Practical Life for Back To School

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Practice the process of getting a shoe on and off.  If your child goes to a Montessori School, they probably wear slippers during work time, shoes outside.  There's a lot of shoe transition, imagine how much practice it may take for independence!  Anything to ease the morning madness of getting a family ready for the day is always a treasure, no matter where the child learns.  
Show the child how to open up the shoe wide enough for the foot to enter.  Use language while instructing, "this is the tongue of the sneaker, these are the laces, this is the sole."  I like to put of plenty of lacing, bead stringing, and tying materials in September with this aim.  Learning to tie takes a while, but starting while the child is a good idea.  

My favorite Open and Close activity for back to school is practicing with actual lunch containers.  Gather together an empty lunch box for the child to explore, open, close, and pack up by themselves.  Consider adding a napkin, thermos, drink container, and small tupperware-type containers.  Adding twist, snap, or peel away lids provide opportunities for expanding hand strength and independence.  Many schools are adopting a trash-less lunch policy to cut back on waste at lunch time which can mean more small containers for lunch.  Believe me (as someone who opens 20 thermoses a day at school) your child's teacher will thank you!


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Comments

Allison said…
Great ideas! And as a kindergarten teacher, ones that I also see as VERY practical for children in their everyday lives.
September 18, 2011 at 1:18 PM
Stephanie said…
Awesome Ideas!!!!! This is a great way to help kids learn! I love the creativity of you r ideas! Thanks for sharing!
September 18, 2011 at 6:40 PM
Olives and Pickles said…
thank you for sharing,great ideas.
Patty
September 18, 2011 at 11:35 PM
Coedith said…
I attribute my patience with our children putting on their shoes to the years I spent in a Montessori classroom. There was no such thing as hurrying outside. Then there is also the putting on/off of wraps! I love the practicality of this post!
September 20, 2011 at 3:03 PM
Deb Chitwood said…
Your suggestions for practical life activities at the beginning of the school year are awesome, Jessie! I love your shoe presentation, and your ideas for open and close activities are extremely practical and helpful. Thanks so much for linking up with Montessori Monday ... I always love your posts! I featured your post at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/LivingMontessoriNow
September 21, 2011 at 5:00 PM
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