The gifts are unwrapped, and it’s time to start the new year by pursuing new dreams and aspirations.
They say that the mood you begin the year with sets the tone for the rest of it, so we suggest your family spend January actively and joyfully in a warm, friendly atmosphere. What better way to achieve this than with Montessori practical life activities?
These tasks and activities provide children with valuable new experiences, knowledge, and skills. Set the tone for the months ahead by creating pleasant moments of connection and meaningful time spent together.
The Importance of Montessori Practical Life Activities
Montessori practical life activities help children gain the kind of experience that makes them more independent and confident in their abilities. Moreover, these activities lay a strong foundation for future success, building upon simple skills to foster more advanced ones.
Engaging in practical, hands-on tasks teaches children how to face challenges, stay focused, and develop fine motor skills. Each success gives them a sense of accomplishment and strengthens their bond with the family by showing appreciation for their contributions—whether it’s tidying their room, helping set the table, sorting laundry, or other meaningful tasks that benefit everyone.
At the same time, these activities enhance a child’s self-esteem and foster a collaborative home environment where everyone’s efforts are valued. Even when something doesn’t work out the first time, the effort itself creates experience, and each attempt becomes more successful. Through repetition and practice, children learn to approach challenges with confidence, building a foundation for lifelong learning. To learn more, check out our article Brain-Building Activities for Montessori Toddlers, which delves deeper into this topic.
Benefits of Montessori Practical Life Activities
- Practical tasks teach kids how to focus and complete activities methodically, step by step.
- When children actively participate in their home environment—setting the table or tidying their toys—they feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in their contributions.
- Family gratitude for each effort, whether it’s sorting laundry or watering plants, helps children feel valued and confident in their abilities.
- Montessori activities naturally develop motor skills. This might include pouring drinks into glasses, baking cookies with parents, or neatly arranging toys on a shelf.
- Perhaps most importantly, Montessori practical life activities nurture thinking skills. Children learn to embrace challenges, view mistakes as opportunities to grow, and persevere through difficulties.
This experience equips kids to approach new situations with resilience and adaptability—skills that are crucial for success in every aspect of life. Once children master basic skills through practical activities, they are better prepared to tackle more complex tasks with ease and enthusiasm.
Start the Year with Energy: Montessori Practical Life Activities List
What practical life activities can you offer to your child? Choose the ones you like from the list below. These engaging and exciting activities are a wonderful way to kickstart the year.
Top 10 Practical Life Activities
1. Make a New Year’s Greeting Card Together
Even if you’ve already greeted all your family and friends, creating a New Year’s card can be a fun way to decorate your nursery or playroom. It will bring joy and a festive mood every day. Provide your preschooler with colored paper, scissors, and stickers. Help them create festive messages on the cards or draw something together on cardboard. For example, you can write wishes for your family or for your child for the upcoming year.
2. Cutting Colored Paper
Draw outlines of snowflakes, trees, or snowmen on colored paper or cardboard. Give your child child-safe scissors with rounded tips and let them cut out the shapes. These can later be used to make garlands or as decorations for different corners of the room.
3. Sorting and Packing Holiday Decorations
After the celebrations, involve your child in sorting and packing the holiday decorations for storage until next year. This activity not only tidies up your space but also introduces your child to the concepts of classifying and organizing items into boxes.
4. Water Indoor Plants Together
Give your child a small watering can and let them help care for the indoor plants. Explain that the plants need attention regardless of holidays or weekdays. You can also allow them to gently dust the leaves using a soft cloth. This activity nurtures a connection with nature, has a calming effect, and offers quality time together.
5. Baking Winter Treats
Spend a cozy day in the kitchen baking winter treats like snowman cookies or cinnamon rolls. Let your child assist with measuring, mixing, and decorating. Such Montessori-inspired practical life activities at home are not only great learning opportunities but also create cherished family memories.
6. Load and Unload the Dishwasher or Laundry Machine
Toddlers and preschoolers love being involved in tasks like sorting plates or clothes for the dishwasher or laundry. Invite them to place items inside or remove them after the cycle. If using a dishwasher, remove sharp utensils, glasses, or breakable items beforehand. Then ask your child to pass the items to you for sorting.
7. Create Collages from Natural Materials
During a walk, collect pieces of pine, cones, pebbles, or leaves, and use them to create a unique piece of art. Combine these materials with stickers, colored paper, and paint to craft your own one-of-a-kind collage.
8. Set the Table Together
Invite your child to help set the table by arranging cutlery, placing napkins, or even washing fruits and vegetables for dinner. Enjoy the process together, and be sure to thank your child for their contribution.
9. Candle Making
Prepare a few sheets of colorful beeswax and practice rolling them into candle shapes with your child. Don’t forget to insert a wick in the center to create the base of the candle. Together, you can use the finished candles to decorate your home, enjoy their pleasant scent, or gift them to loved ones.
10. Winter Supermarket
Set up a pretend “winter store” at home. Use toys or real items associated with winter (like citrus fruits, nuts, or festive cookies) and create a small supermarket where your child can “buy” these goodies with toy money and pack them into bags.
Happy New Year! A Special Gift for You
Now for the most exciting part: we’ve prepared a special gift for your family, and we’re confident you’ll love it! We’ve created a magical January advent calendar filled with practical activities for each day. This free resource is packed with simple, engaging ideas to keep your children entertained and learning all month long. Download your gift here:
🎁 Montessori-Inspired January Checklist 🎁
What to Do with This Checklist?
You can open it on any device to browse, or even better—print it out and hang it on your fridge or in your child’s room. Each day’s task here aligns with the themes of starting the New Year right, embracing post-holiday calm, decluttering, and organizing space.
Day by day, complete one activity and check off the ones you’ve done. Adapt these tasks for your child’s age and interests, and praise effort and engagement more than the end result. It’s a fantastic way to make the start of the new year unforgettable and full of joy!