Toddlers are helpers! Even though its messy and slow its so important to give our children the opportunity to be contributing members of our family units. Not only does allowing our toddlers opportunity for real work help them foster independence and pride in the things they do, its also a great time for us as parents to pause and reflect. To remember to take things slow and truly enjoy the time we spend with our littles
Daily Practical Life
Part of our morning routine is grinding fresh coffee beans and making breakfast together. My toddler scoops the beans into the grinder and once its full his favorite part is to put the lid on and press the button! The grinding of coffee beans is so satisfying. ( For us both)
Being able to crack an egg (and not just smash it) is a skill we’ve been working on since my little was standing at his learning tower at 7 mo. Now a little under a year later he can successfully crack his own eggs without mama picking out the entire shell.
All that’s left to do is cook it up! My boy is obsessed with the stove so I’ve bought some stove knob covers to keep this activity safe and enjoyable
Cutting is something that we introduced a while ago with a small wooden knife and gradually progressed knife work is great for fine motor skills and hand eye coordination
Our other kitchen tools include a rolling pin to roll dough we make for pasta or bread.
And a juicer! Fresh apple juice is the best and my little loves to watch the apples go through.
Spaghetti squash has the best sensory experience, seeds! This one is so messy and so worth it. It’s like carving pumpkins but for dinner. Yum.
Practical life outside the kitchen
Another favorite is laundry. My toddler, like most toddlers loves to put stuff into containers. The washer and dryer are no exception he will often lead me to the laundry room to do a load or watch the washer do its thing.
I often hand clothes to my son while he stands in front of the dryer and he puts them in. When that’s done we’ll get out the stool and he gets to push the buttons.
And sometimes we just sit and watch
Building your own furniture is annoying to say the least…unless you’re a toddler. The second my baby sees any tool in my hand he has to have it. He loves to tighten screws, put them in their place and just generally show mama how its done haha!
Practical life outdoors
Gardening, so satisfying. Who doesn’t love pulling up fresh veggies??
Collecting seeds is another great fine motor + sensory experience. Plus next year you get to grow new plants with what you collected last year, that’s a great intro to a cycle lesson.
More food collecting! So perfect that this apple tree has a low hanging branch just a toddlers size.
After all that hard work Lu can get himself a cup of water in his functional sink. Access to water is so important for toddlers, and this little functional sinks meets his needs well!
And those are some of our favorite practical life activities for toddlers! Do you and your toddler do any of these things together? Let me know what you like to do in the comments below.