Lesson Plans:

Cultivating Dharma has Montessori elementary albums.

Maitri Learning has some free Montessori lesson plans.

Miss Barbara has lesson ideas and links for the Great Lessons.

Montessori Album has a growing collection of Montessori lessons.

Montessori Helper has some free Montessori lessons.

Wikisori also has Montessori albums.

Free Montessori Elementary Materials

Although you'll find any free Montessori elementary materials through this post, I have a post with specifically free Montessori elementary materials online.

More Free Printables That Can Be Used to Prepare Montessori-Style Activity Trays

I tried to put the sites I knew have free printables on the Free Montessori Materials Online list or the Free Preschool Printables for Activity Trays list. Many of the printables on my Free Preschool Printables list are great for preparing Montessori activities even if they weren't designed specifically as Montessori printables.

Free Printables at Living Montessori Now:

Karen Tyler, who is retired from her KHT Montessori online course gave me her wonderful AMS-style, 177-page Montessori geography album to give free to anyone who signs up for my mailing list (see sidebar). Thanks, Karen!

I have lots of posts with free Montessori printables that are instant downloads, such as my free themed cutting strips and free themed do-a-dot printables.

I have a subscriber freebie library with an exclusive Montessori-inspired free printable pack for my email subscribers each month. Learn more here: Sign up for the Living Montessori Now newsletter and get monthly subscriber freebies.

I'm also updating this post as I find new free Montessori materials online!

Do you have a favorite free online Montessori download or source for free downloads? If you have free Montessori printables that I missed, please let me know!

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How I would have loved these resources during my years teaching in Montessori schools or in my own homeschool! I still find it amazing that there are so many free Montessori materials available online today. What great resources for parents and teachers alike! Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).

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FREE printable homeschooling/home learning/home school activities/games for young children/kids/toddlers/Early Years. Fun learning through play activities, puzzles, colouring/coloring pages/sheets, dramatic role play packs, games, snap cards, alphabet cards, letters & sounds activities, number lines, flashcards, reward charts, reading, writing, maths, mathematics, shape, measures, numbers, mark making, drawing, songs, nursery rhymes, fact files, craft activity ideas, music and more. Ideal ever expanding bank of activity ideas/printables for parents of 1-7 year olds!

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FREE printable homeschooling/home learning/home school activities/games for young children/kids - Little Owls Resources - FREE

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FREE printable homeschooling/home learning/home school resources, activities/games for young children/kids/toddlers/Early Years. Fun learning through play activities, puzzles, colouring/coloring pages/sheets, dramatic role play packs, games, snap cards, alphabet cards, letters & sounds activities, number lines, flashcards, reward charts, reading, writing, maths, mathematics, shape, numbers & more!

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Song

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TheLearningStation - Kids Songs and Nursery Rhymes

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The 7 Days of the Week Song ♫ 7 Days of the Week ♫ Kids Songs by The Learning Station

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A wealth of online nursery rhymes to sing and act out with our children

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Animations of some of the best-known traditional nursery rhymes, many sung by BBC Children's TV presenters, with music that your children will love! They're an ideal resource to support a range of Early Years objectives, whether used in a nursery, reception class, or at home.

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Animations of some of the best-known traditional nursery rhymes, many sung by Cbeebies TV presenters, with music that your children will love! They're an ideal resource to support a range of Early Years objectives, whether used in a nursery, reception class, or at home.

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Online maths games for Early Years children

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Online maths games for Early Years children

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Crickweb provide lots of games supporting number and shape recognition

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A basic numeral recognition activitiy. Develop your mouse control and number skills by matching number digits to words in the 1 to 10 range.

A drag and drop alien making activity to develop mouse control skills and to develop language. Use the worksheet to direct the activity more tightly.
Friends-to-make

This simple labelling activity can be used to reinforce the idea of labels and as a framework for children to begin to add their own captions and labels to familiar scenes such as a teddy bear's picnic.
picnic lesson outline

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Free online interactive EYFS, Foundation Stage and Early Years resources, activities and games. Help your child with early learning goals. Learning through play is the perfect way to teach 3-4 year olds first skills in counting, initial sounds, colours, compare and order, matching and mouse skills.

