Importance Of Practical Life Activities

Practical Life exercises are activities found in a child’s daily routine, in which he also carries with him for the rest of his life. Maria Montessori said “Growth comes from activity, not from intellectual understanding" (1), and that is why Practical Life exercises were introduced. Also, it is believed that a child is naturally interested in activities he has seen in his surroundings, therefore the child can be able to practice real life events that he might pass during his daily routine with the aid of the Practical Life activities.
The purpose and aim of Practical Life is to assist the child to become a normalized member in his environment. It is thus vital to “Teach by teaching, not by correcting” (2) in order to allow normalization …show more content…
These exercises teach the child about the care and maintenance of themselves, other people and their environment which helps his daily life routine as well. For instance, for Care of the person, examples are, the dress frames, washing of hands, polishing shoes and preparing a snack, as well as dusting and washing a table, arranging flowers, polishing and many more linked with Care of the Environment. Then, Grace and Courtesy Exercises are introduced and it is where the child learns how to do certain matters, for example, sneezing and coughing. The child also works on his Last is Control of Movement, and its when the child has developed much more with his coordination with his movement and ability to hold back. This area is the child 's last area to 'refine ' the skills he has gained therefore he is introduced to activities like walking on the line and the silence game. interactions with others in his environment, for instance, how to greet someone, give and receive compliments and even …show more content…
Also, you can use neutral materials and color code them with paint or things like a ribbon if coordination is difficult.
Fourth, making sure that the material is child-sized. Maria Montessori was the first educator to produce child-sized tables and chairs and to think about the fact that a child needs to have his surroundings like his cupboards and shelves at his own height and strength. It was the children who led her development of the materials and the children who showed her how the environment should be prepared. Child-sized materials must be proportional to the child 's abilities and size. Even the size of a sponge or spoon must fit the child 's hand so the child can use it successfully because if the child is not provided with the right materials that fit his needs he will not be interested in the activity. Everything in a Montessori classroom should be made to be easily accessible to the