I had fun putting together two pouring activities for preschoolers. Both activities are red, which is great for a number of themed activities – whether it’s for the color red, apples in the fall, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Heart Health Month, or patriotic holidays.
Many Montessorians simply have materials on a tray that are primarily one color (not according to a theme) to make it easier for children to return materials to the proper tray. You can choose whether or not you want to use that system.
Disclosure: The materials in this post were given to me in the past to review for giveaways. My opinions are all my own. This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Montessori-Style Water Pouring
Water Pouring Activity
This activity was one of the easiest activities I ever prepared. Since I had the Montessori Services Pouring Water Exercise 3: Basic Pouring Activity, everything was included except the water. I just added some food coloring to the water so that it coordinated with the red tray. I love the set, but I especially love the large plastic tray, which I’ll use for activities of all kinds.
Montessori Services specializes in practical life materials, including lots of other pouring sets. Whether you like purchasing complete sets or individual items, their prepared sets give some great ideas.
Montessori-Style Water-Bead Pouring
Water-Bead Pouring Activity
For this activity, I used the same red tray and some of the items from pouring water exercise 3. I just added an oyster cup from the Small Tongs Activities. I’ve always loved the way Montessori Services trays and other materials can be used for a wide variety of activities.
I love water beads, so I used a mixture of water beads and water for this pouring activity. It makes the pouring activity more challenging … and who can resist pouring water beads?!
Note: Water beads are non-toxic but very dangerous if swallowed.
Resources for Pouring Presentations
The Montessori Services prepared sets come with presentation ideas. In my Montessori Practical Life Activities post, I have links to some free Montessori online albums.
I really recommend owning the Montessori Print Shop Teaching Manuals (link is to my review of the Montessori Print Shop AMI albums).
Be sure to see my post with links to my Montessori Services product reviews.
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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Never mind the kids – I want to play with them every time we get them out! Such a great activity for little hands.
Thanks, Eddie! I love playing with water beads, too! 🙂
my kids would love this!
Thanks, Jaime! I had lots of fun with it as an adult! 😉
My 5yo daughter loved this activity!
Thanks for your comment, BunkinMama! That’s awesome! 🙂
Really love your red theme for the activity, Deb. Not only does it make the activity more appealing it also looks vibrant and more fun!
Thanks, Fawn! I love red for February, but it is a fun color in general, isn’t it?! 🙂
With some tips and advice from Marnie over at Carrots Are Orange (via FB), I set up a system for my 3 year-old to scoop his own cereal and pour his own milk from a small pitcher like the one you show here. It has bolstered his self-esteem/confidence and made him love breakfast! I think he would love a pouring activity like this too!
Thanks for your comment, Jen. It’s awesome you’re doing that for your son’s breakfast! 🙂
Such beautiful, and inviting activities. Thank you for sharing so many amazing resources and ideas:))
Thanks for your kind comment, Cherine! I happy if they’re useful. 🙂
My little guy loves pouring water, so I am sure he would enjoy pouring water beads (when he isn’t throwing them around). We will have to try next time we get them out!
LOL! Pouring water beads is a lot of fun. Good luck! 🙂
These are beautifully put together, Deb! I had never thought to use water beads in a pouring exercise. Brilliant idea!
Thanks, Melissa! I love water beads, and I found them to add another dimension to water pouring … plus, they’re just fun! 🙂
What a great idea! I bet pouring the water beads would be tricky.
Thanks so much! Pouring water beads is a bit trickier, but I think children would have enough fun that they’d want to master it. 🙂
Two great activities that I would love to try. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!
Thanks, Carrie … I love both activities. And the water bead pouring is really fun! 🙂
What a lovely activity! And I can just hear the tinkle of the water beads on the glass!) Nice!
Thanks, Lisa! I had a lot of fun with it … I’m definitely a fan of water beads! 🙂
Great idea, especially when I see my son playing with water like it’s a liquid gold :). I will definately try it at home, maybe even skip the water clening part as the tray is just perfect. 🙂