Practical Life in the Casa 3-6 - Theory

“Through practical 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 the common good. As a matter of fact they correct all errors, whether their own or others, with the same readiness and enthusiasm without stopping to look for the culprit to make him repair the evil done.” (The Discovery of the Child, Montessori, 97-99)

This area of the Casa helps the child to function in their environment. These are the things we often take for granted but are the most important activities in the Casa. As an adult, practical life activities are ones we  tend to not enjoy and are viewed as a chore. Children, however naturally gravitate towards these activities as they respond to their natural development. The full value of these activities can be difficult to appreciate and understand which can often lead to them being devalued by parents.

Practical Life activities create an advancement of development on multiple levels, such as creating a connection between the home environment and the Casa environment as well as satisfying many areas of the absorbent mind, sensitive periods, and human tendencies. Through the practical life activities the child gains independence, autonomy and confidence as well as developing motor skills. The child is filled with a huge sense of confidence when they can complete something that an adult can do, children strive for independence. It is in the practical life area where the child first practices a pencil grip and works with their dominant hand. IT also allows the child to learn self-respect as well as respect of their environment both in the Casa and at home.

By the time a child is two and a half years of age, a great deal of absorption has already taken place. This has occurred mainly in the child’s home environment and once the child enters the Casa, they find comfort when working on activities in the practical life area, as they resemble many things the child has already observed at home. This helps the child to adapt to their new environment. The child recognizes this relationship of home and Casa and then by carrying out activities they have observed in their home environment a strong relationship is created between the child and their environment.

The child gets a sense of overall adaptation which helps the child adapt to their particular environment, but also supports the child’s independence. Independence is fostered through practical life in not only a physical and functional sense, but also independence of the mind as the child learns to think and act for themselves.

Practical life supports the child’s coordination of movement by giving the child opportunities to continue refining their movements. Many of the practical life activities are progressive and build upon the previous one. The child in the Casa is in the sensitive period for movement as well as having the human tendency for movement. The practical life activities give the child a direct connection to this period and their interest is captured by the activities that require movement.

Repetition is also supported through practical life as the child wishes to gain higher and higher level of coordination of movement. The activities are set up and presented in a way that always encourages repetition. Not only does one encourage the child to work with the material as often as they would like at the end of a presentation, but by not putting the material away at the end of a presentation and simply setting up the material again so the child can continue encourages repetition. One observes from a distance and assists the child in putting the materials away if needed. The child also has the human tendency of repetition and perfection. When the child repeats their movements over and over again, making refinements they gradually reach a point to where they are satisfied with their work. Beyond this many activities have a gradual increase in difficulty, so the child is further challenged and encouraged to repeat. The materials are laid out in such a way on the shelf that from left to right and top to bottom they gradually increase in difficulty. The activities don’t finish with one pouring, they continue with different pouring’s such as pouring into multiple cups or funnel pouring. This provides the child with ample opportunities to practice, repeat and refine their movements.

Concentration is a trait many see in the children at a Casa. The practical life activities are of significant interest of the children and as the child has the possibility to repeat the activities as often as they would like it gradually leads to concentration.

Practical life activities and their materials have several different features in order to encourage repetition, coordinated movement, concentration and adaption. The materials must be attractive in the sense that they should arouse curiosity in the child so that they work with the materials. They should also be beautiful and draw the child’s attention towards the activity. For example, having glass jugs instead of plastic, not only impacts the movement for the child but often times children are given plastic materials that can’t be broken out of fear that they are not yet capable of handling something fragile. This alone draws the child’s interest and allows them to feel as if they are truly independent and trusted. Other ways to draw attractiveness is by rotating the materials (jugs, jars, grains), colour coordination, simplicity (not overwhelmed with colours and words – remove labels) and the materials are well looked after (broken things are removed). The materials should also be functional, so each material that is placed as well as the activities chosen, should have a function and serve a purpose in the child’s life. They also need to be of good quality and work, for example many jugs don’t work well for pouring. When one provides the child with good quality materials, it shows the child that you respect them. If there are materials that don’t work or are broken, it discourages the child from attempting or repeating the activity as well as making the child feel as if they themselves aren’t capable. Many of the materials in the practical life area are breakable. This is because it provides the child with an accurate weight, beauty (glass is shiny and appealing), and that if it is broken it is gone. When the material is breakable, it also encourages a finer control of movement as well as self-control when working with and handling the materials. The activities must be complete and without missing parts as without, the child cannot perform the activity at all or may not be able to finish it successfully. All the materials for the activities should be complete and accessible including the materials to refill or restock the practical life area. Another feature of the practical life activities is that they should be purposeful, culture specific and seasonal to allow the child to adapt to their environment by only giving them what is relevant. The materials should also be child-sized so that the child is able to handle the materials. If the materials aren’t child-sized, the child needs help and looses their independence. In the practical life area, there should be basic and introductory activities which help the child function at a much more general level in their environment from the beginning. These activities include many of the grace and courtesy lessons, such as carrying a chair and unrolling and rolling a mat. Within the practical life area, different activities are grouped together in one area, for example all the pouring’s are together, and all the polishing activities are together. This way the child has order in their environment and knows where to find things as well as where to return them once done.

Many of the practical life activities help prepare the child for later more complex activities later. Activities such as opening and closing boxes, unscrewing and screwing bottles/jars, folding cloths are all small parts of activities in other areas of the class. Practical life gives the child the chance to learn and perfect these basic activities so that later the focus is on main activity. This also helps the child with already knowing they can accomplish something and gives them a sense of self-confidence.

Within the practical life activities you will also find activities related to the care of person (washing hands), care of environment (sweeping, polishing), as well as grace and courtesy (please/thankyou/introducing yourself) activities. Walking on the line and the silence game are also part of the practical life activities as they help the child develop control of movement and self-control. These practical life activities give the child plenty of opportunities to develop coordinated movement, independence and concentration as well as reaching the main goal of practical life activities, which is the child’s adaptation to their environment.

Many question the value of practical life activities and why they are even in the classroom. Practical life activities benefit the development of the child and the group. The child senses their own value and the value of things and people in the environment and therefor want to help and support the community to the best of their abilities. In the environment, the child also sees that their work and the work of others, has a value and influences the lives of others. This area shows the importance of cooperation and collaboration within an environment. Maria Montessori said that the development of one’s character is more important than knowledge alone. In the area of practical life, the children learn to overcome challenges and problems as well as connect the child to a normalized life physically, mentally and morally.