One of my favorite things about Montessori is that it includes young children in chores that must be done around the house! I appreciate any help I can get, so it is great to see L actually enjoy cleaning things. This spring, we needed to clean some of our outdoor toys. I set up a scrubbing work for L, and she cleaned and cleaned and cleaned for at least an hour. She didn’t even want me to help!
I filled a plastic dish bin with dish soap and warm water. I added some dish scrubbing brushes like these and let her at it!
L scrubbed every inch of her outside toys, and it was a great outside activity. Give a toddler some water and bubbles, and she’ll be busy forever!
When she was all done scrubbing, I gave L a wet washcloth to use to wipe off all the soap on her toys. Then we just let them air dry, and they looked almost brand new!
This is a great gross motor and practical life activity. I plan on repeating it at the end of the summer. And maybe a few times before then if we get really bored.