Curious what a day in the life of a Montessori toddler might look like?
Here’s an inside look at a typical day at home with Lily, a little girl I used to nanny for. Note that the schedule and activities featured here were designed for Lily when she was around 16-18 months old to help encourage exploration, promote concentration, and build independence.
Hopefully this post will show you how easy it can be to practice Montessori at home with your little one! You truly don’t need to plan a ton of complicated activities or invest in a million Montessori materials for your home. Keep it simple – it works.
Remember, too, that every child is different. If you’re interested in raising a Montessori toddler, it’s important to follow your child’s lead. Pay attention to your child’s interests and let them guide their own learning. Here’s what that looks like in action…
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A Day in the Life of a Montessori Toddler
Wake Up & Breakfast (8:30 – 9:00 am)
Waking Up
When I arrive for the day, Lily is just waking up. Her older sister Ruby is usually downstairs already, eating breakfast and telling me stories about school. Soon enough, Lily wanders downstairs, still in PJs. She’s not a big fan of the morning, so we start the day off slowly. We do a standing diaper change and then get settled at the kitchen table with Ruby.
Breakfast
I typically offer Lily a choice of two breakfasts: “Lily, would you like a bagel or your leftover scrambled eggs for breakfast?” Eagerly, she points to the bagel. I quickly toast Lily’s bagel and then invite her to spread some cream cheese on her bagel. She tries spreading the cream cheese by herself for a few minutes and then holds the knife out to me, asking for help.
Once her bagel is ready, she sits and eats with Ruby for about 10 minutes. Ruby spends most of the time trying to entertain her little sister with made-up songs and silly stories. Neither girl is a huge eater in the morning, so they’re both happy to wrap up the meal after getting a few bites in.
Play & Read Stories (9:00 – 11:00 am)
Family Time
Ruby has to leave for school around 9:15, so the girls are eager to fit in some quality time before then. They hide together in the small play tent in the living room, giggling, as they wait for me to sneak up to the tent and shout, “Boo!” Soon, it’s time for Ruby to go to school. Lily and I sit in the bay window, her in my lap, and wave goodbye to her family through the rain. It’s hard for Lily to watch her family leave for the day, but the daily window routine helps a lot.
Reading Stories
Now, it’s time for stories. Lily and I both love the rain, so we take a huge pile of books outside to the covered deck, where we can hear the rain trickle down around us. We curl up together on the wicker couch with a huge fleece blanket and read stories for about half an hour.
Art & Music
Then, we head inside to play. I follow her lead when choosing activities. She is fascinated by fish right now, so I introduce her to the Finding Nemo soundtrack. As we listen to the music, we sit and color together. I doodle different sea creatures and tell her what each animal is called, “This is an octopus. See how many legs he has?” She scribbles her own versions of each animal and points proudly at them, “Fish!”
Movement
When she gets up from the table, she looks at me sneakily. Then she starts to run, laughing hysterically. I chase her in circles, teasing her, “I’m going to get you.” When she tires of playing chase, we sit down on the carpet and do a few stretches. She likes to copy me when I stretch, especially when I’m doing something challenging. Downward Dog is her favorite!
Practical Life
We have time for another activity or two before lunchtime, so I wait to see what Lily seems interested in. She walks into the kitchen and curiously examines a glass jar filled with dry pasta. I pour the pasta into a bowl and set out the bowl, as well as the empty jar, on the floor in front of Lily. She instinctively begins transferring pasta from bowl to jar by hand. As she works, she takes time to examine the texture of the dry rotini. She absolutely loves this activity and spends about 20 minutes working with the pasta. Success!
Getting Ready & Lunch (11:00 am – 12:00 pm)
Getting Dressed
As Lily plays, I let her know that it’s almost time to get dressed and eat lunch. We follow a consistent routine each day so that Lily knows what’s coming up next, but I also like to give her warnings throughout the day to help prepare her for the next transition. This helps prevent a lot of tantrums.
Then, I grab two T-shirts and two pairs of leggings for Lily to choose from. Sometimes she doesn’t care what she wears and lets me choose for her, but today she points to a blue cat shirt and pair of black leggings. “Meow meow!” she says eagerly, pointing to the cat on her shirt. She’s working on self-dressing skills, so I encourage her to actively participate as much as possible. She helps me take off her wet diaper during another stand-up diaper change. Then, Lily tries to push her feet through her leggings and, successfully, shoves her arms through her shirt sleeves.
Lunch
We prepare a quick lunch and eat together. She helps me spread her leftover scrambled eggs on a tortilla with black beans and shredded cheese. We microwave her quesadilla and check the fridge for a nutritious side dish. We settle on blueberries and diced cucumbers, a few of her favorite foods. As we eat, we talk or listen to music. I can tell she’s almost finished, so I grab two books to read with her at the table before naptime. This helps Lily calm down before it’s time to rest.
