Montessori Mondays - Cleaning as part of Practical Life

An important part of Montessori practical life work is to provide an opportunity for children to learn to care for their materials and environment. Around the age of one this need to care for and take ownership of a space surfaces, especially if your young child sees you cleaning and caring for things on a daily basis. While you don't want to give your child access to all the same cleaning chemicals and materials you use, you may want to set up his own little cabinet, shelf, or space in the closet for items that he can use to help clean. As you are setting up this separate space for him, it is important to talk about why some chemicals and cleaning supplies are only for adults to use. Here are a few suggestions of items that you may want to include in your child's cleaning space:

• small dustpan with broom
• small spray bottle and clean cloth for cleaning windows
• baby wipes for helping you wipe down their materials
• dusting cloth
• small towels (washcloths are the perfect size for small hangs) for wiping up spills (I like the idea of color coding these, for example: blue towels for wiping spills on tables and brown towels for wiping up floor spills)
• small laundry basket for placing dirty towels in
• small pair of gloves (if you often clean with gloves, chances are your toddler will want his own pair too)