As a previous Montessori student myself, there are so many aspects of the Montessori philosophy that I appreciate and have great memories of. One of the parts of Montessori that I really fell in love with for my boys is the focus on practical life. I remember first reading about practical life for toddlers on various blogs and thinking I would never in a million years give my 2 year old a knife. Flash forward a year and a half and one of the presents I bought for Asher for his two year old birthday was a nylon knife! I really value the confidence, joy, independence, and skills that my boys are gaining from practical work.
I have learned so much about practical life work since my Montessori at home journey first started, and much of that is thanks to reading experiences and advice that other bloggers and Instagram accounts had to share. I’ve asked some of these bloggers to share their favorite practical life activities, tips, and tools for toddlers at home. Check out what these moms in the trenches of Montessori practical life at home had to share-
Table Setting and Snack Serving
Theresa from Montessori in Real Life has so many thoughtful and simple ideas for Montessori at home that she shares on Instagram and her blog. She shared some great tips for independence at the table for toddlers-
“Our favorite practical life activity at home is setting the table and serving snack. With the help of a placemat with outlines, my daughter feels confident and capable knowing just where each utensil and dish goes. The best part is that when she’s done, she can serve her own snack and water to bring to her beautiful place setting! I love that in addition to independence, it encourages patience, as there are multiple trips back and forth to the kitchen prior to sitting down to eat!”
Apple Cutting for Toddlers
Blogging over at Follow the Child with Wonder, Judy has many ideas for practical work with toddlers! She shared that apple cutting is one of her favorite kinds of practical work for toddlers and small children. Check out this post for a step-by-step guide and a genius tip on how to make this skill accessible for little hands.
Practical Work for Young Toddlers
Victoria from Victoria’s Way has a detailed list of practical life activities that toddlers can start at around 18 months. Her list includes a variety of kitchen skills, self care, plant care, and creative fun. She also discusses the importance of repetition.
Preparing Breakfast: Cereal
The Pinay Homeschooler has long been a source of Montessori-at-home inspiration for me. Jae has a wealth of practical life ideas that includes food preparation that a three year old can do, and she shared that one of her favorites is this breakfast preparation work-
“I integrate practical life at home by encouraging the kids to prepare their own breakfast. Because Vito loves cereals, I made sure that Vito can easily prepare his meal by providing child-friendly (easy to open) cereal container and milk jug. Start off by demonstrating how to prepare the meal by preparing your own meal (separately) and let the child follow you.”
Vacuuming at Home
Marcella @dolcessori shared that she recently moved and vacuuming is a current favorite practical life work for her 16 month old son. She said that although this may not be considered typical practical life work for this age, her son is modeling the work he has seen her do in the moving process. This is work that my boys have also loved doing around our house. I think this is some of the most valuable practical work!
“As a Montessori guide I know that this is not a “usual” practical life activity in the classroom or at home, but this is what the kids see everyday when mommy cleans every room after packing boxes.”
Self-Serving Water Station
Betty’s website, CHALK Academy, is full of amazing hands-on, multilingual resources for Montessori inspired learning and play. Betty shared-
“My children are 5 years old and 2 years old, and we started implementing Montessori philosophy a few months before my youngest was born. Practical life is a big part of their everyday life, and their water station is very important. They each have a small glass pitcher from which their pour water independently. The best part are ceramic tea cups engraved with their names, made with love by their grandma!”
I loved the variety of practical life ideas these ladies had to share! There are many other Montessori-inspired blogs and resources with even more inspiration for practical life. Check out The Kavanaugh Report, Mama’s Happy Hive, This Merry Montessori, and The Montessori Toddler for more ideas. I love to get suggestions from others because sometimes I’m just not aware of the kinds of tasks I could have my boys participate in or how to make them more accessible.
With practical life, observation is also important so that I can see what kind of daily work my boys are drawn to at the time. I try to keep an open and patient attitude so that they have as many opportunities as possible to try new skills and feel success. This helped a lot when I had “two under two” and Asher could participate in tasks for baby care. It definitely isn’t always easy, especially with multiple kids, but the joy, confidence, and independence they gain are well worth it.
Amandela says
These are awesome ideas! I especially like the self-serving water station. I allow my toddler to do a lot around the house for herself. Many will say she is too independent. I think it’s just a part of her development.
Anitra says
These are great activities! When I was a classroom teacher, Practical Life was on of my favorite areas. It was so fun to create new, fun and exciting activities for the children.