Favorite Montessori Practical Life Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

It’s often difficult for parents to understand why practical life activities are the most important activities for toddlers and preschoolers, whether they’re at home or in the classroom. How much time does a child need to spend learning to use tweezers, right? Fortunately, it isn’t just about learning a specific skill. Practical life activities are most important for developing order, concentration, coordination, and independence … essential for later learning and life in general.

If you read about sensitive periods, you’ll understand why your child might do an activity over and over and over again … and why that’s a very good thing.

So favorite practical life activities are great! They engage your child’s attention and encourage your child to develop not only coordination but also the ability to concentrate, which will be needed for all later learning.

Here are some of the favorite practical life activities for my 2½-year-old granddaughter, Zoey. I’ll also be talking about common favorites for toddlers and preschoolers in general. There were always favorites from my experience as a Montessori teacher and Montessori homeschooler, too. You’ll find lots of resources and many YouTube videos in the links.

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Favorite Montessori Practical Life Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

For Zoey, one of her favorite practical life activities started as an infant and is still a favorite. That’s an open and close basket. I’ve changed out the containers in the basket as Zoey has improved her muscular coordination, and I started to put small objects in the containers when Zoey stopped mouthing the objects. I’ve moved the open and close basket off our main shelves to feature other activities, but I’ve always had to have it available somewhere for her. And it’ll return to our main shelves, too.

Other favorite practical life activities for Zoey even as an older infant were cleaning activities. Care of the environment is so important in Montessori, and the sooner you can introduce it the better. Before she turned one, Zoey loved to wash her table. Later, I was able to introduce all sorts of cleaning activities, which have become more detailed as Zoey has gotten older. For example, I recently added a squeegee to Zoey’s window washing tray. She loves the new step!

Of course, preliminary activities, such as taking out and putting away work are important in toddlers learning to care for their environment.

Flower arranging is a fun activity for most toddlers and preschoolers. I started with a simple flower arranging activity and added steps as Zoey matured.

Care of self is another natural for both toddlers and preschoolers. Even something as simple (and important) as handwashing can be a favorite activity.

Don’t forget the beauty of pouring activities of all kinds. Toddlers and preschoolers love them. Older preschoolers might want to try pouring water beads for an extra challenge.

Those sorts of activities will help with other practical life activities, such as food preparation. Food preparation has to be one of the favorites of many toddlers and preschoolers. I know it’s one of Zoey’s favorites. It’s been a fabulous way to work on other practical life skills such as pouring, stirring, and cutting (both as a younger toddler and an older toddler).

Other favorites of many young children are eggshell crushing, pin poking, squeezing a sponge, and using a hammer.

And Zoey (like most young children) loves movement activities of all kinds.

Zoey also loves one of my very favorite areas … grace and courtesy! Thanks to the awesome help from Zoey’s mom, we’ve done a lot with grace and courtesy since Zoey was a young toddler. Our latest tea party picnic was a super-fun way to reinforce both grace and courtesy and food preparation.

As Zoey gets older, sewing and woodworking will become more and more popular. Right now, she enjoys using the Montessori stitching block.

Zoey’s latest favorite is using an egg beater to make soapsuds.

She thinks it’s great fun (and loves to wash her small language objects at the end). Again, it’s perfect for developing her concentration (as she follows a series of steps and repeats the activity), coordination (obviously), order, and independence. So many benefits from one activity! 🙂

Practical Life Resources

If you read my main post on Montessori practical life activities, you’ll find lots of free resources, such as practical life manuals that will help you prepare practical life activities at home.

You’ll find lots of ideas in my practical life category. There are many practical life activities combined with other areas as well. For example, I often include a transferring activity when there’s a do-a-dot phonics activity. You’ll also find lots of practical life activities as part of my themed activities and unit studies that aren’t shown in my practical life category.

And you’ll find many more practical life ideas in the posts below.

This post is part of the 12 Months of Montessori Series!

12 Months of Montessori Series – Practical Life

• Raising Independent Kids – Practical Life Skills (Printables) | Natural Beach Living
• Montessori Practical Life Ideas – Dressing Frames & Folding {Printables} | The Natural Homeschool
• Favorite Montessori Practical Life Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers | Living Montessori Now
• Practical Life Skills – Recycling for Kids | Mama’s Happy Hive
• Montessori Practical Life Checklist | Sugar, Glitter & Spice
• Montessori-inspired Shark Themed Practical Life Activities | Every Star Is Different (Go to Free Printables tab, then to Thematic Activities, then to Animal Activities, and then to the related post.)
• Practical Life for an Older Child | Grace and Green Pastures
• 10 Ways to Encourage Family Chores this Summer | Christian Montessori Network
• Practical Life at 2-Years-Old | The Kavanaugh Report

What is your child’s favorite practical life activity?

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