Montessori Practical Life Activities for Toddlers
You're sold on the benefits of practical life activities, but you don't know where to start. The following list will give you a better idea of practical life activities you can try with your toddler. If you have a preschooler at home, the list for them will look similar. Generally, activities for preschool-age children will be more complex with more steps to follow. For instance, flower arranging. This work for toddlers might have 3-4 steps, while the same activity for preschoolers can have 8+ steps based on how it's set up.
Dressing - practical life activity that your toddler will work on for many months before mastering it
Keep in mind that practical life activities reflect the place you live in and its unique culture. The examples I’ll be sharing below are relevant to my culture and are here for you to understand what a practical life activity can be.
Examples of Practical Life activities:
1. Care of self
toileting
dressing, undressing (14 m+)
wiping the nose (14 m+)
hand washing (14 m+)
brushing teeth (14 m+)
dressing frame: velcro* (14 m+), *used in classrooms
hair brushing (18 m+)
dressing frame: zipper* (18 m+), *used in classrooms
sewing (18 m+)
setting table (18 m+)
food preparation and baking (18 m+):
washing fruits and vegetables
pouring
spreading
cutting (banana, avocado, apple)
mixing
mashing (bananas)
squeezing orange juice (see pictures below)
peeling
cracking eggs
others
Related reading: How to Include Your Toddler in Cooking Activities
pouring a glass of water (18 m+)
dressing frame: buttons* (22 m+), *used in classrooms
dressing frame: snaps* (22 m+), * used in classrooms
dressing frame: buckles* (2.5 years+), *used in classrooms
folding laundry (3 years+)
2. Care of the environment
watering plants (14 - 18 m+)
table wiping (14 - 18 m+)
dusting (18 m+)
sweeping (18 m+)
mopping (18 m+)
flower arranging (18 m+)
mirror polishing (18 m - 2 years+)
wood polishing (18 m - 2 years+)
table washing (18 m - 2 years+)
cleaning windows (2 years+)
washing dishes (2 years+)
drying dishes (2 years+)
loading and unloading the dishwasher (2.5 years+)
help with recycling (2.5 years+)
taking care of animals (feeding pets..) (3 years+)
Outdoor environment:
seed germination (18 m +)
sweeping leaves (18 m +)
watering plants (18 m +)
gardening
composting
3. Movement activities
climbing (14 - 16 m)
running (14 - 16 m)
sliding (14 - 16 m)
swinging (14 - 16 m)
jumping (14 - 16 m)
riding (14 - 16 m) (balance bike..)
4. Art (art activities = practical life extensions)
scribbling with crayons (12 m+)
easel - chalk (12 m+)
easel - paint (18 m+)
clay / play dough (18 m+)
watercolor painting (18 m+)
gluing (18 m - 2 years+)
cutting with scissors (2 years+)
5. Other activities
opening and closing (12 m+), (suitable for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers)
carrying a tray
rolling a floor mat (if you're using it for presentations)
others
This list doesn’t include all the possible practical life activities. Observe your child and add your activities based on your child’s needs. Have you noticed that your child slams the door behind himself? You can give him a presentation on closing the door. Closing the door would also be considered a practical life activity.
Note: the ages accompanying the activities are here to give you some time frame. Each child develops at their own pace. Observe your child and their readiness for a particular activity. For instance, if your 16 months old is still working on mastering walking, you won’t expect him to start running at this age. Contrary, your child might be ready for some activities earlier. I began including Emma in food prep activities at 14 months. She was hanging on my legs anytime I was in the kitchen, so I figured out she was ready.
What practical life activities is your child working on now?
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