Practical Life: Starting Off Strong
When your child comes home
and proudly announces “I washed a table today, or I washed the windows.”
naturally we can’t imagine how those activities fit into a school setting. Montessori is unique in its approach to the
social and academic development of the child.
Practical life is the most important area of
the Montessori classroom. Practical life exercises form a basis for all that
follows in the classroom and in life.
The exercises are not an end
in themselves, that is, their purpose is not “cleaning a table” but are
designed as an aide to life and to help the child become an eager and engaged
learner. Practical life leads the child
to independence and competence, both
physical and intellectual. It increases concentration, the ability to take a task
from start to completion, and reinforces left to right orientation for later
academic skills. Sequencing,
concentration and the ability to follow many steps are skills that come from
the practical life lessons.
There are several important
points at the base of the practical life work.
Every child has a need to adapt to his culture and environment. Practical life exercises are everyday
activities, which the child may see at home.
Properly prepared and presented they become a bridge between home and
school. The work must be based on
reality, for it is only through reality that the child can be secure and become
comfortable in his world. All practical
life lessons involve movement as the 3-6 year old needs movement to learn. The
four areas of practical life are: care
of the person, care of the environment, grace and courtesy and control of
movement. The child needs opportunities
to work in all four segments of practical life.
Another basic need of the
child is to develop and coordinate his movements. In order to reach this goal he must be free
to move and to repeat his work. The
child is encouraged to choose work that is interesting. The teacher observes and presents new lessons
to help the students to move forward as they are ready.
The work is in absolute
order, color coordinated, without flaws, and perfectly clean at the beginning
of each day. This presentation of
beautiful work calls the child to use the materials with care and interest. Only then can the child benefit from the
work.
Care is taken to use natural
materials as much as possible. Glass,
wood, lovely fabrics, pictures and items from nature speak to the soul of the
child in a way that artificial materials cannot. We honor the life of the child
by bringing beauty into his life.
Every child has an innate
need to achieve independence.
This begins at home and continues in the Montessori classroom. Practical
life exercise develop a strong independence that the child can care for
himself, the classroom and to be socially adept.
Every child has a need for order,
especially in the 3-6 age group. Order
in the environment creates order in the mind.
Order is essential for logical thought so all practical life work is
based on order with sequence. Materials
are set out in order of use, from left to right. The work is always in the same place in the
environment.
Other basic needs of all
children are movement and repetition to achieve perfection. All practical life exercises allow for
activity and repetition. The child
learns that repetition (practice) results in perfecting the activity. This skill is essential as the student moves
into academic work.
There are four types of
lessons in the practical life environment:
1.
Preliminary
exercises: this work prepares the child
for life in the class by giving the skills to use in the following lessons.
2.
Exercises for
control of movement: This work involves
the whole body. For example, washing a
table requires setting out the work, filling, carrying and emptying a pitcher,
controlling the soap suds, sponging off the soap and drying the table then
cleaning and replacing the activity to the shelf. Great concentration and control is developed
as the child practices this, and all the other practical life work.
3.
Exercises for
movement of hands. This work always
progresses from very simple to complex.
For example the dressing frames are presented easiest (large buttons) to
most complex (pinning). These activities
create independence, focus and the ability to stay with a difficult task, all
skills that will be required as the child begins to read, write and do math. These
lessons also prepare the hand for writing.
4.
Exercises for
control of movement: this work is a
point of arrival for the child. Self
control is necessary for success in school and life. These lessons give the child the tools needed
for this important growth.
Montessori teachers give
lessons in a quiet, consistent manner are always observant of the child and
focus on him as a whole being with mind and body growing together. The teacher’s delight in the practical life
area of the Montessori classroom will results in children who are comfortable
in the classroom, are growing toward independence, have a strong sense of order
and are cooperative members of the school community. Without this essential base, the work of the
child cannot go forward.
True self esteem does not come from praise but
from meaningful work done with a sense of joy and purpose.
Our own attitude toward work
is important as we model the qualities we hope to see in children. Now that you understand the importance of
washing, folding, cleaning windows, feeding the birds, washing cloths,
preparing snack and all the other wonderful practical life lessons you can
respond with joy when your child replies:
“Oh, I washed a table today.”
