We have so many friends with toddlers and I'm always thinking of really easy and practical activities they can do around the home. Bananas! Most children love bananas and as they are soft they are so good for a young child to cut and use for some practical life activities! 

• Peeling banana slices from 12 months. Also see this post about Peeling a Banana the Montessori way which shows a couple of different ways to help a young child peel a banana. 

• Slicing a banana with a crinkle cutter at around 18 months (using this crinkle cutter). 

• Slicing a banana with a knife at two years. 

• Using tongs to transfer bananas (we started doing this at 18 months). 

• Preparing a banana snack to share with friends at two years. We've used bamboo cocktail picks but toothpicks would work too. 

• Mashing a banana at two years (perfect for muffins or banana bread)

I've only listed the age as a guide, it is when Otis started doing these activities. It's never too late to start practical life activities with your child and many of these are still really good activities to do with a three or four year old. 

I love this banana slicer and I've seen it used in many Montessori toddler environments! Also have a look at this idea to thread banana onto skewers, it looks really fun and great for fine motor skills.