• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Living Montessori Now

Montessori Inspiration for Parents and Teachers

  • HOME
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • PR/Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Grab A Button
  • About Montessori
    • About Montessori
    • Resources
    • ABCs of Montessori
    • Overview
    • Principles
    • Free Printables
    • Materials
    • Homeschool Classroom and Materials
      • Circle Time Activities
    • Techniques
    • Training
      • Free Montessori Video Lessons
    • Inspiration
  • Activities
    • Circle Time Activities
    • Art
    • Cultural
    • Language
    • Math
    • Practical Life
    • Practical Life – Grace and Courtesy
    • Sensorial
    • Unit Studies
    • PreK + K Sharing
    • Monthly Themed Activities
    • Holidays and Celebrations
  • Homeschooling
    • Homeschooling
    • Homeschool High School
    • Montessori Homeschool Classroom and Materials
    • Unit Studies
    • PreK + K Sharing
    • Circle Time Activities
    • Monthly Themed Activities
    • Holidays and Celebrations
    • Free Montessori Video Lessons
  • Free Printables
    • Free Montessori Printables
    • Free Printables
    • More Than Ten Years’ Worth of Free Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities
    • Sign up for the Living Montessori Now Newsletter & Get Monthly Subscriber Freebies!
    • Free Montessori Geography Album
  • Holidays
    • Resources for Upcoming Holidays
    • Holidays and Celebrations
  • Subscribe
    • Sign up for the Living Montessori Now Newsletter & Get Monthly Subscriber Freebies!
  • Shop
    • Shop
    • Products
    • My Products
    • Giveaway Linky

Easy-to-Prepare Montessori Animals of the Continents Activity

May 25, 2017 By Deb Chitwood 4 Comments

Previous article: DIY Alphabet Box Multi-Level Printables and Resources {Montessori Monday}
Next article: Free Zoo Animal Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)

Parents often worry about the work and time involved in preparing Montessori activities. But Montessori activities can often be prepared easily and quickly as well as attractively. My Montessori animals of the continents activity today only took about 15 minutes to prepare. It would have taken longer if I had been preparing it for a classroom, but it was simple to prepare for homeschooling or afterschooling.

Easy-to-Prepare Montessori Animals of the Continents Activity

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with Montessori Print Shop. It also contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Materials Used for Montessori Animals of the Continents Tray

We’re doing lots of zoo activities for our zoo unit. My 3½-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, has been loving the zoo activities, and she had lots of fun with this activity, too.

Montessori Animals of the Continents Tray

Montessori Animals of the Continents Tray

The materials we used:

  • Multicraft tray
  • Montessori Print Shop Animals of the World Continent Pages and Animals Cards (part of the Animals of the Continents Set 1. This set is also part of the 21 Montessori Print Shop materials included in the Montessori at Home eBook and Materials Bundle!)  In addition, I used a  color continents map from the World Maps and Masters. This is also included in the Montessori at Home eBook and Materials Bundle. There are 7 work maps with continent outlines in the Animals of the Continents set that could be used for coloring or other work, too. (Note: At Montessori Print Shop, you can also find Animals of the Continents Set 2. Animals of the Continents Set 2 – Color, and Animals of the Continents Booklets.)
  • Small container for pictures if preferred (mine is a Bambu large condiment cup)
  • Safari Ltd. animals or Schleich animals may be added if desired. This is especially important for toddler animal work. We have a number of Safari Ltd. animals for other zoo activities right now, so I just used the cards for this.
  • Laminate if desired, although decide if it’s essential for your children. For a Montessori classroom, I always laminated materials and left a ¼” laminate edge. For home use, I typically print out the materials, laminate them, and then cut them out on the lines when I do laminate them. They’re not as durable, but they can be prepared quickly and are generally durable enough for home use. If it’s a material that won’t get wet or messy, I’ll generally just print it out on cardstock and leave it unlaminated. I love the Scotch Thermal Laminator for anything I do laminate.

Montessori Animals of the Continents Activity

Montessori Animals of the Continents Layout

Montessori Animals of the Continents Layout

I used a Montessori Services large rug for the animals of the continents layout. If you have a Montessori continents globe, that would work perfectly with the printables. I use our Pocket Hugg-A-Planet Earth for all our globe work. I used the color continents map page to coordinate with the continents globe and maps at Zoey’s Montessori school.

Matching Animals with their Continents

Matching Animals with their Continents

First, we laid out the pages and placed the cards in a stack. Then Zoey simply matched the animals. We talked about each animal and its continent as Zoey placed the picture cards on the maps. We could have just used one or two continent pages and the matching picture cards. Zoey has been doing and loving the zoo animal work, so she was interested in the animals from all the continents.

