Why Toddlers Are Obsessed With Small Objects...

Does your child seem to find even the tiniest speck of dust or lint on the floor?

Do they love collecting small treasures, like rocks, shells, and other items out walks?

If so, your child is likely in 'The Sensitive Period for Small Objects'.

What Happens During The Sensitive Period for Small Objects

Children between the ages of 12 months to 4 years that are going through this phase will notice the tiniest of details and they're drawn to things that are small.

They also have a desire to collect small objects that fit in their hands. This is a time when parents often find little treasures in their child’s pockets.

How To Support Your Child During This Period

Following the child is important during this sensitive period. Go at their pace, take your time, and appreciate the little things they notice.

It can be tempting to take away their small "treasures" and offer a toy instead. Try to hold back if you believe what they have is safe to explore under supervision.

This is also a fantastic time to do activities that develop visual discrimination skills.

Visual discrimination is the ability to find the subtle differences between things.

More refined visual discrimination skills allow children to easily see the differences between letters and numbers, making these activities great for pre-reading and numeracy.

This is also a time when children truly enjoy these types of activities.

Here's 3 summer-themed activities designed to develop visual discrimination that you can print and do this week:

1. Beach Shadow Matching Cards

Cut out all 16 cards and match the coloured images to the corresponding shadow.

For younger children, start with just 2-3 sets of cards and choose the most obvious and easily recognizable to your child.

You can add more pairs in as your child masters them.

Go here to download this set and the instructions:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0536/5530/6394/files/Shadow_Matching_Cards_-_Beach.pdf

2. Sandcastle Matching With Magnifying Glass

Cut out all 16 cards and find a magnifying glass.

Match the large image of the sandcastle to the small version, using a magnifying glass to inspect each small image.

For younger children, start with just 2-3 sets of cards. You can add more pairs in as your child masters them.

Go here to download this set and the instructions:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0536/5530/6394/files/Sandcastle_Matching_With_Magnifying_Glass.pdf

3. Sorting Beach Items By Size - Small/Medium/Large

Cut out all 24 cards. For younger children, start with just 2-3 sets of cards.

You make it easier but putting the matching objects into one pile so your child only has to lay them out S/M/L.

You can make it harder by putting all the small cards into one pile, all the medium into another, and all the large into a third pile so your child has to find each of the 3 images and then put them in order.

Go here to download this set and the instructions: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0536/5530/6394/files/Beach_-_Sorting_By_Size_Small_Medium_Large.pdf

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If you're interested in more activities you can do at home, check out our Montessori At-Home Program here: info.themontessoriroom.com/at-home-2/

Here's a snippet of what one parent just shared about her experience in the program:

"To our surprise it wasn't just for our son, but for us as parents. We are so grateful of how much we learned through this amazing journey. The most important has been the awakening to our conscious parenting and how much our preparation plays such an important role.

Our son's development has been an adventure that we got the privilege to observe while he was doing his activities and in every aspect of his life."