It’s a challenge for children at this age to work with both hands at the same time. Peeling a banana is an excellent way to let them practice holding with one hand and peeling with another. And there’s a delicious reward at the end of it! Even though the real reward for the child is the act of peeling itself, it’s reassuring for Moms to know that your kids can soon reach for a wholesome and nutritious snack anytime they want!

Montessori believed the hands were the instrument of man’s intelligence.

I’ve been looking for the best way for my kids to use their hands in different ways. In our house, we never sit to learn ABCs or 123s, instead, we clean! If you have children, you know what it’s like to clean up after them. It’s a constant affair.  Since Montessori believed that our job as parents is to be their educators, not their slaves, rather than cleaning up after them all the time, I’ve been teaching them to clean up after themselves.  How on earth am I making this work, you ask? Well, the only reason is because children love to clean when given the chance!

Brooke loves to wipe so much that she will spill her milk on the couch deliberately so she can get a tissue, wipe up the spill, then throw away the tissue. She does this every morning.

Here she is wiping up the spill on the floor.

And again wiping the table with a rag after she eats.

Here is a video of Mackenzie when she just turned 14 months –

Children at this age can also help put toys away, set the table, clean up the table, throw things away in the garbage. I just introduced them to window-cleaning with a squirt bottle and squeegee. Get them involved and show them how it’s done. It still amazes me what they can do.

Brooke (14 months) is using a child-sized carpet sweeper and Mackenzie has her hands on a shortened Swiffer (thank you, Amy, for the idea!). Life is getting better for Mama! Stay tuned for more soon.