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Oxford Owl site with games for children ages 3+

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Oxford Owl site with games for children ages 3+

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online games to support early mathematics for our little learners

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You and your little ones can have loads of fun with maths! There are loads of activity sheets and videos to explore on this page, or you can browse by age.

You'll also find heaps of activity books to further develop maths skills in our bookshop.

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Fun maths games and activities - Oxford Owl for Home

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Fun maths games to help develop the skills children need at primary school, for ages 3 to 11. From Oxford University Press.

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Ideas for parents from Cbeebies to support mathematical development at home or nursery

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Numberblocks - Help your child be epic at maths

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Give your child a head start in Maths: everything parents need to know about Numeracy development from 0-6 with fun activities you can build into everyday life and play

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Cbeebies games and ideas to develop our early mathematic skills

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Cbeebies games and ideas to develop our early mathematic skills

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Join in with Little Learners and explore all of these fun and free maths games, activities and clips.

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A few ideas and tips from SIL EYFS team for supporting maths through play

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A few ideas and tips from SIL EYFS team for supporting maths through play

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Use everyday materials to support maths at home or in nursery!

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Lots of activities to use online to support early mathematics

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Lots of activities to use online to support early mathematics

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Topmarks maths

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Learning to Count with these fun Counting Games

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Children will love learning to count up to 10 with these free, fun counting games.

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A blog from Famly

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Transitions are a big part of our Early Years practice.

Positive transitions that allow children to navigate through the unknown to the next stage are central to supporting and developing emotional well-being. Positive transitions help to build resilience and confidence, while negative ones may build insecurities and anxiety.

So what kind of transition is the next one going to be?

How early transitions are experienced could significantly impact on our capacity to cope with change in the short and long term. Now that many settings around the world are starting to open up, it's vital that we understand what has changed, so we can make this next transition as easy as possible for the children in our care.

COVID-19: A sudden transition

A dictionary definition of 'transition' is;
'The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another'
Sound familiar? Coronavirus (COVID-19) has disrupted everyone's life in some way, shape or form. In fact, it's been a particularly harsh transition for many people, with little or no warning or time to prepare for this strange new world.

No more meeting up with friends and families. Schools and childcare settings only open to a small percentage of children. Parents left juggling childcare, homeschooling and work.

Lockdown thrust us all into the unknown. Feelings of uncertainty, worries about the implication the virus may have on work, income, shopping for food, anxiety about our own health and that of our family and friends.

It's important that we reflect on how different people may have reacted to the changes we've all experienced. Adult's reactions often depend on their previous life experiences, and young children look to their adults for guidance.

This is sometimes called 'social referencing'; they observe their adults to see how they might react. For example, if a parent screams when they see a spider, the chances are that the young child would also be upset. However, if the parent is calm and shows an interest in the spider the child may follow this reaction instead.

It's also worth reminding ourselves that coronavirus will have affected families in different ways, ranging from not being directly affected to experiencing bereavement. Some of us will be thriving on lockdown life, perhaps enjoying the slower pace, spending time with others in their household, baking, cooking, going for walks. However, some families will be in survival mode, interactions within the household may be strained and, in some cases, abusive.

A little bit of brain science

The pandemic may have left people feeling adrift, with a sense of loss at no longer feeling safe, or only feeling safe in their own home.

This video is useful to understand how our brains work when this kind of stress or anxiety is present.

You have to bear in mind this might change as lockdown restrictions ease. More adults can return to work, more children can return to childcare and school and this may bring new feelings of fear, worry or anxiety or relight some of these overwhelming feelings. As of yet, there is no immunisation to help protect us and we all have to plan our 'new norm' as we co-exist with the presence of coronavirus.