Nap & Nature Walk (12:00 – 3:00 pm)
Nap
Although Lily sleeps in a floor bed at night, Lily’s family has her nap in her stroller during the day. So we load up the stroller with all the necessary supplies: Lily’s water bottle, a board book, a baby doll, and, of course, Lily, all bundled up in her weather-proof blanket.
I set her up with her things and tuck her in, “Have a good nap, Lily!” Then we head out of the house for a walk around the neighborhood. It’s still sprinkling lightly and I hear Lily’s voice every time she spots a bird or squirrel. “Yes,” I tell her softly, “There is a bird sitting on that fence.” Soon, she’s sleeping peacefully. The rain has stopped, so I perch on a bench at the local duck pond, reading a book, as Lily rests in her stroller.
Nature Walk
When Lily wakes up a few hours later, her eyes pop open suddently, taking everything in. “Get out?” she asks sweetly, and I quickly help her out of her stroller. We walk along the dock, watching the fish and ducks swimming in the pond.
We keep walking past the pond, up a dirt trail lined with large rocks and grass. Lily – always a daredevil – tries to climb a boulder twice her size. Eventually, she settles for climbing the hill instead, going up and down the hill, over and over again. People go by with dogs and babies and bikes and Lily watches each person pass, fascinated. After a bit, it’s time to go home. I help Lily get into her stroller and we walk back to her house, listening for birds and airplanes.
Snack & Playtime (3:00 – 6:00 pm)
Snack
After changing Lily’s diaper again, I help her prepare an easy snack: A mandarin orange with a cheese stick. I peel some of the orange for her and show her how to remove the rest of the peel. She stares at the orange, concentrating as she works to get the peel off. After managing to remove some of the peel, she hands me the orange and starts eating her cheese instead. We’ll try again soon!
Independent Play
It’s been a busy day and, apparently, Lily needs some alone time. When I try to follow her into the living room, she shoots me a glare. I take the hint and give her some space. She pulls out her Magna-Tiles, stacking the square blocks in a tall pile. She spends a long time working on this, exploring the magnets by sticking them together and pulling them apart, again and again.
Music
After a while, she climbs up on the couch next to me. I start singing one of her favorite songs, “Five little monkeys swinging in the tree, teasing Mr. Alligator, ‘Can’t catch me!’…” As I sing, I hold five small toys and pretend they’re monkeys. Each time the alligator snatches a monkey out of the tree, I hide one of the toys. Lily laughs and laughs. Then she picks up the toys and tries to copy me, humming a similar tune.
Playing Together
We stay busy the rest of the afternoon, playing games like hide-and-seek. Lily is an exceptionally great hider and waits quietly in her hiding spot until I find her. When I hide too well, she calls out, “Where are you?” in her garbled toddlerspeak until I pop out of hiding.
We paint a picture outside on the deck and Lily has fun scrubbing the paint off her arms and feet with baby wipes. Finally, we head inside and break out the playdough. We practice rolling the dough into balls. Lily rolls out several tiny playdough balls, calling each one, “Baby!” When I make a large playdough ball, she points to it and says, “Mama.” Since Lily is showing interest in making size comparisons, I tell her, “Yes, you made a small ball and I made a big ball.”
Saying Goodbye
Lily is busy wiping the kitchen chairs clean with a rag when her family comes home. “Lily!” Ruby sings out dramatically as she runs through the door, directly into her little sister’s waiting arms. Then I show her family Lily’s painting, with Lily pointing eagerly to the dripping paint and tell them about her day. Finally, I head out, waving goodbye.
“See you tomorrow!” Ruby says with a huge smile. “‘Morrow!” Lily copies.
Want to get started too?
If you want to start practicing Montessori at home with your little one, here are a few things to keep in mind…
1 | Invite your child to help out with simple, everyday tasks. Give your toddler the chance to spread their own cream cheese, wipe up a milk spill, and make age-appropriate choices throughout the day. Children learn a ton from these everyday opportunities, including independence and self-help skills.
2 | Follow your child’s lead. Your child will show you what they’re interested in if you pay attention. So, slow down and observe your little one throughout the day. Once you know what activities your child is drawn to, offer them opportunities to explore their interests. Children learn best when you meet them where they are.
3 | Keep it simple. Everything is new and exciting to a toddler. Reading a new library book, playing chase, seeing a duck, peeling an orange, splashing in the sink… Don’t be afraid to spend time on these simple, low-key activities. Repeating your child’s favorite activities, over and over again, is more than okay too – it’s how little ones learn!
Check out these posts to help you get started:
- How to Raise a Montessori Toddler
- Getting Started with Montessori at Home (12-15 Months)
- Getting Started with Montessori at Home (16-19 Months)
- Getting Started with Montessori at Home (20-24 Months)
- Getting Started with Montessori at Home (2-3 Years)
You got this!
♥ Meg
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