Exploring Practical Life Through Cloth Washing

Toddlers need hands-on experience with life skills in real purposeful ways.

In a Montessori environment, we call this practical life work. This cloth washing activity is extremely beneficial for your child because it gives them the opportunity to practice a variety of skills such as pouring water, scrubbing, squeezing, making soap bubbles, mopping, and cleaning spills. Through these steps, your child is strengthening their hand muscles and hand-eye coordination, learning about the changes from dry to wet materials, and internalizing a sense of order. These skills help build a foundation of self-confidence and independence which your child will carry with them as they continue to grow and learn, setting them up for success later inlife. Practical life activities, like cloth washing, can easily be introduced into your home simply by knowing what to use, the proper steps, and how to set it up appropriately given your space.

Montessori toddler practising independence

In our communities, we work together and everyone plays a part to help in its functioning. This gives the child a sense of belonging and through participation, they feel like a valued member with a sense of purpose. This period of growth is important in creating the young child’s sense of self and helps them to become confident, responsible, and caring for the world around them. Providing opportunities to gain practical life knowledge and skills and creating an environment that meets the child’s’ needs are both essential in helping our children reach their fullest potential.

by Lindsey Taylor

Want to learn more? Read our next article:

Watch how we prepare food in the classroom

Gallery
Comments

Další články

Toddler & Me Parent Interview Aria & Evangelia

We are pleased to introduce Evangelia and her daughter, Aria who started with IMSP after attending our Toddler & Me course. How did they like it, what have they learned, and what benefit does it bring to their daily life?

Toilet Training: A Key How to Succeed

How to handle toilet training? It’s often considered one of the first big parenting “tasks,” and can bring a lot of anxiety and frustration. But it doesn’t have to! In Montessori Infant and Toddler classrooms, we use a time-tested and practical approach to toilet training that is (dare I say it) easy on both parents and children.

Dealing with Emotions Through Art

“Social and emotional learning(SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

Cooking With Children can be fun

It is often said that “the family that eats together, stays together”. We would like to suggest taking it a step further – and encourage every family to cook together, too. In Montessori, we know that kitchen work provides a host of benefits to children, all the way from toddlers to adolescents; it is a part of the Practical Life curriculum as soon as children can walk! However, its advantages are in no way tied to the classroom and can be just as easily – if not more so – applied at home.

Tidy Up! An Activity Your Toddler Will Love

Looking at our Toddler classrooms, even a casual observer will notice that half of the children’s time seems to be spent cleaning. They’re busy sweeping, wiping, mopping, scrubbing and brushing; even almost antiquated activities, such as washing laundry by hand or polishing wood and metal objects, have their place.