All of this is why it is really important that we all pay attention to our own mental health and well-being alongside that of our families, staff, parents, children and young people.

Enabling environments

It's not just about risk assessments and the planning of our physical environments for children right now. We also need to pay close attention to the emotional environments we provide.

Some children may happily skip through your setting door as they return, eager and excited to see you and their friends. Separation may be difficult for some children and parents too, and children in particular may not fully understand recent events.

Additionally, sadly, home life is not a safe haven for all, and we have to be aware of the possible secondary harms that coronavirus may have brought, including child abuse and domestic violence. Your childcare setting may be their only solace/safe place.

All this means that we have to be aware when children display their anxiety and stress. This can be difficult, because children respond to stress in different ways. Babies and the youngest children may show their distress by crying and being unsettled. Changes in behaviours may be an indicator - clinginess, meltdowns, regression, unsettled nights, nightmares - and they may try and explain their feelings physically, telling you they have a headache or tummy ache. It's really important that our practitioners know how to recognise these signs, and know how to act when they do.

As childcare settings re-open or start to reintegrate more children, here are a few things you can do to prepare children and families for this change.

9 ideas for an easier transition

1. Before they return to childcare, ask families for an update from home. Is there anything you need to know? Changes in routine or behaviours? These could be difficult changes, or positive ones too. Maybe parents have found that their child has learnt new skills, for example, and it's helpful to know this too.

2. If there is time before children return, consider sending them a video or message to invite them back, telling them how much you are looking forward to seeing them back in their second home.

3. You could try creating a social story to help parents to talk to their children about returning to childcare. Here is a nice example to get you started!

4. Take the time to explain any fundamental changes to your physical environments along with any new rules that may be in place.

5. Ask for photos or information about the things that families have been doing whilst at home and use this information to talk to the children as they return.

6. Provide lots of opportunities to explore emotions with children. Facilitate opportunities to talk or perhaps draw. For example, what makes them feel safe? Where is their favourite place? What makes them laugh right now?

7. Children are reassured when their adults are providing a sense of calm, so it may help to talk to the children about illness. For example, that we all get sick sometimes and that washing their hands can help wash away germs. You may find this resource useful and this video has some specific information about coronavirus using images and Makaton.

8. Help children to make their own sensory bottles, which might help them to regain a feeling of calm. Comfort items will also be crucial for some children as they re-settle.

9. Times for exercise and calm throughout the day may help children to regulate their bodies. You may have to adjust some elements of your pre-pandemic childcare practice and routines, but careful planning and support will help children to adjust to their new norm.

Free staff management guide

Interested in reading more? Download our full guide to improve your staff management skills.

Sue Asquith / About Author

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9 Ideas for an Easier Transition Back to Your Childcare Setting

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Transitions are a big part of our Early Years practice. Positive transitions that allow children to navigate through the unknown to the next stage are central to supporting and developing emotional well-being. Positive transitions help to build resilience and confidence, while negative ones may build insecurities and anxiety.

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Useful information about preparing our little people for school.

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Useful information about preparing our little people for school.

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Being school-ready - a guide for childcare professionals and parents to help children in this transition.

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A blog full of ideas for outdoor activities

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A blog full of ideas for outdoor activities

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Made by Creative Star Learning

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Creative STAR Learning | I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

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Early Years Outdoors | Creative STAR Learning | I’m a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

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Oct 3, 2023 | Early Years Outdoors, Nature Play & Learning, Whole School

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A free activity pack to download courtesy of TTS

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A free activity pack to download courtesy of TTS

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Lots of ideas and activities to do at home

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Simple games to support our younger children 

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Simple games to support our younger children 

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Make sure you input your child's age for games that suit their ability!

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activities and early learning for preschoolers

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Online games for preschool and kindergarten - FunbrainJr.com

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These fun and vibrant games for kids ages 2-6 will help children build early learning skills in math and reading.