Identifying African Animals While Putting Away the Cards

Identifying African Animals While Putting Away the Cards

When all the cards were on the continent pages, I said the names of the animals from each continent for Zoey to find and put away. We went through each continent one at a time, and Zoey picked up the animal card as I said its name. Some are easy, like the rhinoceros in the picture. But some animals are more unusual, such as the ring-tailed lemur of Africa or the guanaco of South America. Zoey was proud of how many animals she knew!


More Animal and Continent Activities and Resources for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Updated November 2019:
Extending Montessori Animals of the Continents Work

Extending Montessori Animals of the Continents Work (a fun extension that builds on the work shown in this post)

I have lots of Montessori continent box activities, many of them using Safari Ltd. animal figures.

I also have lots of zoo animal posts and resources:

  • Montessori-Inspired Zoo Animal Activities
  • Montessori-Inspired Zoo Animal Unit
  • Farm, Zoo, & Ocean Animal Sensory Bottles for Babies and Toddlers
  • Using the Montessori 3-Period Lesson to Teach Vocabulary to a Toddler
  • Montessori-Inspired Toddler Vocabulary with Animals and Silhouettes
  • Free Zoo Printables and Montessori-Inspired Zoo Activities
  • Easy-to-Prepare Animals of the Continents Activity
  • Free Zoo Animal Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
  • Free Zoo Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
  • Simple African Animal and Continent Map Cut-and-Paste Activity {Free Printables}
  • Extending Montessori Animals of the Continents Work
  • Free Endangered Animal Songs and Educational Videos {Save the Animals}
  • Montessori Vertebrate Resources for Preschool Through Elementary
  • Zoo Animal Unit Study Pinterest Board

Does your child have a favorite animals around the world activity?

Deb - Signature

Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!

If this is your first time visiting Living Montessori Now, welcome! If you haven’t already, please join us on our Living Montessori Now Facebook page where you’ll find a Free Printable of the Day and lots of inspiration and ideas for parenting and teaching! And please follow me on Instagram, Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards), and YouTube. While you’re here, please check out the Living Montessori Now shop.

And don’t forget one of the best ways to follow me by signing up for my weekly newsletter. You’ll receive some awesome freebies in the process!

Previous article: DIY Alphabet Box Multi-Level Printables and Resources {Montessori Monday}
Next article: Free Zoo Animal Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)

Filed Under: Activities - Cultural, Montessori Homeschool Classroom and Materials, Montessori Materials - Resources Tagged With: animals of the continents, continent box, geography, Montessori, Montessori at Home eBook and Materials Bundle, Montessori Print Shop, Safari Ltd., zoo animals

Previous Post: « DIY Alphabet Box Multi-Level Printables and Resources {Montessori Monday}
Next Post: Free Zoo Animal Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Naomi says

    June 5, 2017 at 1:26 am

    I wish I could send my daughter to a Montessori school but there isn’t one in my area 🙁

    What age would you say this is appropriate for?

    Reply
    • Deb Chitwood says

      June 7, 2017 at 8:50 pm

      Hi Naomi! It is frustrating that Montessori schools aren’t available everywhere. I’d love to see many more public Montessori schools. This activity is especially good for ages 3-6, although the exact age for an activity always depends on the individual child. I hope that helps. Deb 🙂

      Reply
  2. malake says

    July 22, 2017 at 11:45 pm

    Hi, good time, best of all, I appreciate your attention.
    This is my link.
    Pgma.ir

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

What Are You Looking For?

...and get free geography album, monthly subscriber freebie, and access to the Living Montessori Now Resource Library! 

 I respect your privacy

Categories

Shop Living Montessori Now!

Living Montessori Now Sponsors

Montessori Print Shop

Alison's Montessori
Montessori for the Earth

Popular Posts

Categories

Archives

I Recommend (My Affiliates)

Montessori by Mom

Shop Montessori Services
Shop For Small Hands

How to Get Kids to Listen without Nagging, Reminding, or Yelling



Shop KiwiCo

Shop Little Passports for Award-Winning Adventure

Printed Alphabet Wood Tracing Board

Little Passports

Footer

Connect with LMN



Supervision

The activities shared on this blog require adult supervision at all times. You know which activities are appropriate for your children and/or the children under your care and are responsible for those children's safety.

You Can Also Find Me

Bits of Positivity PreK + K Sharing Spring Snow Publications

Subscribe by Email


Copyright © 2023 Deb Chitwood