By Harriett Latham – Founder of Nurture Childcare
Exploring the world through Montessori
At Nurture Childcare, our Montessori approach offers purposeful, hands-on learning rooted in independence and discovery. These activities develop fine motor skills, global awareness, and early maths concepts, sparking deep curiosity and joy in our children. Each is simple to recreate using everyday items or natural materials.
1. Peg and twist
Invite the children to sit at a work mat or low table. Using Montessori Peg Blocks, carefully remove and place all the pegs beside the block. Using a pincer grip, demonstrate placing each one back onto the block, rotating gently until it fits. Offer the activity to the children when finished.
Benefits: Develops visual discrimination of size and depth, strengthens fine motor skills, and supports pre-writing readiness.
Extension ideas: • Introduce multiple blocks and allow the child to explore differences in height vs. width.
• Challenge older children to complete it blindfolded to refine tactile sense.
• Offer a lesson on comparative language: “taller”, “wider”, and “narrower”.
Language enrichment tips: Introduce vocabulary such as “cylinder”, “diameter”, “base”, “fit”, and “precision”. Encourage the child to describe what they’re noticing.
1 What you’ll need:
309126 – Montessori Peg Blocks
16 2. Key quest 2 What you’ll need:
309123 – Montessori Latches and Catches House
309127 – Montessori Token Sorter
Offer the Montessori Latches and Catches House on a tray or mat. Choose one key, hold it firmly and insert it into a lock, turning slowly. If it doesn’t fit, try another. Demonstrate patience and exploration and invite children to try and explore independently.
Benefits: Encourages persistence, fine motor control, bilateral coordination and problem-solving.
Extension ideas: • Include padlocks or the Montessori Token Sorter
• Pair this with practical life activities such as opening jars or fastening clothing.
• Turn it into a matching game: “Which key belongs to this lock?”
Language enrichment tips: Use terms like “unlock”, “turn”, “insert”, “match”, and “mechanism”.
Introduce positional words: “left”, “right”, “in”, and “out”.
For more ideas and inspiration visit
ypo.co.uk/littlelearners
What you'll need: 309123 – Montessori Latches and Catches House 309127 – Montessori Token Sorter
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