From uncluttered toys made of natural materials and focused on a single task, to allowing the child to learn at their own pace, guided by their interests, Montessori appeals to our family on many levels. We can already see long bouts of concentration and deep engagement at times when El is doing her work.

And her most exciting work is very clearly Practical Life. She eagerly fetches a cloth when she spills water and would have vacuumed our entire floor downstairs if she weren’t still scared of the exhaust that shoots out the back of our handheld vac (she instead uses her push toy to pretend to vacuum).

In order to make these sorts of tasks accessible to her, we try to modify tools or acquire some that are specifically made for her tiny hands. This, unfortunately, also means having more stuff around which makes our minimalistic goals a tad more difficult to uphold, but it’s worth it to see her confidence develop.

Did you know that you can take out the two middle bars from the Swiffer to make it easier to handle?! Once the scene is set, you just need to model using the tools and invite the little ones to join in. We’ve learned that there is a sensitive period for order and this type of practical life work, so it’s incredibly helpful to introduce these types of activities when they’ll be most receptive. And if you still need more motivation, these types of tasks are incredibly appealing Maximum Effort opportunities as well.

What kind of Practical Life work is happening in your home?
Do you do anything special to make the tools more accessible to your little ones?