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9 practical life activities involving food

12 Comments Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade

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One of the major areas in Montessori education, I am learning, is the practical life area. As the name implies, practical life activities involve the child in carrying out the tasks of daily living. The goals of practical life exercises are to help the child develop motor coordination and control and to be able to do everyday tasks independently.

Note: For more activities that use Montessori principles in the home, see my Montessori Activities page. 

9 practical life activities involving food || Gift of Curiosity

Because I have the kids at home with me so much, I am able to turn lots of everyday activities into practical life exercises for the kids. Here are nine practical life activities involving food that my kids have done as part of our daily routine.

1. Peeling an egg

I got this idea from the Montessori at Home! e-book by John Bowman. The book had a link to a video of a young child totally engaged in peeling an egg. Since my kids eat hardboiled eggs at least twice a week, seeing the video was a light bulb moment for me. The next morning, I invited the kids to peel their own eggs – and they loved it! Now they insist on peeling their own eggs every time we eat hard boiled eggs. It is so fun to watch their skills improve as they do this task over and over.

9 practical life activities involving food - peeling en egg || Gift of Curiosity

2. Scooping watermelon

We’ve been enjoying lots of watermelon this summer. Usually I do the cutting and serving, but on this day I brought the watermelon outside along with a spoon, a plate, and a large chunk of watermelon for each kid. I demonstrated how to use the spoon to scoop watermelon.  And then the kids took over from there!

9 practical life activities involving food - scooping watermelon balls || Gift of Curiosity

9 practical life activities involving food - scooping watermelon balls || Gift of Curiosity

9 practical life activities involving food - scooping watermelon balls || Gift of Curiosity

They worked so hard until they had scraped every last bit of watermelon flesh from the rind. And then, of course, they enjoyed their yummy snack. 🙂

3. Using a can opener

One day when the kids were helping me in the kitchen, I invited XGirl to use the can opener. To be honest, this task was too challenging for her still developing motor skills. If your kids are older, they might be able to do this with more success.

9 practical life activities involving food - using a can opener || Gift of Curiosity

4. Mixing batter

I’ve been cooking in the kitchen with the kids for over a year now, and they still love helping me mix batter. (I think one reason they enjoy this so much is because I usually let them lick the spoon when they are done :-).)

It used to be difficult for them to stir without making a mess, but their skills have improved so much that they can now do this task quite successfully most of the time.

9 practical life activities involving food - mixing batter || Gift of Curiosity

5. Preparing a snack

I’m learning to be better about letting the kids help me with snack preparation. Ants on a log (celery, nut butter of your choice, and raisins) is a simple snack that kids can easily help with.

9 practical life activities involving food - preparing a snack || Gift of Curiosity

6. Washing fresh basil

We love to make our own pesto sauce. XGirl helped me to wash the leaves one day. I showed her how to tear the leaves off the stem and put them in the water.

9 practical life activities involving food - washing fresh basil || Gift of Curiosity

I gave her a step stool to use so that she could easily reach the kitchen sink. She felt like such a big girl getting to do the work that mommy usually does. 🙂9 practical life activities involving food - washing fresh basil || Gift of Curiosity

7. Peeling a yam

We love to eat yams! QBoy is developing his motor control and was able to do a pretty decent job using the peeler to remove the skin from this yam.

9 practical life activities involving food - peeling a yam || Gift of Curiosity

8. Cleaning the table

After we eat, there’s always clean up to be done! Young kids love to help with the cleaning. XGirl is always eager to help wipe down our kitchen table.

9 practical life activities involving food - cleaning the table || Gift of Curiosity

9. Sweeping the floor

I am really looking forward to the day when my kids can eat without making a mess of the floor!  🙂  But in the meantime, the kids love taking a dustpan and small broom to clean up the crumbs.

9 practical life activities involving food - sweeping the floor || Gift of Curiosity

These are just some of the practical life activities involving food that my kids have done. I’m thankful to Montessori for opening my eyes to the all the learning that these activities provide for young kids. Of course I could do a better or faster job if I did these tasks myself. But instead of thinking of them as chores that need to be done quickly, I think of them as opportunities for my kids and I to work together.

More Montessori resources

More Montessori posts from Gift of Curiosity:

  • Apple Montessori activities
  • Ocean Montessori activities
  • Farm Montessori activities
  • Winter Montessori activities
  • Valentine Montessori activities
  • Easter Montessori activities
  • 4th of July Montessori activities
  • Halloween Montessori activities
  • Montessori caves unit
  • Montessori mapping activities
  • Montessori living / nonliving / once living activities
  • Montessori printables


Foe more Montessori ideas, see my Montessori activities page and my Montessori Pinterest board.

Follow Gift of Curiosity’s board Montessori on Pinterest.

Filed Under: Preschool, Kindergarten, Fine Motor, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, Montessori Tagged With: practical life

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Reader Interactions

12 Comments

  1. Stephanie @ From the Burbs to the Boonies

    September 11, 2013 at 9:58 am

    How fun! My son has helped me make biscuits, guacamole and mashed potatoes. Those are some of our absolute best memories. I need to do this more often.

    Reply to this comment
    • Katie

      September 11, 2013 at 11:45 am

      It’s amazing how excited my kids get about doing all these kitchen-related tasks! For some reason kids just love helping with food.

      Reply to this comment
  2. Sarah

    September 12, 2013 at 3:55 pm

    Love it! We enjoy doing these kind of activities here too!

    Reply to this comment
  3. rebecca at thisfineday

    September 14, 2013 at 8:29 am

    I love this. I often forget to give the kids things to do that are practical life skills. I guess because it just takes longer, but it’s so important. Thanks for the reminder and the post!

    Reply to this comment
  4. Kim

    September 16, 2013 at 1:45 pm

    Great list! I’ve started letting my 3 year old set the table and she is so happy to help. It’s so important to give our children these opportunities, even when it’s not the most convenient thing to do!

    Reply to this comment
    • Katie

      September 16, 2013 at 1:58 pm

      It definitely isn’t always quicker or more convenient, but it is definitely so important for their development. And they just feel so important to get to help out too!

      Reply to this comment
  5. Amie M

    September 17, 2013 at 6:59 am

    Hi Katie, great post! I am featuring it on the Kids Co-Op this week on Triple T Mum!

    Reply to this comment
  6. Peggy

    September 19, 2013 at 9:56 pm

    I’m loving this idea. I bake with my grand daughter but she would love these learning activities.

    Reply to this comment
  7. Carrie

    September 20, 2013 at 9:00 am

    Oh, such great helpers you have! My daughter loves working in the kitchen with me. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

    Reply to this comment
  8. John Bowman

    September 30, 2013 at 9:02 am

    Excellent post, great activities and ideas showing how practical life skills can be a part of everyday life around the house. Home can actually be a better place for learning these skills than a Montessori school! It just takes a bit of time and patience, but what a payoff in children’s lives! Thanks for mentioning Montessori At Home!, glad the eBook provided inspiration.

    Reply to this comment
    • Katie

      September 30, 2013 at 11:37 am

      Thanks John! So nice of you to stop by! Your Montessori At Home! book has been an inspiration for us.

      Reply to this comment
  9. Montessori Mama

    January 2, 2015 at 7:56 pm

    What a great help you have been to me. I’ve been trying to come up with more ways for my Little Bean to help in the kitchen. I never thought of using a melon baller or making “ants on logs”. Thank you.

    Reply to this comment

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