Montessori-Inspired Resilience Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now

Growth mindset is so important for everyone, and we could all use some extra resilience this year and going into next year. So I have free resilience activities and printables for you today! You'll also find a resilience-themed newsletter subscriber freebie at LivingMontessoriNow.com! 

You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. 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 post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools. 

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

Montessori Shelves with Resilience-Themed Activities

Montessori Shelves with Resilience-Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired resilience numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Go to my Free Resilience Printables and Montessori-Inspired Resilience Activities {Growth Mindset Unit} post at Living Montessori Now for the free printables and activity ideas you see on the shelf and collage above!

Free Montessori-Inspired Resilience Pack

Montessori-Inspired Resilience 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 email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

Growth Mindset Resources and Activities

• Free Growth Mindset Songs for Kids {Character Education Resources}
• Best Growth Mindset Quotes for Kids and Adults
• Don’t Give Up {Growth Mindset Inspiration from Famous Failures}
• The Ultimate List of Free Growth Mindset Printables for Kids and Adults
• Free Brain and Growth Mindset Printables and Montessori-Inspired Brain Activities
• The Best Growth Mindset Books for Kids
• What Is Growth Mindset? (And Why We All Need It)
• Beautiful Growth Mindset Resources from Big Life Journal
• Growth Mindset Resources Pinterest Board

Peace and Mindfulness Resources and Activities (which are also helpful for resilience)

• Free Peace Printables and Montessori-Inspired Peace Activities
• Montessori-Inspired Peace Education Activities
• How to Prepare a Peace Corner
• Friendship Flower Activities
• Montessori-Inspired Friendship Activities
• Free Friendship Songs and Rhymes {Character Education Resources}
• Free Taking Turns and Sharing Songs and Rhymes {Character Education Resources}
• How to Teach Toddlers and Preschoolers to Take Turns and Work Together
• The Best Children’s Books about Taking Turns and Sharing
• How to Prepare a Montessori Peace Tray
• Montessori Services Peace Activities and Resources Review
• Best Peace Quotes
• Equality and Peace Resources for Parents and Teachers
• The Silence Game {Montessori Activity to Develop Self Discipline}
• Free Guided Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
• Free Guided Meditations for Deep Sleep and Relaxation {Mindfulness Resources for Teens and Adults}
• Free Guided Meditations for Deep Sleep for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
• Best Nelson Mandela Quotes
• Free Guided Christian Meditations for Teens and Adults
• Free Guided Christian Meditations for Kids
• Free Guided Gratitude Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
• Free Mindfulness Songs for Kids
• Promote Peace with Holidays Around the World Resources
• The Ultimate List of Free Meditation Printables for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
• "Education Is the Best Weapon for Peace" Montessori Word Art Freebie
• The Best Peace Books for Kids
• The Best Mindfulness Books for Kids
• Free Peace Songs and Educational Videos
• Free Peace Do-a-Dot Printables (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
• Free Peace Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
• Montessori Education Week Free Peace Lesson
• Free Relaxing Ocean Images, Sounds, and Music for Kids and Adults {Mindfulness Resources}
• Free Guided Ocean Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
• Free Guided Ocean Meditations {Mindfulness Resources for Teens and Adults}
• Let’s Sing Peace Around the World at School and at Home
• How to Make a 100 Hearts Sensory Bottle (100 Hearts Calming Bottle)
• Thank You for Planet Earth (or Thank You, Planet Earth) Mindfulness Cards and Booklet
• Free Mindfulness Resources from Calm
• Anti-Racism Resources for Parents and Teachers
• Free Juneteenth Songs and Educational Videos
• Animal-Inspired Mindfulness Affirmation Cards and Booklet in Manuscript and Cursive
• Kids’ Peace and Mindfulness Activities Pinterest Board

If you'd like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout December and January, see my December Themed Activities for Kids and January Themed Activities for Kids.

Be sure to go to my Free Resilience Printables and Montessori-Inspired Resilience Activities {Growth Mindset Unit} post  at Living Montessori Now for lots of free printables and activity ideas!

 

I hope you find these helpful and are able to have a resilient new 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 45 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.

How to Raise a Problem Solver

Are you as worried as I am about the children of generation Z (born 1995 – 2012) and their ability to solve problems?  With the increase in the number of helicopter parents (parents who “swoop” in to make everything all better) and a generation of highly sensitive kids, how well are our children going to be able to identify and solve their own problems?

This isn’t actually a new problem but it seems to be getting worse.  Many years ago I taught college courses part time and it was back then that I noticed an increase in the number of parents coming to see me during my office hours, complaining about the grade I gave their young adult child.  Instructors today tell me it’s gotten even worse, with some parents even popping in to see the class for themselves.

Making the commitment to raising your children to become problem solvers first requires that you accept the fact that every problem can only have one owner.  That person must be held responsible for solving the problem but can certainly seek out and incorporate help from others around him or her to solve the problem.  If your teenager puts a dent in the family car, she owns that dent.  She may obviously need help in getting it fixed, but she still owns it.
To begin with, every time your child or teen comes to you with a problem, you must first determine yourself whether your child owns the problem or you own the problem.  If you own the problem, take immediate measures to solve it quickly.  If your child owns the problem, be ready to help him or her solve the problem.  The following incident is an example to learn by.

My son came running into the house one Saturday, holding his arm and complaining about a small abrasion from a fall he took out in the yard.  A quick examination of the boo-boo and a few questions left me feeling confident that there was no internal damage and there really wasn’t any blood that I could see.  Because I did not feel that there was anything I needed to do that my child couldn’t do for himself, it became his problem to fix.

I first acknowledged that the minor scrape was a problem for him by saying to him, “It looks like your arm might hurt.”  He nodded.  I then helped him begin problem solving by saying to him, “What do you think you could do to make that arm feel better?”  My coaching him to solve the problem felt uncomfortable to him so he said, “You’re my Dad, YOU do something.”  I replied with, “You’re right, I am your Dad and I’ve always done things in the past, but this time, I want to know what YOU think you can do to make that arm stop hurting.”  Instantly, my son said to me, “Can we wash it off and put a bandage on it?”  I replied with a smile, “What a great idea!  I could help by getting the box of bandages down from the cabinet for you.”

Within a matter of minutes and of course, with some “Ouches!” he washed the boo-boo and applied the bandage, and off he ran to continue his play outside.  Today that young man is in his early 20s and solving problems every day as a much sought after restaurant manager!  Let your children and teens solve their own problems with your guidance and coaching, while you’re nearby to help them do it.  What problems will YOU begin letting your child solve on his or her own today?