Practical Life

“A child’s work is to create the man he will become. An adult works to perfect the environment but a child works to perfect himself.” – Maria Montessori

 What we call “Practical Life” is a series of activities and exercises that are primarily aimed at helping children learn to care for themselves or others and for their environment. Practical life activities include many everyday tasks.

 These activities support the child’s growing need for independence and a desire to “do it myself.” Dressing frames help children develop the dexterity to tie their own shoes, button their own coats, ultimately empowering them to care for themselves in these basic needs.

 These materials also give children purposeful work to do, often work that resembles what they see adults in their lives doing but re-imagined so that the child experiences success, helping to build her confidence. A child is given a child-sized table to scrub, a small pitcher for pouring, a low sink for washing dishes.

 As children move onto the second plane, practical life activities change with them. Elementary students prepare snack for their classmates and take on kitchen duties. Pet and plant care aid children in developing the responsibility to care for others. Students also hold classroom jobs at this level that support the daily management of the class and its community.  

 At every level, practical life activities include a sequence of steps that the child follows to complete each task. These steps support the indirect purpose of practical life exercises—to help children develop a sense of order, purpose, and concentration and to enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.