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Handy leaflet for parents

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Look, Say, Sing, Play is a set of resources which encourage interaction between parents and their babies.

Parents and carers interact with their babies all the time without always realising how those interactions shape the way their baby's brain develops.

Improving interaction and encouraging parents to be more sensitive to their baby's cues helps parents identify and respond to their needs.

It also improves attunement and sensitivity of parents from an early stage, setting up positive behaviour as their child grows.

Improving interaction between parents and babies

These brain-building resources are based on the work of Vroom, a US public health initiative that uses the science of early learning to help parents improve back-and-forth interactions with their children.

Serve and return interactions - when a parent responds positively to their child by speaking, gesturing or touching - help shape brain architecture by building and strengthening the neural connections that babies need to develop communication and social skills.

This set of resources will help you to provide parents with brain-building tips that they can easily incorporate into their everyday routine and boost their child's development.

Download the resources

Look, Say, Sing, Play leaflet

This leaflet gives parents a handy introduction to brain-building tips for their child from birth, up until the age of 2. It helps them understand how they can bring more interaction in to their daily routine, and gives them an introduction to the science behind the campaign.
> Download the Look, Say, Sing, Play leaflet (PDF)
Look, Say, Sing, Play posters

A series of four posters to display where parents will see them. Each design give a different brain-building tip on how to interact with their baby and encourages parents to sign up for weekly tips via email.
> Download the set of four Look, Say, Sing, Play posters (PDF)
You can also download the posters individually:

Look, Say, Sing, Play activity posters

Ten activity posters outlining a range of different age-appropriate tips which parents can try with their child. These can be displayed and used around children's centres where Look, Say, Sing, Play sessions are running or by parents independently.
> Download blowfish activity poster (PDF) > Download colour hunt activity poster (PDF) > Download copy cat activity poster (PDF) > Download follow the face activity poster (PDF) > Download fun with fingers activity poster (PDF) > Download saw the sign activity poster (PDF) > Download sharing the story activity poster (PDF) > Download sing-song voice activity poster (PDF) > Download space explorer activity poster (PDF) > Download vroom, vroom activity poster (PDF)
Look, Say, Sing, Play session plans

There are two different session plans. The first is a guide to running a standalone session and the second is a shorter version with ideas of how to incorporate Look, Say, Sing, Play messages into an existing group or activity.
> Download the full Look, Say, Sing, Play session plan (PDF) > Download the guide to including Look, Say, Sing, Play into an existing group (PDF)
Look, Say, Sing, Play activity sheets

Four activity sheets outlining a range of different age-appropriate tips which parents can try with their child. These can be used within a session which is outlined in the plans above or by parents independently.
> Download the set of four Look, Say, Sing, Play activity sheets (PDF)
Look, Say, Sing, Play flashcards

Two A4 sheets to be printed double-sided and cut into 17 flashcards. Each card gives an everyday activity parents can try with their child. The flip-side of each card explains 'the science bit' - how the activity helps their child's development.
> Download the Look, Say, Sing, Play flashcards (PDF)
Download resources in other languages

The Look, Say, Sing, Play leaflet and posters are also available in Welsh, Polish and Somali.
Welsh > Download the Look, Say, Sing, Play leaflet - Welsh (PDF) > Download the set of four Look, Say, Sing, Play posters - Welsh (PDF) Polish > Download the Look, Say, Sing, Play leaflet - Polish (PDF) > Download the set of four Look, Say, Sing, Play posters - Polish (PDF) Somali > Download the Look, Say, Sing, Play leaflet - Somali (PDF) > Download the set of four Look, Say, Sing, Play posters - Somali (PDF)

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Look, Say, Sing, Play early years resources to use and share with parents | NSPCC Learning

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Look, Say, Sing, Play is a set of resources which encourage interaction between parents and their babies. Parents and carers interact with their babies all the time without always realising how those interactions shape the way their baby's brain develops.

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Non-verbal cues to aid understanding of school and classroom routine