Practical Life

Practical Life is one of the four areas that make up the Montessori children's home environment. In this area, children can find materials that help them develop skills and perform day-to-day activities.

Maria Montessori implemented this type of activity because when working with low-income children, she noticed that they lacked certain physical care. She prepared a space where the children had everything they needed to wash their hands, wipe their noses, comb their hair, etc... she was pleasantly surprised to see that the children implemented these activities in their routine and even encouraged it within their own families.

Children have a natural interest in doing the activities they see adults doing, it makes them feel that they are part of society. Activities that for us may be boring or unpleasant for them are extremely fun and satisfying, this encourages repetition, thus extending their periods of concentration.

Within the environment, children have within their reach a series of carefully prepared materials so that they can carry out, independently and successfully, the activities that attract their attention. When the child has the freedom to choose independently the material he/she wants to work with, following his/her own will, he/she is able to develop a strong personality. Thanks to this freedom of choice that is offered in a Montessori environment, a message is transmitted to them that we trust that they are capable, which helps develop self-confidence, while at the same time working on their independence.

That is why it is very important that the materials are properly prepared to ensure that the child is successful in using it without adult help, for this they must be safe, adapted to their size and also breakable.

The activities of practical life are the most important in the work at home for children, as they are the first presentations that are shown to the child, with these we teach the child how to act in the environment, how to use the materials properly, how to interact with their peers, etc ....

With this work they develop skills and habits that will be useful for the rest of their lives, in practical life the children learn things like: putting on their shoes, greeting, buttoning their coat, carrying a chair, cleaning shoes, taking care of plants, preparing food and many other things.

Another reason why this is the most important area is because it helps children to adapt and develop a sense of belonging, by nature human beings seek to contribute something to their society, with these activities children manage to do their bit for the proper functioning of the environment. This occurs in all kinds of situations, an example of them is: One child moves the table, another one prepares the food, another one washes the dishes, another one cleans the table.

This makes them feel that their work has a value that goes far beyond their personal satisfaction, and they start doing or not doing certain things because they know that this can affect the rest of the group. For example, they find the material clean and ready to use it, when they finish using it they clean and replace everything necessary, because they know that after they use it someone else will use it, and if they do not leave it correctly prepared, their companions will not be able to use it.

The purposes of this area are:

Adaptation to their new environment:

With the materials in this area the children learn how the environment works, which helps them feel much more comfortable getting along in it.

Development of willpower:

Thanks to the freedom of choice, children really connect with their inner teacher, learn to identify what their interests are and follow them.

Movement control and coordination:

Materials are adapted to their size therefore they manage to use them successfully. For example, sweeping is something that requires control and coordination of movement, by doing it with a broom adapted to their size it is much easier for them to manage to do it successfully.

Develop independence:

The materials and environment are carefully prepared so that children have everything they need within reach, thanks to this they manage to perform the activities without adult help.

Develop attention and concentration:

Children have a natural tendency towards repetition, when they are developing a skill they repeat it as many times as necessary until they master it. Thanks to this repetition children stay focused on their work for long periods of time, thus developing concentration.

Normalization of the child:

By understanding how the environment works children know what can and cannot be done within the environment, they follow these rules not because they are imposed on them, but because they respect the environment and their peers.

Self-discipline - self-regulation:

By having everything they need within their reach and working autonomously children become highly disciplined, when they work with a material they pick it up and return it to its place in the same state in which they found it, if they make a mess they know they have a cloth within reach to clean up, if they drop water they look for the mop to dry the floor. By offering children this freedom within the prepared space they spontaneously become resolute.

Development of logical thinking:

By working independently children are confronted with situations in which they have to solve certain conflicts autonomously. For example, when working with watercolors... I take out the material, I try to put a color and it doesn't work, then I realize that I missed the water, I go to get it and start working. When I put it away, I accidentally hit the can and the water falls on the table, so I go to get the cloth to dry. The protector is wet, so I leave it on the clothesline and look for a new one to replace it.

All this work, which for adults may seem very obvious, for children is an impressive accomplishment and is a skill that will be useful for the rest of their lives.

How to apply practical life at home:

It is very simple to apply practical life activities at home since, as mentioned above, they are activities that we perform on a daily basis.

Any activity that we do on a daily basis can be adapted for children to do independently, we just have to follow certain guidelines.

• The materials must be within their reach. Children must have access at all times, because if they need adult help to get it, part of the child's independent work is lost.

• They must be real and functional, remember that we are looking for the child to succeed in doing it on their own. If, for example, we give them a mop that does not dry well, they will only get frustrated because they will not be able to dry the floor without your help.

• Make them suitable for their size, this will help them to be able to use them correctly more easily.

• Breakable and aesthetically beautiful objects, this causes them to be much more careful when using it, thus achieving greater control of their movements.

Ideas of practical life activities that can be implemented at home:

Kitchen:

• Pitcher with water and glass.

• Ingredients for a snack that they can prepare independently. E.g. toast with peanut butter and banana slices.

• Basin and sponge to wash their dishes.

Cleanup:

• Broom and mop.

• Brush and dustpan

• Cleaning cloth

• Spray with water and soap

• Sponge and bucket for spilled liquids.

• Towel for drying

Room:

• 3 or 4 choices of each article of clothing that are suitable for outdoor weather. (Pants, t-shirts, underwear, socks).

• Adapt the space so that she/he can wash his hands and teeth independently.

• Adapt the bathroom so that they can sit on their own.