Problem-solving

Chores often involve decision-making, which is a necessary part of problem-solving.

For instance, your child might need to brainstorm how to clean up a sticky mess or how to fold laundry of various sizes and materials.

These mini-challenges help develop resourcefulness, creative thinking, and confidence, all of which will benefit your kid later in life. After all, the way they learn to handle small tasks will one day translate to their management of bigger issues.

Communication

Working as a family to complete chores encourages healthy communication among everyone. You might discuss who is responsible for what, how to collaborate, and when tasks need to be finished.

You can also ask your older children and teens to lead specific chores, teaching them how to direct or guide others in certain tasks. (In other words, this hones their leadership skills, too!)

One of our favorite ways to practice healthy communication is to hold family meetings to assign chores, allowing our children to express their preferences, voice ideas, and learn how to compromise on shared responsibilities.

Planning

Tasks like meal planning, grocery shopping, and organizing spaces teach kids how to plan ahead.

Older children and teens are ready to take ownership of such responsibilities, including planning family outings and preparing meals in advance.

These chores help them develop their logistical skills, which will come in handy when they enter the workforce and/or decide to raise their own families.

Responsibility

As mentioned above, chores help children understand the importance of remaining accountable and following through on their commitments.

For example, a child who is asked to feed the family pet every morning learns the importance of being consistent and dependable. They know the dog or cat isn’t going to feed itself, so this chore has real-life consequences if ignored or forgotten.

We don’t always feel like checking things off our to-do lists — that’s part of life. But by instilling a healthy sense of responsibility in our kids, they learn to persevere when the going gets tough (or boring).

Attention to detail

Completing chores requires paying attention to the little things: the order of the silverware, the organization of the laundry, the accuracy of the shopping list, etc.

These tiny details teach children to take pride in their work and help them understand the importance of being thorough. After all, if they don’t have all the necessary ingredients to make dinner, they have to go back to the store… and that’s pretty frustrating!

So, yes — Montessori children spend a significant portion of their time cleaning, cooking, and generally participating in real life. But they don’t begrudge it.

When given the opportunity, kids naturally choose real, practical, confidence-boosting work over traditional play.

Above all, practical work in Montessori is about instilling independence and building self-esteem. In the Montessori approach, school is not a preparation for life, it is life, at the child’s level. Whether slicing an apple, watering a plant, or wiping up a spill, the child is practicing—here, now, every day—the real skills he or she needs to be good, successful, and happy always.