15 Montessori practical life activities for toddlers

Your toddler may be starting to show more interest in doing things for themselves or “helping” you with household tasks. This is a great time to introduce practical life activities. 

Practical life is an area of Montessori that encourages young children to try real-life tasks. Even helping with everyday chores like laundry can make your toddler feel grown up, capable, and accomplished. 

There are two basic types of practical life activities: care of self (pulling out a wipe from a container for their diaper change) and caring for the environment (cleaning their highchair tray or weaning table). 

 15 practical life activities your toddler can try now

Every child is unique and will show interest and readiness in their own way and time, but here are some ideas to start with:

Food prep and meals

• Ripping herbs, such as basil or parsley 
• Transferring food from one container to another, such as from a bag to a bowl
• Stirring and pouring with assistance
• Using open cups and real silverware—silverware should be a bit blunt at first and small enough for your toddler to handle; you can provide adult-size utensils around age 2 or 3, once their fine motor skills are more refined 

Self-care

• Brushing their hair
• Brushing their teeth with assistance
• Choosing their clothes—provide two choices and go with the one they look at or grab
• Wiping their own face or nose 
• Hand washing 

Care of the environment

• Putting items back on a low shelf 
• Placing clothing in a laundry basket
• Watering plants
• Brushing a pet, like a dog 
• Wiping up spills with a towel
• Dusting with a microfiber cloth or feather duster

The Montessori Playshelf

Bring the benefits of a Montessori play experience to your home with this storage shelf. Display the optimal number of playthings at a time and keep out-of-rotation toys out of sight for a calm, clutter-free playspace.

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