Understanding Montessori Practical Life
In a Montessori Classroom, Practical Life is one of the core parts of the curriculum. Practical Life activities come in many forms, but they all share one important aspect in common – teaching little ones about independence.
There are four categories that Practical Life lesson falls into:
Grace and Courtesy – understanding and getting on with other people
If you’ve ever set foot in a Montessori classroom, you’ll find that the atmosphere is generally quite peaceful, and there are children of different ages all working in harmony together. You can attribute this to an extent to Grace and Courtesy lessons, where children learn concepts like waiting their turn, how to interrupt in a polite way, how to have respectful disagreements and so on.
Control of Movement – understanding where your body sits within the world
Montessori believes that there is an intrinsic connection between being in control internally (your mind) and externally (your body). A child who is feeling in control of their thoughts will have a better understanding of how to reflect that in the way they carry their physical presence. When you see Montessori activities like transfer activities, or other Montessori-friendly ideas like Pikler Triangles being discussed, these all fundamentally link back to the idea of Control of Movement – focussing on aspects like balance, fine motor skills and coordination.
Care of Self – looking after yourself and lending a hand to those who need it
This one is a little more self-explanatory – for a child to be truly independent they need to be able to address their own self care needs such as washing themselves, going to the bathroom, getting dressed, cleaning their teeth and blowing their nose (which my son is starting to understand how to do as I write this, yay!). Much of this we teach day-to-day without realising, but offering intentional activities such as dressing frames, and creating a prepared environment that sets your child up to succeed, are fundamental to this area of Practical Life.
Care of Environment – picking up after yourself and owning your actions
This, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful aspects of Montessori education. Care of Environment speaks to having children understand that they are part of something bigger – a community – and that their individual actions influence the collective as a whole. In a Montessori classroom, children are taught that they each have a valuable role to play to ensure their community runs as it should and is a harmonious environment for everyone. This could be from simple tasks to tidying up their own spills or messes, through to more complex tasks like working together in a community garden. With an increasing focus on caring for our environment, I’m seeing more and more educational facilities embrace these approaches in their curriculum design, not just within Montessori classrooms.
"The exercises of practical life are formative activities, a work of adaptation to the environment. Such adaptation to the environment and efficient functioning therein is the very essence of useful education."
Introducing Practical Life activities to your child may feel overwhelming. I know when I started to research and understand practical life, I felt a sense of overwhelm! How was I going to find time to integrate these things into our daily routine!?
But once I started really breaking it down, I realised that all I had to do was involve my son in as many aspects of daily life as possible and then go from there.
Part of our role as adults within the Practical Life setting is to allow children the space to try an activity. Yes, things take a little longer because small people can be slow, but it’s so exciting seeing your child respond and grow. By including my son in day-to-day tasks, I’m working towards making him feel a sense of inclusion, belonging and responsibility regarding his place in our home and the world. And that, my friends, is really the ultimate goal as a parent, am I right?
If you’re interested in learning more about how to design an effective practical life activity, check out my article on 15 Important Characteristics of Practical Life Activities in Montessori
Practical Life and Sensitive Periods
Before we take a look at some examples of Practical Life Materials and Activities, it’s important to refresh on sensitive periods, and how Practical Life aligns with these concepts.
Practical Life activities are designed to support and align to different developmental stages – this means that the activities are considered to tap into your child’s innate developmental interests. During these years, the sensitive periods for order, movement, language, social development, sensory perception, and fine motor skills are at their peak. This is because from age 2 through to 6 years, children are innately ready to develop cognitive skills that help them make sense of the world around them, as well as absorbing language and social skills at a rapid pace. They also experience rapid changes in their physical development, making ages 2-4 (although this starts from birth in a broader context) an ideal time for them to hone muscle control, develop their balance and coordination, and explore the world around them with movement.
Here’s how practical life activities link to the various sensitive periods:
Order: When you take a look at the activities below, you’ll notice that most of them involve a series of steps that must be completed, in a certain order, for the task to be done correctly. Take hand washing, for example, we must first turn on the tap, wet our hands, apply the soap, lather the soap, rise then dry our hands. This task doesn’t work if we take things out of this order. Simple to us, mind-blowing for children.
Movement and refinement of motor skills: This is where tasks that require fine or gross motor skill use come into play. The objective of these tasks is to help your little one control their movement and develop their coordination (jeez, something I could have used more of as a child, I tell ya!). So tasks below that include things like pouring, tonging or sweeping relate to this sensitive period.
Language: Once you start paying attention, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much language development is involved with Practical Life activities! Your little one will be learning to expand their vocabulary as they learn the news of new items, objects and actions involved with the activities they are undertaking.
Sensory perception: Again, this is a more subtle connection that you might not notice unless you’re paying attention. Tasks like gardening or food preparation, where your child can smell different herbs tap into the olfactory sense (sense of smell). Folding clothing allows them to develop their stereognostic sense (sense of touch).
Social: This is especially relevant for Practical Life activities that link to Grace and Courtesy and Care of Environment. These activities are designed to allow for social skills development and include things like learning to set the table for a shared meal (which also taps into motor skills and order!). See, it’s all so interlinked.
When you understand the sensitive periods relevant to your child’s developmental journey, you can create an even more supportive environment that meets the needs of your child at the time and stage of their life they need certain things most.
