Montessori Brooms: Complete Guide for 2023
Montessori brooms are a great option for kids who are developing all of their life skills. The Montessori method emphasizes hands-on learning, especially through life exercises that teach care of self, environment, and others. A practical life lesson that we all need to learn is cleanliness. That’s why young kids need a Montessori broom, designed to help even very young children learn responsibility and gain confidence. As adults, we all know that cleaning regularly is simply a part of life. Dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, and cleaning are great life skills that we need to learn. Why not teach kids how to sweep early? In this post, we’ll look at how Montessori brooms are used and their developmental benefits.
What is a Montessori Broom?
Montessori brooms are a miniature version of an adult broom, appropriately sized for a child. They generally feature clean colors and designs and they are made to be used for sweeping. Brooms help to introduce children to purposeful, meaningful work through sweeping. Using a broom promotes coordination, order, concentration, spatial awareness, and satisfaction from contributing to the environment. Brooms are a key practical life material.
12 Best Montessori Brooms
Many of the best brooms come in Montessori cleaning toys. We have some of the best cleaning toys for kids listed below. While they include other fun kids cleaning toys such as dust pans, mops, sponges, and brushes, there are also broom toys for kids as well. They are the best Montessori brooms we could find at the best possible prices. My kids absolutely love the Melissa & Doug Montessori cleaning sets.
1. Melissa & Doug Let’s Play House Dust! Sweep! Mop!
Introduce your little ones to the world of imagination with a 6-piece pretend play set designed for ages 3 and up. This delightful toy cleaning set includes a colorful broom and mop, encouraging kids to dive into pretend home cleaning adventures. Crafted by Melissa & Doug, this set features wooden handles and flagged bristles, sparking creativity while keeping playtime safe and engaging.
2. WOODMAM Wooden Kids Montessori Cleaning Set and Broom for Toddlers
This Montessori-inspired cleaning toy collection includes realistic broom, mop, duster, and more, providing engaging housework pretend play. Not only does it boost coordination and fine motor skills, but it also fosters good habits and a sense of accomplishment as children immerse themselves in imaginative housekeeping activities.
3. Montessori Mama Pretend Play Kids Cleaning Set
Engage your child’s curiosity with the Montessori Mama Kids Cleaning Set, an educational toy that combines playtime with learning. This 9-piece toddler cleaning set, made from durable wood and free from harmful chemicals, offers an interactive experience with realistic cleaning tools like broom, mop, and duster. With an organizing stand for easy storage, your child can explore the importance of cleanliness and organization while developing essential skills and having fun.
4. MAYEV Mini Montessori Broom with Dustpan for Kids
Designed for tiny hands eager to imitate grown-ups, this adorable set encourages early engagement in housekeeping. Choose from various colors, and watch as your child enjoys learning while playing and cultivating essential tidying skills alongside you.
5. Mini Montessori Broom with Dustpan for Kids – Yellow Duck
Not just a toy, it’s a training tool that lets kids actively participate in housework, making them happy little helpers while creating a clean environment. This set, designed perfectly for small hands, encourages role play, fine motor skills, and coordination, all while being a convenient solution for quick and easy cleanup. Crafted from high-quality plastic, it’s eco-friendly and durable, making it an ideal gift for kids aged 3 and up.
6. 11pc Melissa & Doug Deluxe Sparkle & Shine Cleaning Play Set
Introduce your little helpers to the joy of cleaning with the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Sparkle & Shine Cleaning Play Set. Sized just right for ages 3 and up, this 11-piece play set includes wooden-handled cleaning tools and accessories like a broom, dustpan, sweeper-mop, and more. Let your child’s imagination shine while they learn responsibility and fine motor skills through hands-on, screen-free play with this delightful and engaging gift.
7. 5pc Xifando Kid’s Housekeeping Cleaning Tools Set
Designed for kids aged 3-6, this 5-piece set includes a mop, broom, dustpan, brush, and towel, letting your little one play the role of a helpful housekeeper. With durable and reusable chenille fabric mop and duster heads, this set offers hands-on fun while fostering a sense of responsibility and cleanliness in children’s playtime.
8. HELLOWOOD Kids Montessori Cleaning Toys Set
With realistic designs including longer broom and mop handles, this set engages toddlers aged 3-6 in hours of imaginative pretend play, motivating them to develop good habits of tidiness and organization. Boost your child’s sense of purpose and confidence with this skill-building toy that invites them to play and learn independently.
9. JustForKids Wooden Detachable Kids Cleaning Set
This delightful housekeeping kit isn’t just fun – it’s educational too. Created to foster a sense of responsibility and cleanliness, this set introduces children to practical tasks while boosting their confidence and organizational skills through engaging activities and housework record cards.
10. Midoneat Montessori Kids Cleaning Toy Set For Children
Designed with a charming cartoon rabbit theme, this 6-piece set includes mini broom and dustpan, mop, and more for imaginative housekeeping play. Not only does it enhance fine motor skills and coordination, but it’s also safety-certified and perfect for toddlers aged 1-5, ensuring screen-free, hands-on fun that boosts confidence and skill development.
11. Battat Kids Cleaning Set Broom, Mop, Brush, Dustpan, Duster
This 5-piece cleaning toy ensemble includes a broom, mop, brush, duster, and dustpan, encouraging hours of interactive and imaginative fun while improving motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The set also comes with a storage stand for easy organization, making it a perfect gift for children who love to lend a hand while engaging in developmental play.
