Sweeping with a Brush and Dustpan
Sweeping in a Montessori home starts small: a child-sized hand brush, a dustpan, and a few dried beans scattered inside a chalk or tape circle on the floor. A child of about 2.5 to 3 sweeps them to the middle, into the pan, and into a bin. A short broom and a real floor come next.
Sourced from the texts, not yet presented at home
| Typical age | 2.5 to 5 years |
|---|---|
| Area | Practical Life |
| Before this | |
| Materials | |
| Direct aim | To sweep loose things into a pile and into a dustpan, and to leave the floor clean. |
| Control of error | The floor itself. A bean outside the circle or left after the pan has been lifted is easy to see. The circle shows where everything should end up. |
| Leads to | Later lessons in this line are in preparation. |
| Time | About 10 minutes (our estimate). |
| Grouping | One child |
| Parent prep | Low. Tape a circle on the floor once; keep the beans in a jar. |
| Cost | Buy about $7 to $20. Make: easy to make at home. |
| Other names | Floor sweeping, Sweeping a circle, Brush and dustpan, Care of the environment: sweeping |
What the work teaches
Direct aim. To sweep loose things into a pile and into a dustpan, and to leave the floor clean.
Indirect aims, the ones you will not see at once
- Large, controlled arm movements in one direction
- Care of the home: seeing a mess and putting it right
- Working in a sequence: sweep, gather, pan, bin, put away
- Independence after spills at pouring and spooning
Set it out before you invite the child
A hand brush and dustpan sized for a child. Alison's set is a plastic hand broom and dustpan on a wooden tray; The Montessori Room's broom has a 70 cm beech handle.
A circle about 30 cm across marked on the floor with chalk or masking tape, and a small jar of dried beans or bits of torn paper to sweep.
Later, a short broom whose handle reaches the child's chin, and a dustpan with a long handle.
A small bin or bucket to empty the pan into.
A hook or a stand for the brush and broom, low enough for the child to hang them up.
Presentation, step by step
- 1Fetch the brush and dustpan. Scatter a small handful of beans around the outside of the circle, on a hard floor.
- 2Kneel and hold the brush in your dominant hand. Sweep one bean at a time into the circle with short strokes toward the middle.
- 3Work all the way round until every bean is in the circle.
- 4Sweep them into a small pile in the center.
- 5Hold the dustpan flat on the floor with the other hand and sweep the pile into it, a little at a time.
- 6Carry the pan level to the bin and tip it in, or back into the jar if the beans are clean.
- 7Hang up the brush and pan, and invite the child to try.
Details that hold the child's attention
Beans rolling into the circle one stroke at a time.
The pile growing in the middle.
The edge of the dustpan flat against the floor so nothing slips under.
A bare floor where the mess was.
How the child sees a mistake
The floor itself. A bean outside the circle or left after the pan has been lifted is easy to see. The circle shows where everything should end up.
The words come after the hands
| Words | Shown with |
|---|---|
| brush, broom | The hand brush first; the broom when it comes. |
| dustpan | Where the sweepings go. |
| sweep | The movement, said once. |
| pile | Everything gathered in the middle. |
The three-period lesson, scripted
You need the brush and the dustpan.
| Period | What you do and say |
|---|---|
| 1. Naming | "This is a brush." "This is a dustpan." |
| 2. Recognition | "Give me the dustpan." "Hang up the brush." |
| 3. Recall | Hold one up and ask "What is this?" |
Our suggestion, for a younger child still learning the names of things in the house.
Extensions and variations
- Sweeping up after pouring or spooning, on the tray and on the floor
- A short broom and long-handled dustpan for a whole room
- Sweeping a path or patio outside
- Sweeping crumbs from under the table after meals
- Rolling up a rug and sweeping under it, as Montessori's children did
Variations
- Torn paper or rice instead of beans
- A square of tape instead of a circle
Make it or buy it
| Material | Make it | Buy, approx. |
|---|---|---|
| Child-Sized Sweeping Set | Easy | $7 to $20 |
Prices noted . Approximate US street prices for home-use versions; they vary by maker and change often, so recheck before buying.
Making it at home
A small hand brush and dustpan from a hardware shop, a jar of beans and a circle of masking tape on the floor.
What to check when buying a set
Look for a brush with soft, dense bristles and a dustpan with a thin, flat edge. A broom should reach the child's chin.
Printables for this age
This work needs only the material, so it has no printable of its own. The shelf plan below places it among the other works for the same age.
