Table Scrubbing
Table scrubbing asks a child of about 3 to 3.5 to follow a dozen steps in order. Put on an apron and fetch a basin and pitcher of water. Wet the table, rub on soap, scrub in circles with a small brush, sponge it clean and dry it. Then empty, rinse and put back every piece. It's long on purpose.
Sourced from the texts, not yet presented at home
| Typical age | 3 to 5.5 years |
|---|---|
| Area | Practical Life |
| Before this | |
| Materials | |
| Direct aim | To wash a table clean with soap and water, working through every step in order. |
| Control of error | The table. Dirt or soap left behind shows, wet patches show after drying, and an item left off the tray shows the sequence wasn't finished. |
| Leads to | |
| Time | About 20 minutes to present (our estimate); longer at first for the child. |
| Grouping | One child |
| Parent prep | Medium. Set the tray once; after that the child fetches and fills it. |
| Cost | Buy about $6 to $35. Make: easy to make at home. |
| Other names | Table washing, Washing a table, Scrubbing a table, Care of the environment: table washing |
What the work teaches
Direct aim. To wash a table clean with soap and water, working through every step in order.
Indirect aims, the ones you will not see at once
- Holding a long sequence in mind from start to finish
- Circular hand movements, the same direction each time
- Care of the home and its furniture
- Concentration over a long task with a clear finish
Set it out before you invite the child
A child-sized table, or a sturdy low one, cleared of everything.
A tray holding a small basin, a pitcher, a small scrub brush, a sponge, a bar or dish of soap and a drying cloth. Alison's kit has a stainless bowl, a 2 quart pitcher, a scrub brush, a sponge and a towel on a tray.
An apron the child can put on alone, and a bucket for emptying dirty water.
A mat or towel under the table on a wooden floor.
Montessori's children washed the furniture in the Children's House as one of their household jobs.
Presentation, step by step
- 1Put on an apron. Carry the tray to the table and set out each item in a row, left to right.
- 2Fill the pitcher at the sink, carry it back with both hands, and pour water into the basin.
- 3Dip the sponge, squeeze it lightly, and wet the whole table top with long strokes.
- 4Wet the brush, rub it on the soap, and scrub the table in small circles, left to right, row by row.
- 5Rinse the sponge in the basin, squeeze it, and wipe off the soap in long strokes.
- 6Dry the table with the cloth, the same way.
- 7Pour the dirty water into the bucket, rinse the basin and brush, and wring out the sponge.
- 8Hang the cloth to dry, set everything back on the tray, carry it to the shelf, and take off the apron.
Details that hold the child's attention
Suds building under the brush in circles.
The water in the basin turning cloudy.
A dry cloth leaving the table shiny.
Every piece back on the tray, ready for next time.
How the child sees a mistake
The table. Dirt or soap left behind shows, wet patches show after drying, and an item left off the tray shows the sequence wasn't finished.
The words come after the hands
| Words | Shown with |
|---|---|
| scrub | Rubbing hard with the brush. |
| suds | The soapy foam. |
| rinse | Washing the soap away with clean water. |
| basin, pitcher, sponge, brush | The names of the tools. |
The three-period lesson, scripted
You need the brush and the sponge.
| Period | What you do and say |
|---|---|
| 1. Naming | "This is the brush." "This is the sponge." |
| 2. Recognition | "Give me the sponge." "Which one do we scrub with?" |
| 3. Recall | Hold one up and ask "What is this?" |
Our suggestion, given once the child has done the work a few times.
Extensions and variations
- Washing chairs, a shelf or a windowsill with the same kit
- Scrubbing an outdoor table
- Washing dishes with the same basin and pitcher
- Cloth washing: a small napkin washed, rinsed and hung to dry
- Choosing when the table needs washing, without being asked
Variations
- A tray-sized board to scrub at first, for a child not ready for a whole table
- Cold water only, without soap, for the first few times
Make it or buy it
| Material | Make it | Buy, approx. |
|---|---|---|
| Table Scrubbing Set | Easy | $6 to $35 |
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 washing-up bowl, a small jug, a nail brush, a sponge, a bar of soap, a tea towel and an apron on a tray.