12. Masthome Kids Cleaning Set
With a mop, broom, mini dustpan and brush, scraper, scrub brush, microfiber cloth, and cleaning sponge, this set fosters imaginative play while helping children develop coordination and hands-on skills. Crafted from safe, high-quality plastic, each tool is designed for easy handling, making it a wonderful way for young ones to interact, cooperate, and learn while participating in household tasks.
Broom Toys For Kids Gallery
Components of a Montessori Broom
Montessori brooms feature:
- A child-sized wooden handle sized for easy grip
- Natural fiber bristles trimmed short for safety
- A lightweight overall construction that children can manipulate
- A design allowing children to stand upright while sweeping
Quality brooms have bristles securely fastened to durable handles. The materials feel inviting to young children.
Why Kids Need a Montessori Broom
Montessori brooms allow children to take an active role in caring for their environment. Choosing to sweep teaches responsibility, self-reliance, and pride in maintaining clean spaces cooperatively. Using a correctly sized broom matched to their height allows children independence.
Benefits of Montessori Brooms
Some of the specific skills brooms reinforce include concentration, coordination, balance, cleanliness, and order. These transfer into other areas of learning. We listed a few more benefits below.
- Gross motor skills through movement and active play
- Hand-eye coordination while manipulating the broom
- Concentration and sense of responsibility
- Spatial awareness and control of body movements
- Satisfaction and independence from purposeful work
- Environmental awareness and appreciation of cleanliness
- Social relations through collaborative sweeping
Proper Techniques for Using a Montessori Broom
If I can give you one takeaway from this blog post, it’s that you will need to show children how to use a Montessori broom. I handed my twin boys each their own Montessori broom and they wanted to swing it like a baseball bat. Once I showed them how to sweep and how to create piles of dust and dirt, they were much better at using the broom. Therefore, you will need to teach them proper sweeping, which is a great life lesson to teach our children.
How to Sweet with a Montessori Broom:
- Hold the handle near the bottom with the dominant hand, guide with the other hand.
- Keep elbows in and shoulders relaxed, spine elongated
- Stand centered with feet hip-width, take small steps to sweep debris
- Sweep debris toward yourself using broad strokes
- Use wrist action to maneuver broom into corners or around objects
- Sweep slowly and methodically for thorough cleaning
Choosing the Right Montessori Broom
You should look for brooms that will closely match your child’s height and their current stage of development. When kids are walking and running on their own,
- Ages 2-4: Toddlers can use child-sized brooms with soft bristles and short handles around 24”.
- Ages 3-6: Preschool students ages 3-6 do well with 28-32” handles on light brooms.
- Ages 6+: Older children can use longer-handled standard brooms sized appropriately to match their height.
Incorporating Broom Activities
Parents and teachers can encourage engagement with brooms:
- Place brooms accessible on low shelves where children can reach them.
- Allow children the freedom to select and use brooms independently.
- Model correct technique then observe children practicing.
- Sweep together or assign specific sweeping tasks.
- Provide positive feedback on their efforts and participation.
- Allow proper storage of brooms when finished.
Creating a Prepared Environment For Brooms
Let’s face it, kids can grab their broom and sweep the kitchen or the living room at any time. You can even encourage them to sweep their bedroom. Essentially, any space with hard floors can be swept at any time. However, I would follow the tips below so kids are more likely to use the brooms and use them correctly.
- Maintaining open, uncluttered floor spaces for easy sweeping. Not even we adults want to sweep in tight areas with a lot of clutter.
- Purchasing a specific Montessori broom (like one of the ones above) will help ensure safety and that it looks like a fun thing to play with. You can also provide safe, child-size cleaning tools like brooms, dustpans, and cloths
- Storing tools that are accessible on low open shelves will make sure you are following the Montessori method.
- Demonstrating proper broom techniques before letting children explore – Kids are not going to know how to sweep until they see you do it.
- Giving children the freedom to select brooms independently if there are multiple options.
- Making sweeping together a fun family activity can be a great idea.
Safety Considerations for Using Montessori Brooms
While brooms are safe for supervised use, you should still make sure the environment is safe for kids. In addition, children should never be running with brooms or swinging brooms through the air. We don’t want to have accidents or children getting injured.
I would recommend taking the following precautions:
- Select brooms with secure bristles that don’t loosen easily.
- Choose a Montessori broom that is meant to be used by children.
- Trim bristles shorter if needed to prevent eye injury. Watch children closely to make sure bristles stay on the ground and the broom is not lifted into the air.
- Ensure child-sized handles are easy for small hands to grip. In addition, make sure broom handles do not have any cracks or splinters.
- Make sure brooms have a specific place where they are stored and encourage children to put the broom away when they are done using it.
- Allow sweeping only in hazard-free areas under supervision. Children should not be sweeping the stairs or the front porch steps just yet.
Conclusion
Purposeful work activities like using Montessori brooms allow children to gain confidence and a sense of independence. Sweeping not only teaches care for the environment, but also fosters physical coordination, concentration, responsibility, and self-reliance. Incorporating child-sized, sturdy brooms designed for success makes this practical life exercise both fun and educational on many levels.
