Children who attend Montessori kindergarten in Agoura are ready to begin doing odd jobs around the house. These activities help them develop fine and gross motor skills, improve communication skills, and give children a boost to their self-esteem. Here are 5 of the most common chores for kindergartners and how they benefit the child.
1. Picking Up / Putting Away
Picking up and putting away expands on skills your children are learning at their Montessori kindergarten in Agoura. The activity involves fine and gross motor skills, critical thinking, and sorting. It also gives children a sense of self-value when they are praised for a job well done.
2. Setting the Table
Preparing the table for dinner involves math, fine motor skills, geometry, and critical thinking. This is an easy way to include children in household routines. It should also be the lead-in activity for helping prepare dinner by around age 5.
3. Dusting
A feather duster is a good way to start children out with general household cleaning. It helps them develop fine motor skills, encourages critical thinking, and imparts practical life skills they will be able to use throughout their lives.
4. Pet Care
Putting out food and water helps Montessori preschool children develop empathy for animals, improves fine and gross motor skills, hones critical thinking, and provides a good focal point for morning or evening routines.
5. Load Dishwasher
Loading up the dinner dishes involves solving spatial puzzles, sorting, fine motor skills, and counting, among other basic skills. Start out by having your little one load dishes as you rinse them, and progress to the child eventually handling the pre-rinse as well.
There is a very sharp line between chores that must be done on a regular basis and practical life activities. Practical life activities like pouring, measuring, and cutting actually teach skills that employ the ones sharpened by performing chores. Moving from the chore of gathering dirty laundry to the life skill of doing the laundry themselves happens during the next developmental age group.