Sweeping

 Sweeping is a great toddler and preschooler skill.  It encourages motor coordination, practices cross-lateral movements, utilizes simple problem-solving skills, and promotes practical life skills. 

We have a blue taped square on the tile, a handbroom and small broom, a dustpan and a basket of cotton balls.  My kids love dumping the cotton balls and then sweeping them into the square, into the pan and then dumping them back in the basket.  Quinn can do this no problem, while Beck has a hard time controlling where the cotton balls go.  Right now he mostly just swings at them blindly and they scatter in all directions.  But in no time at all I know he'll be sweeping effectively! 

Often they'll do sweeping together, which promotes some cooperative work skills.  He'll hold the dustpan and she'll sweep.  And though these pictures look like sunshine and rainbows and happiness during sweeping times, of course there is arguing over who gets which broom, who gets to sweep first, yada-yada....and that's okay, too, because we are practicing negotiating turn-taking and tool-using cooperatively. 

I've also used silk flower petals in a montessori classroom as well as colored pompoms.  Any small, light object would work.  And yes, I do pick up random cotton balls around my house over the course of a day.  And yes, it makes me smile every time, thinking of my two lil' sweepees.  :)