- Shelf plan for age 2PDF, 1 page, 325 KBEvery work for this age on one page, in order, with a column to date each presentation.
Every printable for one age, by email
The shelf plan and the lesson printables for your child's age in one email, then three short emails on the first lesson, what to make or buy, and what comes next.
Signs the child is ready, and signs it is done
Ready for the first presentation
- Pours beans without spilling and picks up a stray one.
- Notices crumbs or spills on the floor.
- Kneels and stands without help.
- Wants to use the adult broom.
Ready for the next lesson
- Sweeps all the beans into the circle and the pan, leaving nothing.
- Uses the dustpan without spilling.
- Hangs up the brush and pan after use.
- Sweeps up after a real spill without being asked.
Fitting it into a home, not a classroom
| If you have | Do this |
|---|---|
| Only carpet in the house | Sweep on a vinyl tablecloth or a big tray on the floor, or outside on a path. |
| A tight budget | A small hand brush and pan from a hardware shop work. Saw a cheap broom handle to the child's chin height and sand the end. |
| A toddler sibling | Sweep up paper, not beans. Let the toddler hold the pan; they love a job. |
| No storage space | One hook on the back of a door holds the brush and pan where the child can reach. |
When it does not go to plan
| When | Try this |
|---|---|
| Beans fly everywhere. | Show short strokes again, the brush barely leaving the floor. Fewer beans help. |
| Everything slips under the dustpan. | Show the pan held flat and still while the brush pushes a little at a time. |
| The broom is too long to control. | Go back to the hand brush, or shorten the handle to chin height. |
| The child sweeps once and leaves the pile. | Show the whole sequence again: pile, pan, bin, hook. The finish is part of the work. |
Hazards to check before each session
Beans on a hard floor are slippery and, for a toddler, a choking hazard. Count them back or use torn paper.
Don't let a child sweep up broken glass. Clear it yourself first.
Where other sequences and standards place it
We have not bought the paid homeschool curricula, so they are not listed here.
| Framework | Where it sits |
|---|---|
| This site's Practical Life sequence | Lesson 7 of 12 published, after Dry Pouring Between Two Pitchers. Checked in: the scope and sequence |
| Montessori, Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook (1914) | The children sweep the rooms, sweep and roll up the rugs, and dust and wash the furniture. Checked in: A "Children's House" |
| Montessori, Spontaneous Activity in Education (1917) | Work of preservation, such as sweeping the floor, suits little children; their brooms should have short, smooth, light handles. Checked in: Chapter V, Environment |
| Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, preschool | P-PMP 1: the child demonstrates control, strength and coordination of large muscles. Checked in: www.in.gov |
Sweeping: questions parents ask
How do I teach a child to sweep?
Start with a hand brush, a dustpan and a few beans scattered round a chalk circle on a hard floor. Show short strokes toward the middle, then the pan held flat. Move to a short broom when the circle is easy.
What age can a child sweep?
Most albums give the sweeping circle at about 2.5 to 3. On this site the lesson runs to 5. A broom comes once the hand brush is controlled.
Do I need a child-sized broom?
It helps. A handle that reaches about chin height is easy to steer. Montessori asked for brooms with short, smooth, light handles. A cut-down adult broom works.
Sources cited by book and chapter
- Maria Montessori, Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook (1914)
A "Children's House"
The children themselves sweep the rooms, dust and wash the furniture, polish the brasses, lay and clear the table, and sweep and roll up the rugs.
Motor Education
In the cinematograph pictures the children are seen washing their faces, polishing their shoes, washing the furniture and brushing the carpets.
- Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method (1912)
Chapter VII, Exercises of Practical Life
The teacher shows the children how to clean out the little corners where dust has accumulated and how to use dust-cloths, dust-brushes and little brooms.
- Maria Montessori, Spontaneous Activity in Education (1917)
Chapter V, Environment
Dusting or washing a little table, sweeping the floor and laying or clearing the table preserve objects rather than produce them, a coordinated activity scarcely harder than walking.
The surroundings that invite activity include brooms with short, smooth, light handles and light furniture the child can carry about.
Reviewed by
What to offer next
Once the child chooses this work unprompted and finishes it without help, the next lesson to prepare is Folding Cloths.
- Grace and courtesy2 to 6 years
- Button frame2.5 to 4.5 years
- Sweeping2.5 to 5 years
- Folding cloths2.5 to 5 years
- Banana slicing2.5 to 5 years