Montessori Classroom –Practical Life Activities List
Before we dive into this list that shows some examples of Practical Life activities you might find in a Montessori classroom, it’s important to understand the role that culture has on Practical Life. Activities vary within different countries and cultures, and that is the brilliant thing about Practical Life – it can and should reflect your child’s unique place in the world. As I’m based in Australia, these activities are my experience of what you might find in a classroom within a Western context – and they might look different to activities that resonate within your culture. If you have ideas to share about Practical Life activities from around the globe, please, drop them in the comments!
Activity Description | Practical Life Category | Practical Life Materials | Age |
Pouring liquids | Control of Movement, Care of Environment | Small pitchers and cups | 3-4 |
Spooning dry goods | Control of Movement, Care of Environment | 3-4 | |
Transferring with tongs | Control of Movement, Care of Environment | 3-4 | |
Washing hands | Care of Self | Basin, soap, pitcher, and towel | 2-3 |
Buttoning | Care of Self | 3-4 | |
Zipping | Care of Self | 3-4 | |
Folding | Control of Movement, Care of Environment | Small cloths or napkins | 4-5 |
Sweeping | Control of Movement, Care of Environment | 3-4 | |
Dusting | Control of Movement, Care of Environment | Dusting cloth and small items to dust | 3-4 |
Plant care | Care of Environment | 4-5 | |
Polishing | Control of Movement, Care of Environment | Polishing cloth, polishing cream, and metal or wooden objects | 4-5 |
Setting a table | Grace and Courtesy, Care of Environment | Small plates, cups, utensils, and napkins | 4-5 |
Food preparation | Care of Self, Care of Environment | 4-5 | |
Dishwashing | Care of Self, Care of Environment | Basin, sponge, soap, and child-sized dishes | 4-5 |
Clothes washing | Care of Self, Care of Environment | Basin, soap, scrubbing brush, and small clothing items | 4-6 |
Clothes hanging | Control of Movement, Care of Environment | Clothesline, clothespins, and wet clothes | 4-6 |
Sewing | Control of Movement, Care of Self | Sewing cards, yarn or thread, and child-safe needle | 4-6 |
Threading beads | Control of Movement, Care of Self | 3-4 | |
Flower arranging | Grace and Courtesy, Care of Environment | Small vases, flowers, and scissors | 4-5 |
Using a lock and key | Control of Movement, Care of Self | 4-5 |
Many of these activities might appear straightforward, but it’s important to remember there is actually a lot going on under the surface. When completing these tasks, your child is learning sequencing, improving fine motor skills, developing language, coordination and more. It will take your child many, many opportunities to practice before they master these skills, and that is okay! By presenting these activities in an approachable and respectful way, you are communicating that these activities are important and allowing your child the space to complete them with dignity.
Ideas for Practical Life Exercises in a Montessori Home Environment
Finally, I thought it would be useful to share some ideas that translate into a home setting. At home, we might not have all the traditional Montessori materials available, such as dressing frames or the right sort of child-sized implements. But that doesn’t mean we can’t set up meaningful Practical Life activities in an everyday context! Here’s my suggestions for easy-to-set-up Practical life activities ideal for 2,3,4 and 5 year olds.
Activity description | Practical Life category | Material | Age |
Making a snack | Care of Self, Care of Environment, Control of Movement | Child-friendly kitchen utensils, cutting board, ingredients | 3-4 |
Sorting laundry | Care of Environment, Control of Movement | Laundry basket, clothes | 3-4 |
Making the bed | Care of Environment, Control of Movement | Bed, sheets, pillow, blanket | 3-4 |
Watering houseplants | Care of Environment, | Small watering can, houseplants | 3-4 |
Wiping surfaces | Care of Environment | Cloth, spray bottle with water | 3-4 |
Preparing a shopping list | Grace and Courtesy, Care of Self | Paper, pencil, grocery items to list | 4-5 |
Feeding pets | Care of Environment | Pet food, pet bowl, pet | 3-4 |
Helping with groceries | Grace and Courtesy, Care of Environment | Grocery bags, pantry or fridge | 4-5 |
Brushing teeth | Care of Self | Toothbrush, toothpaste, cup, sink | 2-3 |
Putting away toys | Care of Environment | Toys, designated storage spaces | 2-3 |
Peeling fruits | Care of Self, Care of Environment | Fruit, child-safe peeler or knife | 4-5 |
Packing a lunch | Care of Self, Care of Environment | Lunchbox, containers, utensils, food items | 4-5 |
Hanging up clothes | Care of Environment | Child-sized hangers, clothes | 3-4 |
Matching socks | Care of Environment | Pairs of socks | 3-4 |
Washing fruits and vegetables | Care of Self, Care of Environment | Basin, water, fruits, and vegetables | 4-5 |
Tying shoelaces | Care of Self | Shoes with laces | 4-6 |
Washing windows | Care of Environment | Cloth, spray bottle with water | 4-6 |
Measuring ingredients | Care of Self, Care of Environment | Measuring cups, spoons, ingredients | 4-6 |
Folding and putting away clothes | Care of Environment | Clean clothes, designated storage spaces | 4-5 |
Setting the table for a family meal | Grace and Courtesy, Care of Environment | Plates, cups, utensils, napkins | 4-5 |
The Bottom Line
Practical Life activities are a reminder to us, as adults, to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. Engaging in Practical Life activities with our little ones makes us stop and appreciate the mundane. A task that is seemingly routine to us, is interesting, engaging and wonderful to our children. The Practical Life approach taps into our children’s innate desire to learn, to be independent and to contribute, and allows us to harness this desire from a young age, instilling these sensibilities into the fabric of our child’s being so that they carry these concepts into adulthood.
