Idli Making - Montessori Inspired Practical Life Activity & Importance For Toddlers (VLOG)

Practical Life Activities are of great importance in Montessori philosophy, specially for young children of 2 - 6 years. We love practical life activities in our home. My toddler is always ready to help me in the kitchen & other household chores. Read on to know what is practical life activity & its importance in early life.

What is Practical Life & Practical Life Activities In A Montessori Environment For Toddlers?

Practical : means basic, useful, purposeful

Life : means the way of living

Practical life exercises are exercises for the child to learn how to do daily routine chores & activities in a purposeful way.

Children, specially toddlers & kindergartners are naturally interested in daily chores. Hence, Dr. Montessori began to use practical life exercises to allow the child to do activities of daily life & therefore adjust himself in his culture & society.

All the materials & supplies of practical life activities should be real, familiar to the child, breakable (if applicable) & functional.

Involving you child in the kitchen is a great practical life activity!

Are you trying to find a way to peacefully cook and also engage your toddler constructively without iPads, TV and screens?

Involve your toddler in the kitchen! It's a great fine motor skill and teaches them life skills. This indirectly also helps in preparing those little fingers for writing, a great pre-writing activity.

We are a great fan of practical life activities and my son loves them.

Watch my 32 month old son making idlis out of the batter. 

You might also like 

Toddler making Omelette
Baking with toddlers
Doing laundry with toddlers
Toddler cutting potatoes for French Fries

Benefits & Importance Of Practical Life Activities In Montessori

The practical life exercises are a beginning point in the Montessori environment. They help the child in his whole development - physical, mental and moral.

• To develop the child's concentration
• To develop fine and gross motor skills
• To help children towards independence
• To establish order
• To develop a good self-esteem
• To appreciate and understand the limits of his environment
• To develop a sense of responsibility
• To aid the child in his construction
• To appreciate culture

Read more about practical life activities in Montessori HERE.

Do not forget to follow us on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori-inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!

Hope to see you around. Happy Parenting!

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Preparing Snacks - Montessori Inspired Practical Life Activity & Importance For Toddlers (VLOG)

What is Practical Life & Practical Life Activities In A Montessori Environment For Toddlers?

Practical : means basic, useful, purposeful

Life : means the way of living

Practical life exercises are exercises for the child to learn how to do daily routine chores & activities in a purposeful way. 

Children, specially toddlers & kindergartners are naturally interested in daily chores. Hence, Dr. Montessori began to use practical life exercises to allow the child to do activities of daily life & therefore adjust himself in his culture & society. 

All the materials & supplies of practical life activities should be real, familiar to the child, breakable (if applicable) & functional.

Preparing snacks for yourself is a great practical life activity!

Are you trying to find a way to peacefully cook and also engage your toddler constructively without iPads, TV and screens?

Involve your toddler in the kitchen! It's a great fine motor skill and teaches them life skills. This indirectly also helps in preparing those little fingers for writing, a great pre-writing activity.

We are a great fan of practical life activities and my son loves them.

These days, it has almost become a ritual that my 28 month old son would help me prepare his evening snacks. I asked him if he wanted to eat paneer pakoda (cottage cheese fritters), he gladly said yes & asked me to show him how to make & insisted he makes it completely, including frying. So finally he made his pakodas & I had to force him not to fry it & be away from the gas stove :D

Watch my son in action in the video below!

You might also like 
Toddler making Omelette
Baking with toddlers
Doing laundry with toddlers 
Cutting Potatoes With Toddlers

Benefits & Importance Of Practical Life Activities In Montessori

The practical life exercises are a beginning point in the Montessori environment. They help the child in his whole development - physical, mental and moral.

• To develop the child's concentration
• To develop fine and gross motor skills
• To help children towards independence
• To establish order
• To develop a good self-esteem
• To appreciate and understand the limits of his environment
• To develop a sense of responsibility
• To aid the child in his construction
• To appreciate culture

Read more about practical life activities in Montessori HERE.

Do not forget to follow us on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori-inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!

Hope to see you around. Happy Parenting!

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Montessori Inspired Practical Life Activity & Importance For Toddlers - Cutting (VLOG)

What is Practical Life & Practical Life Activities In A Montessori Environment For Toddlers?

Practical : means basic, useful, purposeful

Life : means the way of living

Practical life exercises are exercises for the child to learn how to do daily routine chores & activities in a purposeful way. 

Children, specially toddlers & kindergartners are naturally interested in daily chores. Hence, Dr. Montessori began to use practical life exercises to allow the child to do activities of daily life & therefore adjust himself in his culture & society. 

All the materials & supplies of practical life activities should be real, familiar to the child, breakable (if applicable) & functional.

Cutting is a great practical life activity!

