{"id":293,"date":"2016-10-25T14:05:58","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T14:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/?p=293"},"modified":"2016-10-25T14:09:28","modified_gmt":"2016-10-25T14:09:28","slug":"practically-speaking-why-practical-life-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/25\/practically-speaking-why-practical-life-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Practically Speaking: Why Practical Life Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe hands are the instruments of man\u2019s intelligence.\u201d ~ Maria Montessori<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Often at the beginning of a new school year, children in Montessori classrooms tend to choose much of their work in the Practical Life area over the other areas of the classroom.\u00a0 For one thing, they are drawn to the pretty materials, which are usually very colorful and inviting in so many ways.\u00a0 Transferring brightly colored rice from one container to another with a shiny silver spoon or pouring blue-dyed water from one large pitcher into three small cups is very appealing.<\/p>\n

Children are also most comfortable with Practical Life work because it involves activities that they see being done every day at home.\u00a0 Things that are \u2018real\u2019 appeal to children who want to do \u2018grown up\u2019 types of work and make a meaningful contribution to their homes and classrooms.\u00a0 Practical Life is the area of the classroom in which children also receive the most lessons from the teacher at the start of the year, and for a very good reason.<\/p>\n

On the surface, Practical Life activities provide the children with just that\u2014practical, everyday skills that they need to survive.\u00a0 Learning how to button and zip, how to set the table and wash dishes, or how to do simple food preparation, is necessary.\u00a0 But even beyond these essential lessons, Practical Life, if you look at it closely, promotes additional skills that lead children to succeed in each and every other area of the classroom<\/em>.\u00a0 How?\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at just some of the skills that Practical Life teaches:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Planning and Order<\/strong>:\u00a0 The children learn, step by step, how first to take the work from the shelf to their work space and then set it up.\u00a0 Sometimes the work requires items from other areas of the classroom, such as an apron, a mat, a bucket, or other tools.\u00a0 The children learn where things are kept in the classroom and quickly realize the importance of putting things back in their proper places when they are finished using them.\u00a0 This ensures that everything is ready for the next person who wants to choose that work.<\/li>\n
  2. Self-Control<\/strong>: At first, children using the Practical Life materials may be tempted to rush through the activities.\u00a0 However, in the careful presentation of the work by the teacher, the children discover the beauty and joy of the work done with control.\u00a0 Instead of hastily scooping up beans with a spoon in a rushed, careless manner, the children learn to observe the beauty of the shape and color of the beans that they collect on the spoon and the lilting sound that they make as they are carefully spooned into the bowl.\u00a0 Their senses are attuned to each part of the lesson, and they begin to gain an appreciation for a work performed well and with control from start to finish.<\/li>\n
  3. Coordination<\/strong>: Grace in movement is important when using the Practical Life materials.\u00a0 Trying hard to not spill out any drops of water from a pitcher or bowl, the child learns to move with control and purpose. \u00a0The children must negotiate how they travel from the shelves to the work space, making sure that all of the materials stay on the tray that they are carrying.\u00a0 Once at the workspace, the children develop a variety of hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. \u00a0These grow as the children continue using Practical Life works specifically designed to support this growth. \u00a0While teachers may adapt the appearance of the lessons (perhaps changing the color of the water or the types of materials being used), the essence of the lessons remains constant to help children continue to develop their coordination with each activity.<\/li>\n
  4. Patience<\/strong>: There is only one of each activity on the classroom shelves.\u00a0 Popular activities fly off the shelves quickly, and classmates learn that they must wait for their turn if something is already being used.\u00a0 There is no grabbing a work out of someone else\u2019s hands.\u00a0 Instead, a child might be invited to watch while waiting.\u00a0 Similarly, a child must practice patience in order to complete the work.\u00a0 Many involve several steps, and each step, from set up to clean up, is equally important and necessary.\u00a0 If a step is skipped, there is a natural consequence that affects whether or not the work can be completed correctly.\u00a0 Children respond to these natural results and will strive to do the work to the best of their ability with the goal of getting it done \u2018just right\u2019 with practice and patience.<\/li>\n
  5. Persistence<\/strong>: The Practical Life work is attractive for a reason.\u00a0 It entices children to return to it again and again to practice important skills and achieve their goal of doing it correctly.\u00a0 Because the Practical Life area ultimately helps the children develop skills they need in every area of the classroom, persistence and repetition are especially important. \u00a0Pouring wet or dry ingredients helps develop hand-eye coordination and estimation; using tweezers or tongs to transfer items strengthens the pincer grip needed for holding a pencil and other tools. \u00a0These will become important across academic areas.<\/li>\n
  6. Mastery<\/strong>: The repetition of movements helps the children to eventually gain mastery over specific skills.\u00a0 This is the aim of the Practical Life works, as it is with everything found on the shelves in a Montessori classroom.\u00a0 The self-correcting materials let the child know whether or not the work was done well and with accuracy. \u00a0If the water spills when being poured, the children know they need to pour it more slowly or that they need to pour less in each cup so that the cups don\u2019t overflow.\u00a0 There is little to no teacher intervention required\u2014the child can see for himself or herself if the work was done right.\u00a0 Imagine the joy when a child who has struggled with one skill or another finally sees that success has been achieved!\u00a0 It is that intrinsic feeling of pride that most strongly motivates children to continue to try, to continue to learn, in order to attain that wonderful feeling again and again!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Children\u2019s time in the Practical Life area supports their success all throughout the Montessori classroom and extends into skills that help them all throughout their lives.\u00a0 Planning, concentration, persistence, patience, and self-control all contribute to the children\u2019s effectiveness in learning every academic subject and in their success in managing social interactions as well.\u00a0 While Practical Life may seem simple, it is an area of significant importance for life skills. \u00a0It is the foundation for all of the learning areas within the classroom and extends beyond it into all areas of life.\u00a0 As one parent commented to her son\u2019s Montessori teacher, \u201cI love that my child is learning to sew buttons in preschool. \u00a0Not only will he be able to fix his own clothes when the time comes, but he may also make a fine surgeon one day!\u201d\u00a0 Practically speaking, Practical Life really does matter!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u201cThe hands are the instruments of man\u2019s intelligence.\u201d ~ Maria Montessori Often at the beginning of a new school year, children in Montessori classrooms tend to choose much of their work in the Practical Life area over the other areas of the classroom.\u00a0 For one thing, they are drawn to the pretty materials, which are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[28,3],"tags":[26,174,17,175,47,54,176,31,78,36,140,9,18,173],"coauthors":[13],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_3524.jpg?fit=3264%2C2448&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7icff-4J","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1267,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2024\/03\/25\/practical-life-for-life-how-montessori-students-learn-to-care-for-themselves-and-the-world-around-them\/","url_meta":{"origin":293,"position":0},"title":"Practical Life for Life: How Montessori Students Learn to Care for Themselves and the World Around Them","author":"Tori Inkley","date":"March 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jacqueline Pisciotto, Early Childhood Head Teacherand Becky Weaver, Early Childhood Head Teacher \u201cIt is interesting to notice that where life is simple and natural and where the children participate in the adult\u2019s life, they are calm and happy.\u201d ~\u00a0Maria Montessori Cleaning mirror work \u201cSo, my daughter said she has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Care of Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Care of Environment","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/care-of-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PL-Cover-Pic.jpg?fit=408%2C304&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":522,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/26\/the-language-of-montessori\/","url_meta":{"origin":293,"position":1},"title":"The Language of Montessori","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"September 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"By:\u00a0 Alex Chiu If your family is new to Montessori, you might think you hear your child speaking a \u2018new language\u2019 when he or she returns home from school each day. 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