It's hard for me to believe that my youngest little Montessori baby is already 2-years-old. The years fly by faster with each child and by the 5th, the years are barely a blink. But, even if I can't believe it, my Montessori baby is solidly a Montessori toddler now. Entering the 2-year-old year is just such an exciting time. Our days are predictable, her language is exploding, and we have a lot of fun together.
At 2-years-old, our days in our Montessori home follow some regular routines. And I thought I would highlight a few of our touch points that make up our typical days.
What does Montessori look like at 2-years-old?
Now, no two days are exactly the same in our house. With five children, there are lots of things that can shift and change our days. As the youngest, Penelope, is often along for the ride when this stuff happens, but in order to protect and strengthen her sense of order, I like to keep a lot of the day predictable. So, no matter what is going on, we have some Montessori truths that make up our days.
Self-Care
No matter what our day holds, our 2-year-old is going to engage in self-care. Practical life work is the cornerstone for all of our Montessori days. For us, some common self-care tasks at 2-years-old include:
- Potty learning
- Choosing clothes and starting to get dressed
- Brushing hair and teeth
- Washing hands
Other Practical Life Work
While self-care is an every day thing, other practical life work isn't. When I had fewer children, we were definitely working in the kitchen everyday at 2-years-old. Now, our days are a little less free and we do our best to get at least some other kinds of practical work in each day. What that work is will depend on what we need to get done around the house. Some of her favorites include:
- Watering plants
- Chopping fruits and vegetables
- Wiping windows
- Putting away laundry
- Pouring glasses of water
- Setting the table (putting out forks and cups)
- Cleaning up materials
Working with Materials
While Penelope loves practical work, she also really enjoys working with materials - that is Montessori tray work, toys, and art. These materials change and work on specific skills, and interests that I observe with her. Here are some things she is really enjoying at age 2:
- Pretend play with babies, her beautiful Waldorf Play Stand, and with blocks
- Lots of art
- Small knobbed puzzles (like this)
- Color sorting work (like this)
- Shape sorting work
Rest
Finally, I want to mention rest! 2-year-olds are still quite little and really do just need a lot of time with you! So much of our day is still quiet connection and just being together. This includes:
- Lots of holding/cuddling
- Nursing
- Reading books
Our Montessori days together are so much fun, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the next few months bring for us. So many activities, toys, and routines are going to be set, refined and practiced as we work together in this Montessori life!
What are your days like with your 2-year-old?