Are you trying to find a way to peacefully cook and also engage your toddler constructively without iPads, TV and screens?

Involve your toddler in the kitchen! It's a great fine motor skill and teaches them life skills. This indirectly also helps in preparing those little fingers for writing, a great pre-writing activity.

We are a great fan of practical life activities and my son loves them.

Watch my 28 month old son cutting real potatoes and making imaginary French fries in his toy kitchen set, while I made real French fries for him!

You might also like 
Toddler making Omelette
Baking with toddlers
Doing laundry with toddlers

Benefits & Importance Of Practical Life Activities In Montessori

The practical life exercises are a beginning point in the Montessori environment. They help the child in his whole development - physical, mental and moral.

• To develop the child's concentration
• To develop fine and gross motor skills
• To help children towards independence
• To establish order
• To develop a good self-esteem
• To appreciate and understand the limits of his environment
• To develop a sense of responsibility
• To aid the child in his construction
• To appreciate culture

Read more about practical life activities in Montessori HERE.

Do not forget to follow us on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori-inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!

Hope to see you around. Happy Parenting!

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Toddler Making Omelette - Montessori Inspired Practical Life Activity & Benefits (VLOG)

My 27 month old son helped me prepare an omelette :) Here is a quick video of this Montessori Inspired Practical Life activity !

DISCLAIMER - please take the necessary safety measures while working with kids.



Benefits Of Practical Life Activities

The practical life exercises are a beginning point in the Montessori environment. They help the child in his whole development - physical, mental and moral.

• To develop the child's concentration
• To develop fine and gross motor skills
• To help children towards independence
• To establish order
• To develop a good self-esteem
• To appreciate and understand the limits of his environment
• To develop a sense of responsibility
• To aid the child in his construction
• To appreciate culture

Read more about practical life activities in Montessori HERE.

If you loved this post, you might also want to check out more such posts & videos on my Blog & YouTube channel. Do not forget to subscribe to both of them for regular updates! 

If you are a Facebook person then I would love to see you on my Facebook Page and closed Facebook Group where I share my daily mini stories/updates that do not always find a place on the blog & YouTube. You can also follow my updates on Twitter & Instagram (@kuhoogupta) 

Hope to see you around :)

Happy Parenting!

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Montessori Inspired Practical Life Activity & Importance - Baking With Toddlers (VLOG)

What is Practical Life & Practical Life Activities In A Montessori Environment For Toddlers?

Practical : means basic, useful, purposeful

Life : means the way of living

Practical life exercises are exercises for the child to learn how to do daily routine chores & activities in a purposeful way. 

Children, specially toddlers & kindergartners are naturally interested in daily chores. Hence, Dr. Montessori began to use practical life exercises to allow the child to do activities of daily life & therefore adjust himself in his culture & society. 

All the materials & supplies of practical life activities should be real, familiar to the child, breakable (if applicable) & functional. 

My 2.4 year old son baked a brownie for his dad to celebrate Father's day :) Why should girls have all the fun in the kitchen! Here is my son baking a brownie! It is such a pleasure to see such young kids working in the kitchen. Watch the video to experience it :)

Benefits & Importance Of Practical Life Activities In Montessori

The practical life exercises are a beginning point in the Montessori environment. They help the child in his whole development - physical, mental and moral.

• To develop the child's concentration
• To develop fine and gross motor skills
• To help children towards independence
• To establish order
• To develop a good self-esteem
• To appreciate and understand the limits of his environment
• To develop a sense of responsibility
• To aid the child in his construction
• To appreciate culture

Read more about practical life activities in Montessori HERE.

If you loved this post, you might also want to check out more such posts & videos on my Blog & YouTube channel. Do not forget to subscribe to both of them for regular updates! 

If you are a Facebook person then I would love to see you on my Facebook Page and closed Facebook Group where I share my daily mini stories/updates that do not always find a place on the blog & YouTube. You can also follow my updates on Twitter & Instagram (@kuhoogupta) 

Hope to see you around :)

Happy Parenting!

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9 Benefits Of Gardening With Toddlers/Kids (VLOG)

It was me 2 years back who sowed the seeds and would patiently wait for the greens to grow. Now it's my toddler's turn :)

My then 25-month-old son sowed Fenugreek seeds and we harvested fresh and lovely Fenugreek leaves after few weeks. He said he will eat methi paratha with those tender methi leaves! He loves it! And that is why I chose Fenugreek so that he is able to appreciate the process from start to end - from sowing seeds to watering the plant to seeing micro greens to seeing mature leaves to harvesting to actually consuming it happily. 

He now knows how important trees and plants are for us, specially in hot summers these days, trees provide us shade. And of course, that plants give us food.

This generation kids need to know the importance of going green so much more than our generation for obvious reasons!

