Practical Life Work: The Primary Classroom

Preliminary Exercises are designed to help the children refine the movements needed for pouring, using a spoon, carrying a tray, how to sit and stand from a chair and how to roll and unroll a work mat. Many of these exercises are practiced in our Toddler program and are most present in classroom work at the start of the school year when children are acclimating to their environment.

Care of Self exercises are aimed at increasing a child’s independence to take care of their own needs. These include washing hands, preparing a snack, slicing fruits and vegetables, dressing frames (buttoning, zipping, tying, snapping, buckle, lacing, hook and eye), hanging a coat, and sewing a button.

In the Primary classroom the children take on a large share of the responsibility with Care of Environment exercises. These include hand-washing cloths, ironing napkins, washing tables, folding cloths, sweeping, dusting, polishing wood and metal objects, washing dishes, flower arranging, and plant care.

Control of Movement such as the Silence Game and Walking on the Line give the children the opportunity to work on body balance and control.

Grace and Courtesy lessons assist the children in learning etiquette such as how to cover coughs and sneezes, how to greet someone, how to introduce one’s self, table manners, how to open and close a door quietly, how to observe another child at work, and how to get an adult’s attention without interrupting.

The best way to support your child in developing practical life skills is to allow them to do things for themselves. In the words of Dr. Montessori: “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”

To learn how Practical Life is introduced and practiced in the Toddler environment, read last weeks post!