EXERCISES OF PRACTICAL LIFE

The child first starts working with the "Exercises of Practical Life" which leads to the overall development of the child. Here the child performs activities like sweeping, polishing, pouring, sorting etc.
The EPL are designed to teach the child to function in his own environment by teaching him how to cope with the things around him. The daily functions of our house are routine and simple to us but they are new and exciting to a child. So often we scold a young child for banging doors etc. and yet have we ever taken the time to show him the proper way of doing things.
It is only after he has learnt to master his home environment, then the child is ready to begin the more complicated process of learning. In the Montessori environment the child is introduced to activities like threading, which helps in the strengthening of the writing fingers. Similarly different activities like Solid Pouring and Liquid Pouring enhances the child's concentration. He learns the importance of hygiene through activities like sneezing, coughing etc. and social graces through activities like "Assalam-o-Alaikum". These activities indirectly prepares the child to move forward in the different areas of learning.
Practically Speaking (About Practical Life)

PRACTICALLY SPEAKING (ABOUT PRACTICAL LIFE)

The practical life exercises are the very foundation for the Montessori classroom. Concentration and development stem from these essential exercises. In this essay, I will discuss the importance of these exercises in conjunction with their aims and presentation. Practical life exercises take on different appearances in different cultures. No matter if a child is setting the table with polished silverware or polished chopsticks one thing remains undisputed, these exercises are fun. Certainly they have aims and controls of error. They are preparation for countless developmental and academic skills, but what draws the child to practical life and keeps him coming back is sheer pleasure. E. M. Standing writes, “The first thing to realize about these exercises of practical life is that their aim is not a practical one. Emphasis should be laid not on the word ‘practical’ but on the word ‘life’.” (Her Life and Work, page 213) The American Heritage Dictionary includes in its definition of “practical”, “Designed to serve a purpose without elaboration”. Therefore, these exercises can be viewed as purposeful and sensible, yet powerful. They are individual yet cumulative, simple, enjoyable tasks with a multiplicity of rewards. Initially, a child is drawn to the practical life exercises by the design and attractiveness of the material. A table washing activity for example could involve a brightly colored bucket with coordinating basin, pitcher and cleaning supplies. The lessons in the practical life area should be presented with precise movements and as few words as possible. The teacher must always bear in mind that the child will absorb more from watching than from verbal instructions. She should make every effort to maintain that the child’s attempt will be successful, thereby allowing him the freedom to pursue his inner needs and sensitivities. This is the direct aim of all practical life activities, to set forth the child’s ability and freedom to work in his own time and space. Indirectly, the child, through practical life, is addressing his attention to detail as each activity has a certain regiment of procedure and placement. While to the curious onlooker, these steps and placements seem tedious and exaggerated; it is satisfying to the child. We must remember that the purpose of these exercises such as polishing, may not be the end result of a polished piece of silver, but the concentration and attention given within the process itself. Maria Montessori viewed the practical life area as the most critical are of the classroom. Some instructors believe that this vital area should account for 25% of the classroom environment. It is in this area that a new student is introduced to his taste of freedom through movement, and the unfolding mind awakens to new discoveries. Each activity of practical life, through its pleasure to the child, has an indirect preparation for things to come. As a whole, practical life subtly invokes independence, leading to greater self-confidence. Concentration is enhanced through repetition. I have observed many children who will wash the same table, day after day. Recently one girl brought in every shoe in her house which could be polished and rhythmically and enthusiastically polished every one, every day until she was finished. Did she know that the circular motion in which she used to polish the shoe was an indirect preparation for handwriting? She did not care. It was fun!

The child in the Montessori classroom has no physical or social restrictions, leaving him free to socialize while enjoying his work. This social interaction will develop self-esteem and social awareness. As the child becomes more proficient in his work, his sense of worth will be further boosted by his ability to present a lesson to a younger child. Acceptable social behaviour will evolve through interaction encouraged in practical life. The grace and courtesy lesson will enable the young child to proceed in life with respect for himself and his peers. He will have the vocabulary and manners necessary for polite and interesting conversation. Furthermore, this simple lesson in practical life will lay the foundation for his sense of community. “Through practical life exercises of this sort the children develop a true ‘social feeling’, for they are working in the environment of the community in which they live, without concerning themselves as to whether it is for their own, or for common good.” (The Discovery of the Child, page 95)
The child’s spirit is nurtured through such activities as the silence game. In this lesson, the child learns reverence for himself, and his ability to create his own surroundings. The game, often played collectively, allows the individual child to be in touch with himself, even his soul. It teaches the child how to create and appreciate silence, not as punishment, but as a joy of controlling oneself, a joy of living. Exercises such as walking on the line and rolling a mat develop the refinement of the child’s large motor skills and movement around others. Presentations of such exercises can be given collectively, individually, or to a small group. Other activities within practical life promote fine motor skills, dexterity and coordination. The dressing frames promote all of these physical attributes, yet self-esteem is readily displayed the first morning a child dresses himself. Polishing and pouring promote hand-eye coordination captivating the child through the points of interest within the exercises. In later years as he is writing and reading, he will not realize that these simple activities helped foster his current skills and love of learning. The practical life exercises should entice, enrich and encourage the child. Intellectual enrichment is achieved through the child’s ability to absorb through his environment. He learns to organize his workspace in accordance with his environment. The cycle of activity in each exercise calls to his sense of order and self-esteem. I have seen children return their work to the shelf with great pride, then summon another child that the lesson is now ready for him. This independent cycle of activity invokes responsibility. As adults, we would do these activities with our thoughts in a thousand different places doing different things. No so with the child. The child’s mind is focused on his task and each particular step involved. He is in control of each step, producing logical thinking. His inner sensitivity of order is rewarded through this methodical, precise exercise. The control of error in each exercise does not produce feelings of frustration, but feelings of logical order and control leading to self-confidence. “Although the exercises are skill-oriented in the sense that they involve washing a table or shining one’s shoes, their purpose is not to master these tasks for their own sake. It is rather to aid the inner construction of discipline, organization, independence and self-esteem through concentration on a precise and completed cycle of activity.” (Montessori, A Modern Approach, page 71) So one might ask, how, through this methodical, logical area of the Montessori classroom can the child enhance his creativity? Each unique practical life exercise has a point of interest, a part that draws the child from within. Table washing has the soap on the sponge, the circles on the table made by the brush, the waterfall made by pouring the water from bucket to the floor sink. Many times children have brought me a sponge with a mound of suds on it and said, “Look Mrs. Bayliss, I made a wave.” The points of interest are aptly named, and become points of creativity. Practical life exercises have amazing purposes, aims, and developmental qualities, but I find that the beauty of practical life is that it is a place for children to relax. Time and time again, I have seen an older child busy with the rigors of the moveable alphabet or decimal system, then, their work complete, they enjoy a respite of pleasure through practical life. This phenomenon was illustrated to me recently at my own home. My eight year-old daughter had been in a Montessori school for four years. Now she is in a more traditional school with an adequate amount of homework. After we worked on her homework for a while, I gave her a break to go outside and play, to run off some energy before tackling another difficult phase of her studies. After some time outside, she came to me beaming, holding with the dog’s water bowl. “I washed the dog’s water bowl, doesn’t it look better?” I laughed out loud and called her my Montessori child. She found solace and relaxation through her own practical life activity. Practical life activities are to adults, a futile exercise, mundane drudgery, a means to an end. Yet to children, they are open doors to life and development. They are an enjoyable, intriguing adventure, a social gathering, a soothing comfort, a place to unwind. Practical life exercises are fun.