In my opinion, practical life is one of the most amazing and most valuable elements of Montessori in the home. I love seeing my boys have excitement and pride about learning something new and helping around the house. Meanwhile, they are also working on developmental and academic skills like fine motor, gross motor, or math in a natural way! Practical life has also helped us to create an appropriate level of independence for the boys at different ages and stages, which has really helped to reduce challenging behaviors and eliminate any power struggles.
Practical life work mostly started right around one year old for both of my boys. One is an amazing age full of curiosity, exploring, and learning so many new things! It can also be a difficult age because there is so much one year olds are wanting to express with often not enough language to express it with. Giving Aiden ways to participate in daily tasks and gain independence has helped to reduce frustration in not being able to say “I want to do it myself!” Because he’s not my first, I also find myself even more encouraged and willing to let him try new activities (with safe and appropriate boundaries) that he sees Asher doing and is interested in.
I started most of these practical life activities with Aiden around 12 months. He started walking around 16 months, which really opened up even more practical life opportunities for him! These are some of the Montessori-inspired practical works he’s been enjoying in both stages:
Sweeping & Mopping
Before walking, Aiden would crawl around using the brush from this Melissa & Doug Cleaning Set to “sweep”. As soon as he was walking, he started grabbing the broom and mop as well. Much of his interest in these cleaning tools and tasks is from watching Asher. Right now he’s working on sweeping larger objects into the dust pan and emptying it into the trash.
Vacuuming
Vacuuming is a recent favorite for practical life activities at one year. Our regular vacuum is much too heavy for Aiden, but he likes to use the wand on the vacuum to help clean up. If your vacuum has this, the wand extension is a great solution for young toddlers who want to help with the vacuum but can’t manage the weight of the actual vacuum yet! We also have a smaller, cordless handheld vacuum that Asher got last Christmas. Just recently at around 18 months, Aiden has been able to lift that with two hands. I really love this dustbuster vacuum because it’s so easy for toddlers to quickly grab to clean up crumbs, etc. and they can charge it independently too!
Asher has been pretty generous with sharing this vacuum with Aiden (then he usually gets to use my larger, regular vacuum). Aiden has been so excited about this new independence and a new way that he can participate in vacuuming! We have been having some serious vacuuming parties in our living room lately.
Wiping Tray and Spills
Right around 12 months Aiden became interested in helping to wipe up his tray himself. I hand him a wet wipe or cloth after meals and he uses it to wipe up his area. He also is at an age where spills upset him. So, I try to always remember to hand him a cloth so that he can help clean it up. Although it is often faster and more efficient for me to just wipe it up myself, by including him in the process he is learning a practical skill and learning that spills don’t have to be worrisome because he is equipped with what he needs to clean it confidently on his own!
Washing Hands
Hand washing is some of my favorite practical work that can be done before babies are walking. Before standing well, Aiden worked on washing his own hands with a cloth. Once he could stand firmly, he stood on the learning tower by the kitchen sink and washed his hands with our faucet extender. Now, he climbs the step stool in the bathroom and washes them himself. He uses a faucet extender so he can reach. I usually squirt the soap out for him, but we just got a mini soap bottle from Montessori Services that I’m excited for him to get to try!
Brushing Teeth
Before both of my boys have had their first teeth peeking through, I used this “toothbrush” for them. It works well as a teether too and it also is something they can hold and “brush” (chew on) themselves. I think this makes the transition to a regular toddler toothbrush easier because they are already used to a brushing routine. Now, Aiden stands on the bathroom step stool and uses his toddler toothbrush. With a pedestal sink our space is limited, so we keep the boys’ toothbrushes in a suction-cup holder from Ikea. It’s placed low on the wall so they can both easily reach them on their own.
Chopping Food
This is definitely Aiden’s favorite kind of practical work right now! He’s been watching Asher chop and prepare foods for so long and loves to shout, “chop, chop, chop!” when I cut up foods for him at meal time. He gets so much joy from getting to join in with the food preparation fun now! He uses this small spreader from Montessori Services to cut softer foods like banana and avocado. At 18 months he also just started using this wooden chopping knife for foods like apples. We have a wavy chopper that Asher used, but I love the handle on this wooden chopper. It’s so easy for little hands to grasp!
Picking up Toys and Books
Having toys and materials on trays and in baskets really helps with picking up. Aiden has learned where many of his toys belong on the shelf and can put them away when prompted. He has learned to hold a tray with two hands in order to carry it and take it off/put it back on the shelf through lots of modeling when he was younger. He doesn’t put materials away independently and he doesn’t always feel like cleaning something up when I prompt him, but that’s ok with me. Just the fact that he is starting to understand order and enjoys helping clean up together is what I focus on.
Putting Dirty and Clean Laundry Away
This was another Montessori inspired practical activity that Aiden began before walking. We started simple- after I changed him out of his pajamas in the morning, I would carry him over to his laundry basket and have him throw the pajamas in. He later moved on to standing at the laundry basket and tossing them in, and then walking to the basket himself and putting the pajamas in.
At the end of the evening, he now helps to take his clothes off. I usually get them started for him and then he pulls them off. Then, he puts those clothes into the laundry basket as well. He really enjoys participating in this work. Now, it really has just become a predictable routine for him that helps to make mornings and evenings go smoother. He knows what to expect and gets joy and accomplishment from being a part of these daily routines.
These are some of the practical life activities that Aiden has been enjoying at one year. Some of these were perfect for when he was not yet walking, and some he has been able expand on since walking. I love that these Montessori-inspired activities are part of our daily rhythm and that they give him a sense of joy, accomplishment, and participation. Practical life activities are definitely the favorite for both of us!
What are some of the practical life activities that you have seen young toddlers enjoy?
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Rebecca Alcazar says
This was super helpful – my daughter just turned one and she’s always amazing me with the things she can do, but I haven’t included her on sweeping mopping vacuuming or food prep yet.
KMenko says
It so amazing what they can do at just one year! I’m so glad it was helpful for you. 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Donnya says
This is perfect time to get them active in house chores and other activities to get them involved
KMenko says
Agreed! They love to model adults and do what we do.
Amy Gougler says
My son just turned one and I need to let him get his hands on our Melissa and Doug cleaning set! He loves taking clothes OUT of baskets, but we need some work on getting them in them. He also loves to help switch the laundry from the washer to dryer!
KMenko says
Love the idea of laundry switching too! The Melissa and Doug cleaning set is so awesome because they are actually functional.
Mallie Miller says
I will definitely do this.