Carrying a Chair
Carrying a small chair with both hands and setting it down without a sound: the whole body learns control.
Carrying a Chair is a Montessori activity for a child aged 18 to 24 months. Area: Practical Life. Time: 5 min.
What the activity builds
Coordinate the whole body around a bulky object: grip, carry, steer around, set down. Silence is the control of error: a chair set down well makes no noise, and your child hears it for themselves.
The materials
- A small chair sized to your child, light enough for them to carry alone
- A short, clear path, from the eating area to the reading corner, for example
- Nothing else: your child's own chair is the material
How to do it, step by step
- Show the grip: one hand on the back, one hand under the seat, the chair held close to the body.
- Carry it slowly for a few steps, looking ahead rather than down, then set it down, back legs first, then front legs, without a sound.
- Mark the silence with a small nod: it worked when nothing was heard.
- Invite them to carry their own chair, on the same short path.
- Let them do it again, toward the table, toward the window: each trip is a complete exercise.
The parent's role
Show once, then step back. The instinct is to carry the chair to its spot for them or steady its path, let them bump the corners a little, adjust their grip, catch their breath instead. The sound at set-down tells the whole story: a loud thud means they can try setting it down more gently. Skip 'careful,' and simply demonstrate the slow set-down again another time.
Safety
A light, stable chair with no splinters, and a path clear of stairs or floor clutter. Carry the chair empty, never with something balanced on top.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: gently push the chair under the table instead of carrying it.
- Harder: a longer path with a turn, or carrying the small step stool.
- Extension: carrying a work tray with both hands, the signature movement of a Montessori classroom.
Up next
More activities for a 18 to 24 months child.
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