Sorting Colored Pom-Poms with Tongs

Sweet Pea is 27 months old.

From: I saw these nesting multi-colored gift boxes and thought they would make an excellent color sorting activity.

Material:

• Several different colored containers (I bought my gift box set from the party section in Hobby Lobby, but think that colored toddler bowls or nesting cups would work well too.)
• 25-30 Pom-poms which match the colors of each of the containers.
• 1 neutral colored container to hold the pompoms.
• Tongs.

Procedure:

• Set out all of the colored boxes and the container of pom-poms.
• Sit next to your tot and demonstrate carefully using the tongs to pick up a pom-pom.  Say, “This pom-pom is blue (or whatever color it actually is).  I want to put it in the blue box.”
• Slowly move the pom-pom over the boxes until you find the matching one and say, “Here it is.  I’ll put the blue pom-pom in the blue box,” as you drop it in.
• Repeat with another color pom-pom and then let your tot try.

Observations: At first Sweet Pea didn’t understand that we were sorting the pom-poms by color.   She just wanted to use the tongs and was moving pom-poms randomly between all of the containers.  When she put one in the wrong colored container, I said, “Oh you put a blue one in the yellow box.  Let’s put it in the blue box,” and moved it for her.  She caught on very quickly and seemed to enjoy sorting them by color once she had the idea.

However, I know in Montessori classrooms the teacher is not supposed to correct a child.  Every time I redirect Sweet Pea, I wonder if I should just remain silent and let her do what she wants with the materials.

Every useless help given to the child becomes an obstacle to his development this is not merely philosophy but a fact to which we attach fundamental importance.

– Maria Montessori, Creative Development in the Child, Volume One

When I try influence the way Sweet Pea is doing an activity, I often wonder if I’m making my own mistake.  However, if I don’t correct her, then the whole point of the activity might be missed.  Obviously teachers correct children all the time in non-Montessori classrooms.  I don’t really know enough about educating small children to know how much interference is too much.  Does anyone else struggle with this?

Despite my inner conflict, Sweet Pea liked this activity a lot.  She definitely enjoyed it more than most sorting activities I have presented.  I think it is because she really likes practicing with the tongs.  She worked on this for quite some time…

…and then, with unbridled 2-year-old enthusiasm, Sweet Pea broke the tongs in half.   It wasn’t pretty.

C’est la vie.

Notes from the Trenches: I regret that I only bought 1 pair of tongs.  For $1, it seems like I  would have thought to buy a spare.

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars * (Fun, Easy, Independent, Frugal if you are creative – crumpled bits of paper and using a variety of colored containers from your home, for example.)