Today, we continue our series exploring the Practical Life area of the Montessori classroom, focusing in this post on the ways in which Practical Life skills benefit other curriculum areas.
Many of the exercises in the Practical Life area are preparation exercises for Sensorial works. The exercises help to fine tune the development of the child’s senses. Many uses of the five senses occur in the Practical Life area: sound, sight, and touch are used in equipment-based activities, such as bean scooping; smelling and tasting are involved in the preparation of food.
Practical Life not only develops the child’s senses and teaches real life skills, but also sets the basic foundation for other areas to come. For example, understanding size, weight, and equal distribution are skills which are vital when the child is introduced to the Math are of the classroom. Perhaps most significant is the development of the pincer grip, which allows the child to correctly grip a pencil and begin working in the Language area.
Next Wednesday: The Conclusion of Our Exploration of the Practical Life Area
Other posts in this series:
Parent Education: Practical Life – Part 1 (Introduction and Exercises)