It’s the 15th of the month, and I’m sharing the links to free printables I’ve used to create Montessori-inspired farm activities for preschoolers through first graders using farm replicas. Lots of learning fun with farm-themed replicas!
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Montessori-Inspired Farm Activities Using Replicas and Free Printables
Farm Animal Matching using Safari Ltd. TOOB Keys
Free Printable: Farm TOOB Keys at Living Montessori Now
At Living Montessori Now, I have images from Safari Ltd. that you can print out after clicking on and saving the images of the keys for each farm TOOB. In the pictured activity, I used the Farm Babies TOOB. This is super easy to prepare. I just printed out and laminated the page. I added the page and the matching farm animals to an inexpensive wooden tray from a hobby store. I used a small acrylic tray from Montessori Services to help organize the tray and give a fine motor activity for young children standing the animals on the tray.
This is a great activity for young children. It can include directionality skills if the child tries to match the direction the animal is facing. This is also a wonderful language activity if you go over the names of the animals with your child or students. For older children, you could cut apart the names and animal pictures for a matching involving reading. The TOOBS with breeds of horses or dogs could be especially good for older children.
Matching Farm Animal Nomenclature Cards and Farm Animals
This Montessori activity uses the Farm Animal Nomenclature Cards from Montessori for Everyone. The pictured activity is for young preschoolers just uses the animal photos rather than the other parts of the 3-part cards. For ideas on laminating and presenting 3-part cards, check the 3-part card resources in my Montessori-Inspired Music: Peter and the Wolf Activities post. I put the layout on a large hemmed work rug from Montessori Services.
Farm Phonics Matching Activity
This activity uses the free Farm Tot Book from 1+1+1=1. I didn’t use the “S is for sheep” page and just printed out the other pages. You could use whichever pages work for the miniature animals you have. I used a sandwich container from The Dollar Tree and an inexpensive plate from the grocery store.
In Montessori education, we say the phonetic sound instead of the letter name. We generally focus on lowercase letters as well. Although this has capital letters at the beginning of each sentence, you could just read each card: “/b/ is for barn” and have the child place the matching farm figure on or below the card.
You’ll find more ideas for phonics presentations as well the link to a video with the proper pronunciation of each letter’s phonetic sound in case you wonder how the sounds are taught in Montessori: Inexpensive and DIY Sandpaper Letters.
Clip and Learn Farm Beginning Sounds
This is another activity using a printable from 1+1+1=1: Clip & Learn Farm Beginning Sounds. I used a large plastic tray from Montessori Services. I just used the lowercase letters from the printable to attach to the clothespins. Younger children could just put the matching animal on the animal’s picture on the wheel. Children who are comfortable with beginning sounds could match the clothespin to the place on the circle.
Farm Mazes
For this tray, I printed out two farm mazes: Farm Maze from On the Farm {Expanded} from 2 Teaching Mommies and Farm Maze from Pre-K Farm Packs from This Reading Mama. I printed out and laminated each page and placed both pages on the tray along with a pig to move through the maze. Children who would enjoy writing could use an erasable marker. Again, I used a large plastic tray from Montessori Services.
For this tray, I printed out two farm mazes: Farm Maze from Farm Pack by 123 Homeschool 4 Me at Free Homeschool Deals and Tractor Maze from Tractor Pack from Royal Baloo.
This could be a fun cooperative game. See “How to Use Cooperative Games to Teach Sportsmanship” for ideas on using educational games cooperatively.
I used the Barn 1:1 printable from Pre-K Pages. I placed 20 animals in a basket on the tray along with dice for determining how many animals to place on the page. Children can take turns filling the same page until each barn has an animal.
How Many Legs Do I Have? Animal Sort
This is a simple counting activity and helps children observe differences in animals. I used How Many Legs Do I Have? Animal Picture Sort from Preschool Toolbox in Preschool Farm Activities and Ideas at Squidoo. I didn’t use the pictures but used a number of different miniature animals for sorting. Note: This printable is no longer available, although you could easily make a hand-printed activity or even sort animals under any type of numerals 2 and 4.
Fenced-In Farm Animal Sort
This is another animal sort using Fenced In Farm Animals from Preschool Toolbox in Preschool Farm Activities and Ideas at Squidoo. For this activity, the child sorts types of animals into different shapes (“fences”). Note: This printable is no longer available, although you could simply have your child trace metal inset shapes onto a paper for “fences.”
Farm Animal Spanish Matching Activity
For this activity, I used the Farm Animals/Animales de Granja printable (Farm Animals Spanish Flash Cards) from The Bilingual Homeschool.
Free Farm Printables for Preschoolers-Grade 1
- Duck Walks Dice Printable {Fitness & Counting Instant Download} from Christina Chitwood
- Farm Poem, Farm Songs, and Adult/Child Farm Animals Nomenclature Cards from Counting Coconuts
- Farmyard Families and Farm Animal Matching Cards from The Helpful Garden
- Where Things Come From from The Helpful Garden
- Nocturnal Farm Animals Game from 123 Homeschool 4 Me
- Farm Fun Printables from 1+1+1=1
- On the Farm Easy Reader from 1+1+1=1
- Farm Life Nomenclature and 3-Part Cards and Farm Match-Up & Memory from 1+1+1=1
- P is for Pig from 1+1+1=1
- Farm Work Drawer Labels from 1+1+1=1
- Farm Printables from 3 Dinosaurs
- Farm Mini Books from DLTK
- Farm Number Match-Up Game at Creative Preschool Resources
- Preschool Farm Pack from Creative Preschool Resources
- Printable Farm Resources List from Kidzone
- Animal Command Cards from Lil Mop Top
- Farm Fun Kindergarten Pack by Ami from Homeschool Share
- Barnyard Counting Clip On from 123 Homeschool 4 Me
- Farm Animal Printables from Busy Bee
- Pre-K Farm Printables from PreKinders
- Mucky Ducks Printable Packs from Living Worldsapart
- Farm Printables from KidSparkz
- Free Farm Printables from Teachers Pay Teachers
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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Renae says
Thank you so much! This is a unit coming in our future. It’s always nice to know I already have a lot of options. 🙂 You just made my life so much easier (as always).
Deb says
Thanks, Renae! I’m so glad I’m able to help! My next two posts are all about farm activities, too. 🙂
Mai Bateson says
This will be definitely helpful for me and my spouse in the near future! For the meantime, gonna share this to my sister-in-law who has 2 little ones 🙂
Deb says
Thanks so much, Mai! I really appreciate your sharing my post. 🙂
Karen says
I always love to see your resource lists! Thanks also for including my link. 🙂
Deb says
My pleasure, Karen! And thanks for all the wonderful activities and printables you share at PreKinders. 🙂
Tara from The Magnolia Barn says
What a fabulous list of resources. I’ve been planning a farm theme for the near future and this will help so much, thanks!
Katie says
Thanks for sharing! Visiting from Cheerios & Lattes. 🙂
Beth says
What a great unit Deb! You always find such great resources.
I featured this at TGIF this week (http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2013/06/tgif-linky-party-82.html) I hope you will stop by and link up again today.
Thanks again for sharing your creativity with all of us & have a great weekend,
Beth =)
Racheous says
You always share such a huge amount of information and ideas. It’s incredible. I know many people benefit! Thank you!