One thing I love about early childhood practical life is that the lessons are abundant and at the tips of your fingers around the home. Fine motor activities at an early age help develop hand-eye coordination, hand strength, and small muscle strength. For these reasons we love playdough, using pipe cleaners, and sensory play.
One recent practical life activity – whisking – is so simple and fun, yet completely relevant to practical life and fine motor skills child development.
What is the purpose of whisking in Montessori?
In Montessori education, whisking serves multiple purposes, focusing on the development of both fine motor skills and practical life skills. Whisking helps children:
- Strengthen Fine Motor Skills: Whisking requires hand-eye coordination, grip strength, and wrist movement, which contribute to the development of fine motor skills.
- Enhance Concentration: The repetitive motion of whisking encourages children to focus, promoting mindfulness and patience.
- Promote Independence: As children master practical tasks like whisking, they build confidence in their abilities and a sense of independence.
- Introduce Sensory Exploration: Whisking also provides sensory input, allowing children to explore textures, sounds, and even the consistency of the ingredients they are working with.
- Foster Self-Care and Practical Life Skills: Whisking is part of a broader Montessori focus on life skills, encouraging children to participate in everyday tasks, such as cooking, which can contribute to a sense of responsibility and self-sufficiency.
In essence, whisking aligns with the Montessori philosophy of hands-on learning that promotes growth in cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development.
What is the direct aim of whisking?
The best part? You can accomplish this whisking activity indoors or outdoors. For the first time, we used a water table in our backyard. {I know, I cheated a bit but throw me a bone, I am working with a two-year-old BOY.}
Easy Fine Motor Skill Activity
If you do this activity indoors, just make sure you have plenty of towels under your bowl and ready to clean up. My two-year-old loves to splash, dump, and pour water so I figured we should start outdoors. {The last comment for some sympathy!}
Toddler Fine Motor Activity – Whisking
What you need is simple:
- A small whisk
- Dishwashing soap or bubble solution (even bubble bath)
- A medium-sized bowl (or a water table)
- A towel to place under the bowl and for general wiping up
- Water
Practical Life Activity for a Toddler
Approach:
*Prepare this activity with your toddler so he/she understands what is going into the activity. Plus by including him or her in prepping the activity, you can talk about the next steps.
- Place a towel under your bowl
- Add the soap to the water.
- Ask your toddler to pick up the whisk.
- Show him or her how to hold the whisk and describe what the tool is used for in the kitchen.
- Then show him how to use the whisk by turning your wrist in the air. I used my own, larger whisk to demonstrate.
- As your child(ren) whisk the water and to their utter amazement, the whisking will create bubbles. This cause and effect aspect will be fun for him or her and will drill the exercise into his or her memory of the experience.
Next time I am planning to move up in the world of whisking by using a medium-sized glass bowl, I promise. As always (ha!), plan for a bit of a wet mess. That’s okay, though, right? After all, my boy is learning!
Happy playing!
Marnie