Arctic Adventure – Montessori Language Activities for Children

When my daughter Charlotte was small, my first sewing projects were directly related to Montessori materials – I created various sensory books, tactile areas, and other educational materials. It brought me great joy to see her enthusiastically using them.

The two youngest boys had less time for these materials, but seeing the weak language development, I created a Montessori-inspired activity set about the Arctic to help children develop language, enrich vocabulary, and explore this snowy world.

I created the cards and you can get them for FREE download here.

1. Arctic map materials – vocabulary enrichment

I use free downloadable cards with Arctic animals and natural objects. These cards help children:
✔️ Recognize and name animals (for example, polar bear, arctic fox, seals, owls)
✔️ Learn new word combinations (for example, "white and fluffy polar bear", "slippery ice", "snow-covered cliffs")
✔️ Train pronunciation and expand sentence formation skills

How to use?

• For the youngest children: We show the card and name what is depicted on it.
• For older children: We place the card next to the corresponding item (for example, next to the felt ice cube with the toy animal).
• Pair gameThe child searches for and connects the card with a real object or image.

2. Felt play area 

Just like in my first Montessori sewing projects, I also used felt here to create an interactive environment for children.
✔️ White felt – snow
✔️ Blue felt – water
✔️ Ice pieces – cut and glued with textile glue

You can purchase filters and adhesives www.sarlotesaudumi.lv

Children can freely arrange the animals and create stories: "The polar bear walks through the snow and searches for food" or "The seals rest on a piece of ice." This activity develops both language and creativity.

3. Artificial snow - a play of sensations and action verbs

I created artificial snow from baking soda and hair conditioner. It is cold and fluffy, just like real snow!
✔️ Children can pour, rake, build small snow mounds, and even construct small igloos.

✔️ We create snow footprints and tell: "Who went there? A polar bear or a rabbit?"

4. Storytelling and creative language

When children are sufficiently familiar with the Arctic environment, we encourage them to tell their stories!
✔️ We use questions to help develop language:

• Is it cold in the Arctic?
• Why do seals hide under the ice?
• What is the snow like? (cold, soft, sticky...)

Such activities help children enrich their language, improve storytelling skills, and develop imagination. The boys worked on this material for 2 hours. This "snow" manipulation and creation seemed to calm both minds and allowed them to relax.

I created the cards and you can get them for FREE download here.

For your creative activity, Sniedze