Montessori-Inspired All About Me Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now

An "all about me" unit is perfect for the beginning of the school year! Our "all about me" unit has Montessori-inspired activities using free "all about me" printables along with a new Montessori-inspired all about me pack for subscribers to our free newsletter at Living Montessori Now!

You'll find many activities for preschoolers through early elementary throughout the year in my previous PreK + K Sharing posts. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. 

At Living Montessori Now, I have a page with lots and lots of free printables.

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Montessori Shelves with "All About Me" Themed Activities

Montessori Shelves with All About Me Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired all about me themed numbers, letters, and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) 

 

Go to my Free All About Me Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities at Living Montessori Now for the free printables and activity ideas you see on the shelf and collage above!

Free Montessori-Inspired All About Me Pack

Montessori-Inspired All About Me Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber). 

 Note: I also have a free Montessori-Inspired Me on the Map Pack and a free Montessori-Inspired Feelings Pack that are great for an "all about me" theme!

"All About Me" Activities - Geography

• Me on the Map Children's Books
• Free Me on the Map Printables and Montessori-Inspired Me on the Map Activities
• DIY Cosmic Nesting Boxes, Map Towers, and “Me on the Map” Activities (my roundup post)

"All About Me" Name Recognition Activities

• Montessori-Inspired Name Recognition Activities for Preschoolers (my roundup post)
• My Name Children's Books

"All About Me" Activities  - Feelings

• Free Feelings Printables for a Montessori-Inspired Emotions and Feelings Unit
• Favorite Books for an Emotions and Feelings Theme

"All about Me" Free Printables and Activities for Back to School

• First Day of School Children's Books
• "All About Me" Free Printables and Activities for Back to School

All of my back-to-school posts:

• Montessori-Inspired Kindergarten Readiness Activities
• Starting a Montessori Playgroup or Montessori Homeschool Co-op
• Start the School Year with a Celebration
• 30+ Free Printables for First Day of School Photos
• Grace and Courtesy for a New School Year
• How to Manage Interruptions in Your Montessori Classroom or Homeschool
• Montessori-Inspired Name Recognition Activities for Preschoolers
• 100+ Back-to-School Celebration Ideas
• Back-to-School Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time
• “All About Me” Free Printables and Activities for Back to School
• Free Kissing Hand Songs, Poems, and Videos to Ease Separation Anxiety
• Sweet Kissing Hand Craft with Handprint and Poem
• Free Raccoon Printables and Montessori-Inspired Raccoon Activities {Kissing Hand Unit}
• First Day of Montessori Photos {Free Printables – Instant Downloads}
• How to Have a Healthy and Courteous First-Day-of-School Tea Party
• Fun Shoe and Coat Tricks for Toddler and Preschooler Independence
• Fabulous First-Day-of-School and Back-to-School Free Printables and Activities
• How to Have a Healthy and Courteous Back-to-School Tea Party

Follow Deb @ Living Montessori Now's board Back to School on Pinterest. 

If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout July and August, see my July Themed Activities for Kids. and my August Themed Activities for Kids.

Be sure to go to my Free All About Me Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities for lots of free printables and activity ideas.

 

I hope you have a great start to your school year!

  

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 51 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids live).

Three Phrases That Help Children Think for Themselves

Many parents assume their primary job is to provide answers.

Children ask questions.
Parents give answers.

Simple enough.

But what if some of the most important moments in a child's development happen when we resist the urge to answer?

Children are constantly trying to make sense of their world. They are organizing thoughts, processing experiences, exploring emotions, and building confidence in their own ability to think. Unfortunately, adults often interrupt this process without realizing it.

A child begins telling a story. Before they finish, we explain what happened.

A child asks a question. Before they have a chance to think, we provide the answer.

A child expresses a feeling. Before they can explore it, we rush in to make it better.

While our intentions are good, we sometimes rob children of valuable opportunities to develop their own thinking. Three simple phrases can help.

1. Tell Me More

This phrase communicates one powerful message:

"I'm interested in what you have to say."

Children who hear "Tell me more" learn that their thoughts have value. Instead of ending a conversation after a few sentences, they often continue exploring their ideas. They elaborate. They remember additional details. They make connections. Most importantly, they feel heard.

2. Then What Happened?

Children frequently pause during stories and look to adults for direction. Many adults unintentionally take over the conversation at this point. But "Then what happened?" gently hands ownership back to the child. The story remains theirs. The thinking remains theirs. The experience remains theirs. This simple phrase encourages sequencing, memory development, communication skills, and confidence.

3. What Do You Think?

This may be the most powerful phrase of all. When children ask questions, adults often assume they need answers. Sometimes they do. But many times they need something else. They need permission to think.

A child asks:

"Why do you think he was angry?"

"What happens after people die?"

"Do you think I can do it?"

Instead of immediately providing an answer, try asking:

"What do you think?"

This communicates trust. It tells children that their ideas matter. It teaches them to examine possibilities, consider solutions, and become comfortable with uncertainty.

A Lesson from My Granddaughter

McKenzie and her pal Jack

One day my four-year-old granddaughter began telling me an elaborate story that made very little sense to me. As she talked, she occasionally stopped and looked at me, expecting a response. Instead of trying to figure out what she meant or directing the story myself, I simply used three phrases:

"What do you think?"

"Then what happened?"

"Tell me more."

Each phrase encouraged her to continue. The story became longer and more detailed. At one point she appeared frustrated, as if she was trying to work something out in her mind. Rather than solving it for her, I invited her to keep going.

A few minutes later she smiled, looked completely satisfied, and announced:

"And that's all."

Then she hopped down from her chair and invited me to play. I realized she hadn't needed answers from me at all. She simply needed someone willing to listen.

Children Grow When We Say Less

This doesn't mean parents should never answer questions. Children need guidance. They need information. They need instruction. But not every question requires an immediate answer.

Not every feeling needs to be fixed. Not every problem needs to be solved for them. Sometimes the greatest gift we can offer is curiosity.

When we say, "Tell me more," "Then what happened?" or "What do you think?" we invite children to continue exploring their own thoughts.

And in those moments, something remarkable happens.

Children discover that they are capable of thinking, feeling, and understanding far more than we sometimes give them credit for.