Montessori Flower Arranging Activity

2 min read

Basic flower arranging is such wonderful Montessori activity.

It teaches young children how to create beauty in their space, while also developing fine motor skills, independence, and concentration.

What you'll need to get started:

It’s helpful if the flowers to be arranged are quite sturdy, like carnations. A delicate flower with petals that can easily fall off may frustrate the child or distract them from the purpose.

Montessori Flower Arranging Activity, instructions, how-to

Cut the stems of the fresh flowers so they will fit in the vases.
Place the fresh flowers in a bucket or on a tray.
Arrange the remaining materials as follows on the tray: Jug, Funnel, Vases, small drying cloth.
You can fill the jug with water ahead of time or encourage your child to do this independently.
This activity can be done sitting or standing at a table.

Sit or stand with your child and take some time to appreciate the flowers.
Touch them gently, smell them, etc.
After the exploration is complete, demonstrate how to place the funnel in one of the vases.
Hold the jug, with your dominant hand on the spout and non-dominant hand supporting under the spout and pour some water through the funnel and into the vase.
Set the jug down and remove the funnel.
Carefully choose one flower, holding it by the step and place it in the vase.
Repeat until you have created a small bouquet.
Carry the flower arrangement with both hands and place in an area of the home where you would like to add natural beauty.
Encourage your child to continue and repeat until they are finished arranging the flowers.
If and when a spill occurs, encourage your child to use the drying cloth to wipe it up.

If you observe that your child has made a flower arrangement without pouring any water into the vase, try to refrain from correcting this. As time goes on, and this flower arrangement begins to wilt, an opportunity will arise for you to talk to your child about why the arrangements with water are still standing upright and the other is not. The child will quickly learn that flowers need water and they’ll remember this step the next time!
You can find all the materials needed (except the flowers!) on our site by clicking the links below:

Once your child is comfortable using scissors, involve them in the preparation of this activity by encouraging them to cut the flower stems down to size so that they’ll fit in the vases.
Collect wildflowers while out on a nature walk and bring them home for your child to arrange.

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