Maria Montessori developed her lessons so that children could learn at their own pace, and advance through the Montessori Materials to develop their sense of order, coordination, concentration, and independence.  One of the areas that develop these and that children gravitate to in a Montessori environment is Practical Life.  As they grow they are absorbing all that they see in their home so, as the title suggests, students choose work from the shelves to learn practical life skills which help them take care of themselves.  Maria Montessori spoke for the children when she said, “Help me to do it myself.”

 

In the Practical Life area you can find life skill lessons on pouring, use of a spoon, tonging, shoe polishing, sewing, screwdrivers/tools, food preparation, table setting, dusting, sweeping, gardening, and many other activities you would find in a home that need to be completed.  The materials are child size, which helps provide success with the work.  Many of these activities also take place in a classroom.  These lessons are taught with purposeful movement, helping the children feel that their contribution to the environment is important because it is.  With all the children working together to maintain the classroom they learn to work together and care for each other along with their environment.

 

Working in the Practical Life area also prepares the children for work in the other areas of the classroom. One of these is developing their pincer grasp for holding a pencil for writing.  Also, most of these activities are presented left to right, preparing the children for reading.  Sorting activities, which are sometimes done with tongs or spoons, are for developing logical thinking and math preparation.

 

Please don’t be surprised when you go to do something you normally do for your child and they say they can do it themselves.  Let them.  Sit back and observe how they are growing to be self-sufficient. It is the Montessori way.