My now 26-month-old son sowed Spinach seeds recently, here is a sneak peek of our cute gardening exercise.

Gardening in itself teaches a lot to kids of all ages, starting from toddlerhood! Let us look how does it benefit - 

Multisensory Learning 

Montessori focusses on learning through multiple senses because that is how toddlers learn! While gardening, kids can touch & feel the soil, seeds, water, leaves. They can see beautiful colors of nature. They can smell the earth & the plants & flowers! They can hear the lovely birds chirping on the terrace & the wind blowing. And of course, they can eat what they plant (conditions apply)

Motor Skills
As seen in the video above, a lot of large & small muscle movements are required end to end. A great way to enhance gross & fine motor skills while working in nature, no frills activity, no activity box needed!

Sequencing
A very important skill to master, in addition to using puzzles or printables to teach the lifecycle of a plant, it would be great if we can give toddlers a hands-on experience of the same. They would remember this for ever then.

Science
According to the age, we can talk about basic science concepts like photosynthesis, composting, worms, insects etc. And further, we can supplement it with book readings. This can be a starting point of deep conversations with the toddlers. They are super curious & answering their questions related to gardening would be fun science lessons.

Life Lessons
Caring & Responsibility, patience, cycle of life, confidence, focus - all these deep & profound lessons can be learnt while gardening, taking care of the plat & seeing it grow.

Healthy Eating
If kids grow their own food, and are involved from end to end, they are likely to eat better & of course healthy.

Hands On Maths Lessons

From counting number of seeds to sow to measuring the right depth to sow the seeds to counting petals in a flower or leaves in a green to measuring the height of a plant, maths is everywhere. And gardening in every way is helping the child to sharpen his maths skills.

Bonding
A Sunday morning sowing seeds with mom or dad - the child will always cherish such beautiful memories. Gardening gives us a chance to bond beautifully with our kids & have great conversations.

Relaxation & Mindfulness

Gardening for me is like a meditation. It is therapeutic. It relaxes & helps us to become mindful of our surroundings our nature. And it is the same for kids too. Read my post HERE about 6 ways to develop mindfulness in kids.

I would love to know how & what did you do with your kids in your terrace garden! Hop on to our facebook page or closed facebook group to be a part of this parent-tribe :) And do not forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel, I would love to see you guys in my next video!

Happy Parenting :)

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Montessori Inspiration At Home - Practical Life Skills for Toddlers - Book Review

I get such questions often in my parenting workshops & as personal messages -

• My 2/3 year old is hyper active. He does not sit at one place. What activities can I do with him?
• I have very less domestic help. How can I keep my toddler occupied while I finish my daily chores?
• How can I start implementing Montessori at home?
• How can I increase the concentration of my toddler?
• And many more such questions...

The answer is simple but rather difficult to implement. The first thing I answer to such questions is at this age, involve them in daily household chores - which in Montessori terms mean - involve your toddlers in practical life activities.

It can be as simple as pouring water from one container to another to dusting a table to bringing a glass of water to watering the plants, and so on. Many parents wonder how & what to present to the toddlers so that they will be interested. The good news is toddlers love to imitate & they love doing real work as we adults too. We just need to trust them & give them freedom within limits. Montessori practical life activities are a great way to keep them engaged & indirectly these activities help in enhancing so many more skills like fine motor, prewriting, concentration, independence, problem solving etc.

Now some announcement! :)

What do you get when four Montessori moms from different countries come together to compile their first hand Montessori practical life experiences into a book? 

I got an opportunity to review this lovely book written by Amruta Ram of Mumma Diaries, Vanessa Theil of Mama’s Happy Hive, Yuliya Fruman Welcome to Mommyhood, and Isabel Arango of Uno Zwei Tutu. The ebook is titled “Montessori Inspiration at Home: Practical Life Skills- Toddler Series” and is available as an instant download in PDF format.

It has some really useful tips to involve your toddlers in real life chores, that you rarely thought they would do, rather they love to do such tasks! The book has a lot of information about how you can implement Montessori principles at home as far as practical life activities are concerned. The design & flow of the book is easy & intuitive to follow. It has real pictures of these mommas' kids' doing those activities, so it is not something only theoretical. Everything in this book is really doable by toddlers. It has step by step instructions how to present a particular activity the Montessori way and equips you with the necessary knowledge. The bonus is a lot of printables that come along with the book that you can use in other related activities. The book also has great collections & pointers to some lovely Montessori blogs, so you can easily bookmark them & start following them for your day to day Montessori needs!


