Opening and Closing Containers
Containers of every kind, to open and close again: each lid asks for a different move.
Opening and Closing Containers is a Montessori activity for a child aged 18 to 24 months. Area: Fine Motor. Time: 5-10 min.
What the activity builds
Practice wrist rotation and two-handed coordination, since each closure calls for its own motion: lifting, twisting, snapping. The control of error is built into the object: a lid put back wrong won't stay on, a swapped lid won't fit.
The materials
- Three to five clean, empty containers, each with a different closure: a snap-on lid box, a screw-top jar, a hinged box, a flip-top case
- Sizes easy to hold in two small hands
- A basket to present them together
How to do it, step by step
- Set the basket in front of your child and take the containers out one by one, closed.
- Pick one, open it very slowly while clearly showing the motion, then close it just as slowly.
- Push the basket toward them and let them choose their container.
- Let them figure it out: twisting when they should lift is part of the learning, the container will tell them.
- When everything is closed again, the containers go back in the basket: the ending is part of the activity.
The parent's role
Show once, then step back: demonstrate one container, not all of them, since this is their exploration. If a lid resists, wait for them to hand it to you rather than stepping in, asking for help is a skill too. Do not quietly fix a lid they closed wrong, they will discover it when they pick the container back up.
Safety
No stiff pinching hinges, no glass lids, no container that once held cleaning products. If a lid is small enough to fit in the mouth, save that container for later.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: a single container with a simple snap-on lid.
- Harder: mix the lids from two similarly sized jars to re-match.
- Extension: slip a small object inside before closing, for the fun of finding it again.
Up next
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