What to check when buying a set
Bought kits put every piece on one tray in a child's size. Single pieces, like a small scrub brush, fill gaps in a homemade kit.
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 3PDF, 1 page, 250 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 water between pitchers with a dry tray.
- Washes and dries their own hands well.
- Carries a pitcher of water across a room.
- Stays with a task for 10 minutes or more.
Ready for the next lesson
- Does every step in order without reminders.
- Leaves the table clean and dry and the floor dry too.
- Empties, rinses and puts away the kit unprompted.
- Notices when a table needs washing and does it.
Fitting it into a home, not a classroom
| If you have | Do this |
|---|---|
| No child-sized table | Use a coffee table or a stool, or a wooden board laid on the floor. |
| A tight budget | A plastic washing-up bowl, a small jug, a nail brush, half a sponge, a bar of soap and a tea towel. |
| A toddler sibling | Give the toddler a damp cloth and a corner of the table. Keep the basin out of their reach. |
| Short on time | Present on a weekend morning. The full sequence takes as long as it takes, and that's the point. |
When it does not go to plan
| When | Try this |
|---|---|
| Water floods the table and floor. | Show the light squeeze again. Put less water in the basin. |
| The child scrubs for ages and skips the rest. | Fine at first; the scrubbing is the draw. Show the finishing steps as their own lesson. |
| Too many steps to remember. | Lay the tools out left to right in the order they're used. The row is the reminder. |
| Soap everywhere. | Use a small bar and show one rub of the brush. A soap dish keeps it from sliding. |
Hazards to check before each session
Wipe floor spills at once; wet floors are slippery.
Use plain mild soap, not cleaning chemicals, and keep the water lukewarm.
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 10 of 12 published, after Wet Pouring Between Two Pitchers and Hand Washing, before Metal Polishing. Checked in: the scope and sequence |
| Montessori, Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook (1914) | Among the household jobs children do themselves: dusting and washing the furniture. Children were filmed washing the furniture. Checked in: A "Children's House"; Motor Education |
| Montessori, The Montessori Method (1912) | Third grade practical life: the children dust the tables and learn to handle various objects. Checked in: Chapter XX, Sequence of Exercises |
| Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, preschool | P-ATL 7: the child persists in tasks. Checked in: www.in.gov |
Table Scrubbing: questions parents ask
Why does Montessori table scrubbing have so many steps?
Because following a long sequence to the end is the lesson. The child has to hold a dozen steps in mind and finish with everything clean and put away.
What age is table scrubbing for?
About 3 to 3.5, once water pouring and hand washing are easy, and on this site it runs to 5.5. Older children enjoy it too.
What do I need for table scrubbing?
A tray with a basin, a small pitcher, a scrub brush, a sponge, soap and a drying cloth. Add an apron and a bucket for the dirty water. Kitchen and hardware-shop versions all work.
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 and lay and clear away the table.
Motor Education
The cinematograph pictures show the children washing their faces, polishing their shoes, washing the furniture and brushing the carpets, each fulfilling his own task.
- Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method (1912)
Chapter XX, Sequence of Exercises
In the third grade of practical life the children wash themselves, dress and undress themselves, dust the tables and learn to handle various objects.
Chapter VII, Exercises of Practical Life
After the care of their persons the children put on the little aprons, by themselves or with each other's help, and visit the schoolroom to see that the materials are in order and clean.
- Maria Montessori, Spontaneous Activity in Education (1917)
Chapter V, Environment
Activities directed to the preservation of objects, such as dusting or washing a little table, are simple coordinated work suited to little children.
Pieces of soap that can lie in the hollow of the child's hand and basins small enough for him to empty invite activity.
Reviewed by
What to offer next
Once the child chooses this work unprompted and finishes it without help, the next lesson to prepare is Metal Polishing.
- Folding cloths2.5 to 5 years
- Banana slicing2.5 to 5 years
- Table Scrubbing3 to 5.5 years
- Flower arranging3 to 5.5 years
- Metal polishing3.5 to 6 years