Book Details

Montessori Inspiration At Home - Practical Life Skills - Toddler Series

• This Montessori inspired book is a helpful resource for practical life skills for toddlers.
• There are 9 chapters that include care of self, care of a pet, care of the home, polishing, cleaning, helping in the kitchen, pouring, spooning, and setting a table.
• Also, included with this book is a printable bundle that matches the chapter subjects.
• There are over 30 pages of printables and resource information. These printables include matching cards, step-by-step cards, 100 Practical Life Skills Check List, and more!

Extra Resources (Included)

• Montessori Method FAQ
• Montessori Practical Life FAQ
• Printable Practical Life Activities Checklist (100 Practical Life Activities for Toddlers)
• Printable Practical Life Materials Checklist
• Montessori Books and Resources Checklist
• Routine chore chart (visual schedule)

Verdict

For a beginner in Montessori - this ebook is a perfect choice to start implementing Montessori elements at home without getting overwhelmed by pinterest or google results. I assure you will not be lost!

For the parents who have been implementing Montessori at home already - this ebook is a good checklist resource for things they can still implement at home with proper steps & guidance. Of course, not to mention, the printables & other extra resources are fresh from the oven to be used by experienced Montessori parents as well as beginners. 

You do not want to miss the special launch offer!!!

Know more about this book in this video

Do share how did you like this book :)

Happy Parenting!

P.S. I am an affiliate for this eBook. I have reviewed the contents as mentioned above and, trust me, a lot of hard work & implementation has gone behind this book. Certainly resourceful for parents who are trying to implement Montessori at home.

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Montessori - Practical Life Exercise For Toddlers - Line Drying Clothes - VLOG

I have been following Montessori principles with my son since he was 7-8 months old. And every day I thank my stars that I stumbled upon this philosophy. Here in this video, I share yet another beautiful moment my son gave me. He is 25 months old in this video. Suddenly he wanted to line dry, couple of hand towels & then also put the clothespin over them. I let him do it & only when he asked for help, I helped him.

Practical life skills form a very important part of Montessori principles & curriculum. They help children develop order, concentration, coordination, and independence - skills which help in all learning. This particular activity of line drying clothes is a great life skill to learn. Putting clothespin is an inexpensive fine motor activity. Doing real work gives the child a great sense of satisfaction & confidence.

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Montessori Principles That Work For Us - A Montessori Toddler Reader In Action - 25 Months (VLOG)

I have been following Montessori principles with my son since he was 7-8 months old. And every day I thank my stars that I stumbled upon this philosophy. Here in this video, I share yet another beautiful moment my son gave me. He loves to read. Check out the video to see how independent he has become at 25 months :) I have also briefly mentioned in this video what Montessori principles work for us!

You know you have done something right when on his own (while momma is working in the kitchen), this toddler goes to the kitchen, grabs a breakable glass, gets himself some water from the matka, drinks it, goes to the bedroom with the glass in hand, puts it down on the floor carefully, grabs a book from his bookshelf & starts reading to himself. All this with absolutely no adult prompt.

The independence, confidence & life skills that he is gathering melts me every single day ...

I again thank my stars that I stumbled upon the Montessori philosophy & that I am able to implement it more or less at home.

I hope to write a separate post or a Youtube video on elaborating the Montessori principles mentioned in the video above. So please do not forget to subscribe to this blog & my YouTube channel :)

Happy Parenting!

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Montessori Flower Arrangement - Practical Life Activity - 23 Months Old (VLOG)

One of our Valentine's Day activities, that I had been wishing to do for long - Montessori Flower Arrangement. Not strictly as per Montessori but still we loved it :)

I did not have a flower vase handy, so I used a water bottle. Montessori does not need to be expensive always! You can work with what items you have at home.

Sequence of the activity - 

1. pour water from a pitcher to the vase
2. remove leaves from the stem
3. insert flowers in the vase
4. if the length of the stem is too much, use scissors to cut it to appropriate length
5. Wipe off water spills if any

It is a great way to teach care for surroundings to toddlers, a wonderful fine motor & practical life skill. And it serves as an introduction to botany - what is a stem, petal, leaf etc. A great vocabulary builder - learning flower names. And a sensory activity, smelling the flowers, not to forget. By the way, I went to the florist shop along with my son & he loved the experience. He socialized with the florist, got to know who is a florist. He asked names of all the flowers from the florist. He gave money to the florist while we bought the flowers. There is learning happening everywhere & everytime!

I have lost count of the reasons, why I love Montessori :)

Watch my almost 2 year old son in action in this video!








😊

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Toddler In The Kitchen - Montessori In Action - 23 Months (VLOG)

Involving your toddler in the kitchen has so many benefits such as

• Fine Motor activity
• Practical Life skills & independence
• Indirect math skills
• Better eating habits
• And much more

Watch this video to understand more & see my 23 months old son in action :)
PS : No, the image above is not of my son ;)

How do you involve your child in the kitchen? Do share :)

Happy Parenting!

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