Montessori Polishing activities are yet another Montessori Practical Life activity that enhances motor challenge, concentration, and hands-on learning in young children.
For example, a wood polishing activity teaches young children how to concentrate, a mirror or glass polishing activity develops fine motor skills and an organized approach to tasks, and shoe polishing activities increase the fine motor challenge in children.
As a Montessori teacher and the proud father of two beautiful children (7&5), I am bestowed with the blessings of practicing Dr. Maria Montessori’s philosophy, and teachings both inside and outside the home.
Here I have carefully designed a step-by-step guide on Montessori Polishing activities. Furthermore, I will cover here a variety of polishing activities such as shoe, brass, silver, wood, and glass. In addition, I shall also talk about how these activities transform young children into self-reliant and self-supporting individuals.
Montessori Shoe Polishing Activity:
Shoe polishing is such an activity that I have done only with my children at home because many consider shoe polishing to be not an educational activity.
But I assure you there is nothing wrong with this activity and this self-caring activity does a lot of things for young children.
Here’s how:
| Shoe Polishing Materials |
| A Dirty Pair Of Shoes |
| Shoe Polishing Cream |
| A Shoe Polishing Brush |
| An Old Newspaper (For Keeping All The Items) |
After gathering all the necessary materials from the household, I asked my daughter if she was interested in this activity. To my amazement, she readily agreed and we completed the activity together.
Step 1: First of all, I asked my daughter to put her left hand inside the shoe for a better grip. Then I told her to take the brush in her right hand.
Step 2: After that, I asked her a question to test her present wit “Oh dear can you tell me what you are going to do first?” –
“Apply the cream on the shoe or clean the dirt off the shoe first?”. She paused for a moment and then replied “I am going to clean the dirt first from the shoe, papa”. I was happy with her answer.
Step 3: Then I advised her to dip the brush into the shoe polishing cream and apply it gently on the shoes. Furthermore, I advised her to do the same with the second shoe. Thus, following my instructions she completed the task.
I was happy to see that the Montessori Shoe Polishing activity gave her a sense of achievement along with confidence.
Montessori Silver Polishing:
Montessori silver polishing is a fantastic example of the Montessori Practical Life exercise.
However, there is a challenge with this activity because silver-made objects are rarely available at schools here in India (I am not sure about the other countries around the globe). As a result, I had to perform this activity with my children at home.
Here I have a summarized version of my Montessori Silver Polishing activity with my children:
| Materials | |
| Non-Toxic Metal Polishing Compound | Fluoride toothpaste |
| An Old Silver Ornament or a cup | |
| Cotton Clothes | |
| Tray | |
| Instructions | |
| Rub onto the silver, let sit, wash off, and rub to polish. | |
Polishing Brass Montessori:
Montessori practical life activities follow a series of different polishing activities. Some may or may not find shoe polishing activity suitable and on the other hand silver objects are hard to come by but brass objects are easily available.
I have done brass polishing activities multiple times with my students and with my children.
Given below is the purpose of the activity:
Purpose
- Hand-eye coordination
- Concentration
- Refining hand and arm muscles
- Fine motor skills
- Order of sequence
Materials Required
- Polishing fluid in a spray bottle or dish
- Cotton ball
- Soft cloth
- Paper towel
After gathering all the necessary materials I followed these steps and performed the activity (both with my children and with my students):
- Sprayed a little polishing fluid on the brass object.
2. Dabbed a cotton ball into the polishing fluid.
3. Spread the polish up and down on the brass object using the cotton ball.
4. Let it dry.
5. Used a soft cloth to polish the object in a circular motion.
6. Used a paper towel to clean up any spills.
Wood Polishing Montessori:
Montessori Wood Polishing activity is also beneficial for :
- Development of hand-eye coordination
- Fine motor skills
- Language enrichment
- Muscle development for pre-writing
Materials Required
- Wooden object (e.g., decorations or toys)
- Coconut oil (or child-friendly polish)
- Cotton pads (made smaller if needed)
- Working mat
- Wicker basket for organization
After arranging all the materials I prepared the proper environment using the working mat and then organized the materials in the basket.
Then I introduced the activity by showing and describing the wooden objects to my children (the same with my students). In addition, I introduced rich and engaging language (e.g., “This is an elephant. Look at its trunk, legs, and eyes”).
Next, I opened the coconut oil and dipped the small cotton pad into it.
After that, I demonstrated small circular motions or polishing from left to right, top to bottom, and named the parts of the object while polishing.
Finally, I allowed my children to polish a part of the object.
Benefits
- Enhances concentration and focus
- Promotes order and responsibility
- Supports language development through rich vocabulary
- Prepares hand muscles for future writing
Montessori Glass Polishing:
Montessori glass polishing activity is another that children enjoy while performing with their teacher or with their parents.
Following my instructions you can easily perform this activity with your children:
| Activity | Montessori Glass Polishing |
| Purpose | Hand-eye coordination Concentration Refining muscles in the hand and arm Fine motor skills Order of sequence |
| Materials Required | Tray Glass object or mirror Cleaning fluid in a spray bottle Cloth Paper towel |
| Steps | 1. Prepare the environment: Set up a tray with a glass object or mirror. 2. Spray cleaning fluid: Spray a small amount of cleaning fluid onto the glass object. 3. Clean the object: Use the cloth to clean the glass in small circular motions. 4. Address spills: If there are any spills, use the paper towel to clean them up. |
| Major Benefits | Promotes concentration and focus Develops fine motor skills Encourages responsibility and order |
Sumanta De is an educator. He has been teaching students for more than 16 years following the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. He has a 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter.
He is nurturing his children abiding by the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. His passion for Montessori methods goes beyond the classroom.
Hence, he shares his experiences and insights through a dedicated Montessori blog and a YouTube channel under the name “NewChild Montessori”. He aims to offer valuable guidance to both parents and educators.
Education: M.A. English, Masters in Child Psychology & Bachelor’s Degree in Montessori Teachers Training