If you are looking for the proper Montessori presentation of hand washing, you are in the right place. Below, I will lay out the steps of the Montessori handwashing lesson.
Also, below I will link a free 3-part card printable I put together to accompany this lesson.
There are few life skills we need more than the ability to wash our hands.
Along with being essential to a child's health and well-being, Montessori handwashing is also a great Practical Life activity and lends itself to cosmic education questions!
How to teach handwashing the Montessori way
Though there are accepted standards when it comes to hand washing practices, there are various methods you can use to teach your child this basic hygiene practice.
You can work with your child on this skill at a sink in your home or set up a hand-washing activity tray for them.
At the sink
For those who don't use toy/activity shelves in their child's learning and play spaces, or who aren't keen on having water activities away from a sink, teaching handwashing at a sink is your best bet.
To teach your child hand washing at the sink, you will need:
- A climbable stool
- Hand soap
- Hand towel
To demonstrate this activity, have your child climb onto the stool and stand so they can watch you. Turn the warm water on and wet your hands.
After lathering with soap, wash your hands slowly and methodically. After you are done, hang up the hand towel and invite your child to try it.
Here are some points of interest to discuss:
- Why should we wash our hands? (The benefit to ourselves, families, and communities.)
- Why we should be mindful of our water use.
- Ways to curb our water use while washing our hands.
Activity tray
If you don't have a proper stool in your kitchen or bathroom but your little one is ready to learn this nifty (and fun…any activity with water involved is fun for kids) skill, setting up a handwashing activity tray is a great alternative.
Also, presenting the lesson as a Montessori activity with an accessible tray allows your child to repeat the activity at their convenience without turning your bathroom or kitchen into a swimming pool.
To teach Montessori hand washing as a shelf activity tray, you'll need:
- Tray
- Large bowl
- Soap dispenser or bar soap & dish
- 2 hand towels
- Pitcher for warm water
For this activity, as for any other tray activity, it's important to consider your child's dominant hand, if one has been established.
Here are the steps to presenting this nifty activity:
- Fill the bowl halfway with water and put it on the side of the tray with your child's dominant hand.
- Wet your hands in the bowl, lather them with soap, and place the soap back in its place.
- Rinse your hands in the water and dry them with a hand towel.
- Replace the dirty water with clean water from the pitcher and invite your child to try it.
As you demonstrate each step for your child, make sure you move slowly and clean/dry each part of your hands.
This gives your child a chance to see exactly what you are doing and to ask any questions they might have.
Some great points of interest you can discuss are:
- Why is it important to replace the water after we wash?
- Why is it important that we keep our hands clean? (How it benefits us, our families, and even our communities and beyond.)
Remember that, just like any other action, handwashing is important for setting a good example for your child.
Remember to let your child see you wash your hands before cooking and eating, and after using the toilet throughout the day.
Also, when your child has success with hand washing, how you react to their achievement is very important.
You can read more about what not to say and what to say instead.
Cheers, and don't forget to subscribe!