Montessori

Practical life

Real jobs around the home that build independence and a proud part in family life.

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Compare the age ranges and time, then open a card for materials and instructions.

Age range: 1–3 years · 10 min

Give your toddler a soft hairbrush and sit them in front of a low mirror. Show them how to brush from the top of their head down, then let them try on a doll or their own hair. Offer a turn on yours.

Age range: 1–3 years · 5 min

Put a small lidded container by the kitchen counter. Show your toddler how to lift the lid and drop in fruit peel after a snack. Close the lid together.

Age range: 1–3 years · 10 min

Put a small cutlery tray on a low surface and give your toddler a few clean, blunt spoons. Show them how to place each one in a slot, and let them sort them back in. Do it again with a different tray.

Age range: 1–3 years · 10 min

Tuck most toys out of sight and leave just three or four in the basket. Swap in different ones every few days to keep play feeling new.

Age range: 1–3 years · 10 min

Sit your toddler on the floor with their back against the sofa. Show them how to hook a thumb under the cuff of a sock and pull, then let them try on their own socks and a loose hat. Wait before helping, and finish the last tug together.

Age range: 1–3 years · 5 min

Hand your toddler socks and soft clothes one at a time and let them drop each into the laundry basket. Clap for every basket.

Age range: 1–3 years · 15 min

Fill a small watering can with a little water and let your toddler tip it over a pot, a flower bed, or a patch of grass. Refill it together and say where the water goes.

Age range: 1–4 years · 5 min

Give your toddler an unbreakable cup with a little water in it. Show them how to hold it with two hands and walk slowly to the sink, then let them carry it all the way. Cheer on the careful walking, not the speed.

Age range: 1–4 years · 5 min

Roll up a fabric placemat and show your toddler where it goes. Let them carry it with both hands to their seat, then help unroll it flat. Do the same for each place at the table.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Set an unbreakable cup and a napkin on a light tray and show your toddler how to hold it with both hands. Walk beside them to the table so they can take it slowly, all on their own.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Walk to a mailbox with a letter or card. Lift your toddler to see the slot, or let them hand you the envelope, and say in as it drops. Listen together for the sound it makes.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Pick a bottom shelf with sturdy objects. Hand your toddler a dry cloth or old sock, show them how to wipe in one direction, and let them dust along the shelf. Lift an object together to wipe beneath it.

Age range: 1–4 years · 5 min

Give your toddler a soft, child-sized toothbrush and let them hold it while you show how to brush in front of a mirror. Let them have a turn, then finish gently yourself. Do it at the same time each day.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Set a basket by the sofa just for the books you borrowed. Each time you read one, put it back in the basket. When the due date comes, let your toddler carry the basket to the door or bag for the return trip.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Sit on the floor by the open machine and hand your toddler one piece of laundry at a time to push into the drum. Let them press the door shut and cheer together as the drum starts to turn.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Give your toddler a pair of shoes or a bag with hook-and-loop straps. Show them how to pull the strap open, then press it shut with a flat hand. Let them open and close it again while you watch.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Break the top of a banana to start the peel, then hand it to your toddler. Show them how to pull a strip down and let them peel the rest, taking their time. Eat it together at the table.

Age range: 1–4 years · 5 min

Stand a tissue box on a low shelf and set a small bin beside it. Show your toddler how to pull one tissue, wipe their nose or a toy, then drop it in the bin. Let them repeat it a few times.

Age range: 1–4 years · 5 min

Set a low rack or mat by the door. Show your toddler how to hold a shoe with both hands, carry it over, and set it in place. Make it a part of coming in each time.

Age range: 1–4 years · 5 min

When you finish reading, walk to the shelf or basket together and hand your toddler each book to put away. Say the title or point out the cover as it goes, and say thank you for helping.

Age range: 1–4 years · 5 min

Pour the pet's measured food into a small tub within reach. Hand your toddler a scoop, show them how to fill it and tip it into the pet's bowl, and say what the pet will do next. Wipe up any stray bits together.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Put plain yogurt and a spoonful of oats in a wide, heavy bowl. Show your toddler how to hold the spoon and make slow circles, then let them stir while you steady the bowl. Share it at the table when they are done.

Age range: 1–3 years · 10 min

At the end of play, hand each child a basket and name a type of toy to find. Sing a tidy-up song as the toys go in, and cheer when the floor is clear.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Lay a small mat on the floor and show your toddler how to push it flat or roll it back up. Let them unroll it on their own, then choose a toy to place on it.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Place a stable step stool at the sink and turn the tap to a low flow. Show your toddler how to wet, rub with soap, rinse and dry on a towel. Let them do each step themselves.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Put a whole potato or a small squash and a soft vegetable brush in a shallow bowl of water on a towel. Show your toddler how to scrub it, then let them rub it clean. Dry it with a cloth together.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Fix a shatter-resistant mirror at your child's height and give them a small damp cloth. Show them how to wipe from left to right, then let them take over and watch their reflection.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Pour a spoonful of water on a tray or table and set a small cloth beside it. Show your toddler how to press the cloth on the spill and wipe it up. Let them wring the cloth into a bowl and try again.

Age range: 1–4 years · 5 min

Fit a low hook where your toddler can reach it, and show them how to hang their coat or bag when you come inside. Demonstrate it slowly, then let them have a go and help only if asked.

Age range: 1–4 years · 10 min

Set two small cups on a tray and let your child practice pouring water from one to the other.

Age range: 2–4 years · 20 min

Fill a small pot with soil together and let your child poke in a few seeds, then water them and pick a sunny spot.

Age range: 2–4 years · 10 min

Fill a small jug with a little water and show your child how to pour their own drink into a cup, stopping before it overflows.

Age range: 2–5 years · 15 min

After a shop, hand your child the lighter, unbreakable items and show them which cupboard or shelf each one belongs on.

Age range: 2–4 years · 10 min

Before a meal, ask your child to carry a napkin and spoon to each seat. Name who sits where as they go.

Age range: 2–5 years · 10 min

Hand your child a child-sized broom and dustpan and show them how to sweep crumbs into a little pile and scoop them up.

Age range: 2–4 years · 10 min

Fill a small cup with a little water and show your child which plants to pour it into. Feel the soil together before and after.

Age range: 2–5 years · 10 min

Hand your child a damp cloth after a meal and show them how to wipe the table in big circles until it is clean and shiny.

Age range: 3–6 years · 15 min

Sit together with a cardigan or button board and let your child practice pushing each button through its hole and back out again.

Age range: 3–5 years · 10 min

At the counter, guide your child to tap an egg on the rim and pull the shell apart over a bowl. Fish out any stray shell together.

Age range: 3–5 years · 20 min

Set out a bowl of lightly soapy water and let your child wash toy dishes with a sponge, then rinse and dry them on a towel.

Age range: 4–6 years · 5 min

Let your child brush on their own first, then do a quick parent pass after.

Age range: 4–6 years · 15 min

At the register, let your child pick one small item, hand it to the cashier, and pay with money you've given them.

Age range: 4–6 years · 20 min

Give your child one real step in tonight's dinner — washing vegetables, stirring, or plating — and let them own that part.

Age range: 4–6 years · 15 min

Sit together with a stack of clean hand towels and show your child how to match corner to corner, smoothing each fold flat.

Age range: 4–6 years · 10 min

Give each toy a labeled spot on a low shelf, then let your child put everything back there alone.

Age range: 4–6 years · 15 min

Add the pancake ingredients to a bowl and let your child whisk until smooth while you steady the bowl. Count the lumps disappearing together.

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