Implementing Chores with Children

If you walk into a Montessori early childhood classroom, you will find children cooking and cleaning. Have you ever tried to get your child to pick up after themselves at home, and it’s turned into a disaster? You’re not alone!

It may seem daunting to include your toddler or preschooler in chores. It’s going to take so much more time, right? Unfortunately, that’s likely. But trust me, the earlier you implement chores into your child’s routine, the easier it is in the long run. Implementing chores at home has so many great benefits!

• Chores support your child’s development! That’s right. Folding laundry, loading the dishwasher and sweeping the floor support your child’s cognitive and motor development. They also support critical executive functioning skills needed for children to follow directions, make decisions and complete multi-step processes.

• Chores boost independence! Functional independence is the goal of the first 6 years of life (or the first plane of development in Montessori terms).

• Chores create a meaningful role for your child. Children want to be contributing members of a family. Including children in chores invites them into that role.

Doesn’t that sound magical? Do you feel like it might take some actual magic to get your child to do chores? Here are some things that might help:

• Start small. Don’t expect your child to be folding their laundry and vacuuming the floor over night. Start with simple one-step chores like folding washcloths or loading their cup into the dishwasher.

• Grow the chores with your child. As your child grows and masters new skills, chores can become more advanced. Folding washcloths can grow to folding towels. Before you know it, they will be loading their clothes into the washing machine independently!

• Don’t make everything a game. That’s right. Chores aren’t always fun and that’s okay. Remember that young children have the internal motivation to take pride in a job well done. Creating a game out of chores can often make it harder to keep chores in place as children get older and novelty of the game wears off.

Three Ways to Make the Most Out of Reading at Home

Reading out loud is one of the most meaningful ways families can support their child’s literacy development at home. Research has shown that just a few minutes of reading out loud a day can have a big impact. Reading out loud supports literacy development and fosters connection. Even children who are fluent, comprehending readers still benefit from being read to.

Here are a few simple ways you can elevate reading at home:

1. Name the author and illustrator, along with the title, each time you read a book. This practice only takes a few extra moments and can have a big impact. For children over three, give a quick definition of author and illustrator. “The author is the person who thought of the story and wrote it down. The illustrator is the person who thought of the pictures and drew them.” Preschool aged children are beginning to explore expressing their own thoughts through writing and drawing. This habit of naming the author and illustrator will elevate that phase of reading and art development.

2. Model using books carefully. Hold books in your lap or at a table when you read. Practice turning the pages extra carefully. In my classroom, I read the words on a page first then hold the book up to show the pictures. This models how to hold a book carefully when you read.

3. Use the language for the parts of a book. Give the names for the spine, cover and page numbers. Point out the table of contents if there is one. Remember that children have an unlimited capacity for new vocabulary and love to classify things. Naming the parts of a book helps children classify new information from something concrete in their daily routine (reading) AND offers new words. Win win!

Practical Life at Home

In the last post, I gave an overview of the practical life curriculum, breaking it down into four main areas: care of self, care of environment, control of movement and food preparation. Today, I want to give some ideas for activities in each area that can be set up at home.

First let me say this: your home should never aim to look like a classroom! In fact, the opposite is true. The classroom should mirror a school whenever possible. You do not need activities set up on trays. You do not need to re-create every activity you see on Pinterest. The simpler, the better.

Care of Environment: sweep, window washing, folding (napkins and washcloths are a great place to start!), wiping counters and tables, vacuuming, polishing wood, washing dishes, loading the washing machine, unloading the dryer, weeding in the flower beds or garden, arranging flowers, dusting, moping, feeding pets, watering plants. The opportunities really are endless and can be based on routines you already have in place.

Care of Self: clipping and scrubbing fingernails, dressing, tying, lacing, buttoning, cleaning glasses, bathing, brushing teeth, brushing hair. So many activities can be added in based on specific needs!

Food Preparation: carrot peeling, banana slicing, strawberry slicing with an egg slicing, hard boiled egg peeling, cucumber peeling and slicing, cheese grating, avocado mashing, herb grinding, spreading (butter, jam, nut butters), clipping herbs. Again, endless possibilities!

Control of movement: (note: I am not a big advocate for activities on trays at home. Always observe before adding in control of movement activities at home. Do they need a specific skill in isolation? Do not feel the need to add in activities just because they are cute) Tweezing herbs, pouring water from a pitcher, stringing beads, cutting paper, using tongs, spooning, using a sponge, using clothespins, using safety pins.