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

Magic mat

There are a few things typical to Montessori classrooms worldwide that might give the casual observer a pause. Picture it: you walk into a beautiful Casa environment, full of children working, many of them on mats rolled out on the floor. The students moving through the room know to step between mats, never on them. Of course, in the beginning of the school year it took many presentations, repetitions and reminders to instill this routine in the students.

IMSP PODCAST: MEET ALUMNA Laura van Steeg

“At IMSP, we were always taught how to speak to people, to be mindful, to listen to one another, and that really helped when it came to making new friends. Once you have friends, everything else is simple. Everything else, you can figure out.

Supporting Independence in the Toddler Child

In Montessori education, we often speak about independence. Helping raise children into confident adults is a priority for all of us – but why is independence so important and how do we nurture it in even our youngest learners?

Helping your Toddler on their Path of Development

Parents today are constantly surrounded by images and ideas of what their children should or shouldn’t have and it can be overwhelming trying to decide what is best for their child’s development. Every parent wants to make good decisions when it comes to the items you choose to bring into your home, but how do we know which ones are more or less beneficial than others?

What comes after kindergarten

The Montessori Elementary classroom is a dynamic system led by carefully trained teachers to enhance the learning of the 6 to 12-year-old student by aligning with their stage of development.