The Montessori Practical Life exercise are seen as the cornerstone of the Montessori Method. The exercises provide the opportunity for purposeful work and they assist children in their development; physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally. They give children the independence they need to function in society later.
Practical skills differ across cultures, but are equally essential to survival anywhere in the world. They are designed to teach children life skills. They help young children develop intelligent and resposible contact with their surroundings. They enhance the children'scontrolover their movement, exercising the muscles of the whole body with understanding and willed purposes. The Practical Life exercises in the Montessori Curriculum focus on the most basic human movements.
First on the list are simple rules of decorum. Children learn what behaviours are proper inside and outside the classroom. They may role-play speaking audibly, but not loudly, and walking, instead of running, when indoors. A well-liked extension of the lesson is the Silence Game, whereby the goal is to stay as still and as quite as posible.
Next are exercises in moving furniture around, in working within allocated spaces, in carrying and using materials, and in completing work cycles. With the ability to concentrate and work alone, the children proceed to develop more functional skills, like manipulating door knobs and drawer handles, washing and drying hands, and using the toilet. In the process, they learn how to take care of shared property, which moulds them into gracious adults respectful of public property.
Following the simple-to-complex principle, the prior focus of the Practical Life Exercises on gross motor skills now shifts to fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The children learn to carry objects using spoons and tweezers, to open and close bottles and boxes, to handle nuts and bolts and locks and keys, and to fold and cut paper.
The children next learn how to take care of themselves. Walking exercise train them to walk upright and in a straight line. Sharing work spaces and interacting with one another nurture social awareness and mutual respect. Personal grooing exercises teach them how to zip and button their clothes, how to clean their hair, teeth, and nails, and how to blow their nose or cough in public.
Social skills are next on the Practical Life agenda. The children role-play graceful and courteous ways of greeting and interupting, of reacting to an offence, of hosting guests, of behaving at social events and on field tripps, and even of serving and sharing food.
Practical skills differ across cultures, but are equally essential to survival anywhere in the world. They are designed to teach children life skills. They help young children develop intelligent and resposible contact with their surroundings. They enhance the children'scontrolover their movement, exercising the muscles of the whole body with understanding and willed purposes. The Practical Life exercises in the Montessori Curriculum focus on the most basic human movements.
First on the list are simple rules of decorum. Children learn what behaviours are proper inside and outside the classroom. They may role-play speaking audibly, but not loudly, and walking, instead of running, when indoors. A well-liked extension of the lesson is the Silence Game, whereby the goal is to stay as still and as quite as posible.
Next are exercises in moving furniture around, in working within allocated spaces, in carrying and using materials, and in completing work cycles. With the ability to concentrate and work alone, the children proceed to develop more functional skills, like manipulating door knobs and drawer handles, washing and drying hands, and using the toilet. In the process, they learn how to take care of shared property, which moulds them into gracious adults respectful of public property.
Following the simple-to-complex principle, the prior focus of the Practical Life Exercises on gross motor skills now shifts to fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The children learn to carry objects using spoons and tweezers, to open and close bottles and boxes, to handle nuts and bolts and locks and keys, and to fold and cut paper.
The children next learn how to take care of themselves. Walking exercise train them to walk upright and in a straight line. Sharing work spaces and interacting with one another nurture social awareness and mutual respect. Personal grooing exercises teach them how to zip and button their clothes, how to clean their hair, teeth, and nails, and how to blow their nose or cough in public.
Social skills are next on the Practical Life agenda. The children role-play graceful and courteous ways of greeting and interupting, of reacting to an offence, of hosting guests, of behaving at social events and on field tripps, and even of serving and sharing food.
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