Here are some great ways to practice "Practical life skills" at home with your little one. Click on one of the images below and explore!
Squeezing an orange Montessori practical life activity
Clink the picture below for a ton of awesome practical life activities to do at home with your little one!
There are a few things to remember here. The younger the child the less a child will be able to complete a cycle of activity and do the task from start to finish. Your child's own interest, and how relevant these tasks are to your home will also play a role in how your child engages with any task. Keep these things in mind when thinking about practical life tasks for your young toddler:
Invite but don't require participation
Model, model, model the task
Prepare your environment for success
Adjust your own expectations
Self-Care Self-care tasks are those that involve your child. Basically anything you do to keep your child happy and healthy. This varies greatly from child to child, house to house, and culture to culture. And for health and safety reasons, you might want to give your child a turn then you take a turn completing the task. Use this list as inspiration, not a strict guide or set of expectations. Dressing Choosing an outfit Dressing/Undressing Gathering clothes to wear Putting on shoes Putting on socks* Putting on a jacket Zipping/buttoning a jacket*
The purpose of dressing frames is to help young children learn how to work buttons, snaps and zippers so they can dress themselves. They are a great way to work on fine motor and practical life skills.