Montessori Lunch

The {Little Projects} that my kids love best are the ones they can do themselves. Montessori methods encourage adults to put "big" things out in a way that children can access them in a successful, self-check kind of way.

So we tried it with lunch, and it was a great success. Both Kay and Jay took great pride in the fact that they can gather, make, and put away their lunch things.

We had peanut butter sandwiches and a smoothie. The only complaint was from my husband about how much peanut butter got in the jelly jar. I guess next time we'll have separate knives :)


Some simple things to help your child do "big" things in the kitchen now:
  • Put their utensils and dishes in a low place in your kitchen so they can get to them.
  • Have a small plastic container that they can learn to pour from.
  • Include your child as you prepare meals so they will want to try to do it by themselves.
  • Have a routine for clean-up afterward.
  • Have child-sized "tools" like a broom small enough that it can be maneuvered by them.
  • Move to the table where your child can see what is going on, rather than at the counter.

It's so fun to watch their confidence grow as they master new skills! I have to remind myself not to expect perfection and try to not critique what they are doing. Kids learn by repetition. Oh, and we didn't learn to do all of these in one day. We started with one skill, say sweeping, and then moved onto something else (how to wipe up your own mess) another time. This lunch was fun because they've learned enough skills to put it all together and put on their own lunch. It was really rewarding for them.

Sometimes I think we forget that little people can do big things! We've gone on to learn how to clean the bathroom and fold clothes too-more on that later-and they love it all! The ownership they feel in the task is amazing. Thanks to Montessori for reminding me of that. My kids are happier and so am I! This is definitely where Little by Little Projects make all the difference. What do your little ones love to do that's BIG?

1 comment:

Amanda Hunt said...

Nice ideas here, I've shared this post on facebook

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