The 12 Best Montessori Activities for 4 Year Olds in 2024

by Amy Brown January 8, 2023

At around age four and sometimes even younger, many children start exploring the idea of independence. During this time, you may observe your child's creativity and emotional intelligence start to emerge while their vocabularies expand.

Practical Life Activities for Four-Year Old's Preschoolers

Your 4 year old is now able to participate in activities around the home. Their desire for independence and curiosity is common in the late toddler years, and it is beneficial to prepare an environment specifically for these interests and activities.

Also Read: The 12 Best Montessori Activities for 3 Year Olds

Here are some things your 4 year old can help with around the house while learning practical life activities.

#1 Set the Table

Give your four year old safe place settings, and teach them how to set the table. This is a great way to reinforce matching skills. Just provide an example of how the items should be arranged, and let them practice. Have them set the table before meal times to help out.

#2 Baking

Children can measure ingredients, can transfer pre-measured ingredients to the mixing bowl and they can mix, too. Let your child transfer the batter to the cooking pans and use discretion if you want them to place it in the oven. Safety is important, and part of learning to bake is learning safety precautions while in the kitchen.

#3 Feeding Pets

Show your children where the food is kept, and what else may need to go in the bowl. You can even show them how to fill the water bowl. Have a scoop available for measuring and transferring the food to your pets dish. If it's a fish or other type of small pet, make sure they understand the feeding procedure and how much to give the pet.

# 4 Sweeping

Find a broom that is an appropriate size for your child so they can manage it. Teach them to clean up their own messes when they are done playing or eating. Show your child where to put the crumbs once collected in the dust pan.

# 5 Scrubbing

Some children love scrubbing because they can see immediate results. Scrubbing often comes with water spills and mess, but that's part of the activity. You can make this super simple with a tub, scrub brush, and towel. Children love scrubbing tables, chairs, rain boots or their waterproof toys but make sure they follow through with the process.

#6 Sewing and Stitching

Get your four year old interested in sewing by stitching something up. Put together a beginning sewing activity with an embroidery hoop, large plastic needles, and yarn. Let your child stitch designs with different color yarn.

Outdoor Nature Activities for Four-Year-Old's

Your four year old should have a place and allotted amount of time to learn about outdoor nature activities, or to simply enjoy their usual Montessori activities in an outdoor environment.

Some outdoor nature activities to do with a 4 year old outdoors are:

#7 Bird Watching

Set up a little bird watching station by a window if possible. All you need is a small chair or floor cushion, some images of common birds in your area or even a bird book and binoculars. You can set up a bird feeder outside of the window to bring the birds right to your child.

#8 Walk and Name

An easy learning activity for 4-year-olds is to just take daily walks. Along the way you can point out and identify various things. Have your child name the objects and explain them and offer help if they are not familiar with that object. Eventually they will be able to identify these things and expand their vocabnulary.

#9 Painting with Chalk

While regular chalk is pretty fun by itself, try making your own chalk paint with water and chalk. This will put your child’s practical life skills to work by grating the chalk to make a powder before adding water to turn it into paint. Let them paint the driveway or other areas outside that need some color.

#10 Gardening

There isn’t a better learning activity for a 4-year-old like gardening. Let your child plant a small herb garden or help you plant vegetables. Show your child how to plant, water and pick when ready. Make sure they stick to a daily routine for watering and checking the growth.

Also Read: The 12 Best Montessori Activities for 1 Year Olds

Safety First

Safety is a top priority for Montessori activities, especially for children under the age of 5. For 4-year-olds, the following safety requirements should be considered:

Supervision: An adult should always be present and actively supervising the activities to ensure the child's safety.
Appropriate materials: All materials used should be age-appropriate, non-toxic, and safe for the child to handle.
Physical safety: The environment should be free of hazards, such as sharp objects or unstable furniture, and the child should be taught to use equipment and materials safely.
Food safety: When cooking or preparing food, it is important to follow proper hygiene procedures and use only safe, edible ingredients.
Fire safety: All activities involving fire, such as cooking or lighting candles, should be closely supervised and taught with safety precautions in mind.
Water safety: When using water for activities, such as pouring or washing, the child should be supervised and taught to use water safely.
Art safety: For art activities, non-toxic and washable materials should be used and the child should be taught to handle art supplies safely.

By following these safety guidelines, Montessori activities can be a fun and educational experience for 4-year-olds.

Final Thoughts

In the beginning these activities can be shown to the child but eventually the child will start to join the activities with the adult. The amount of assistance needed varies from child to child, but some children only need a parent nearby. Let the child learn do these activities independently and at their own pace.