Age Appropriate Practical Life Activities

Have you ever wondered why your child is fascinated with how you fold the towels, set the table, or mop the floor? Children, like all human beings, want to communicate with others, to do important work, and contribute to society.

This desire is particularly strong in young children as they develop the mental and physical skills to stand, walk, use their hands, and participate in real work.

To capture this interest, and direct it purposefully, Doctor Maria Montessori developed Practical Life exercises. These activities help children to understand, and participate in their world, while also assisting them in developing the inner building blocks of their person during the critical first six years of life.

What is Practical Life?

Practical Life activities are purposeful tasks that simulate the activities involved in everyday life. Often called ‘family work,’ typical Practical Life activities include sweeping, dusting, and food preparation.

The child observes these activities within their world and gains knowledge of them through experience using Practical Life materials in the prepared environment of the Montessori classroom. Practical Life activities are culture specific and provide children with the opportunity to develop a sense of being and belonging by participating in the activities of daily life.

What is the Purpose and Aim of Practical Life Exercises

The purpose and aim of Practical Life exercises is to help children develop coordination of movement, gain independence, adapt to their society, and develop the ability to concentrate.

Practical life activities are the core of the Montessori philosophy. They introduce children to the concept of education as an aid and a preparation for life and they assist them to develop a sense of order, concentration, independence and coordination. These skills form the foundation to master the Montessori materials across all areas of the Montessori Curriculum.

It also teach children the importance of contributing to their family, classroom, and community. From a young age, children are willing and able to assist with household chores and ‘family work.’ To support your child’s involvement in family life and develop their practical life skills for their future, provide them with opportunities for independence through age-appropriate practical life activities.

Through the repetition of Practical Life activities, children learn to develop their gross and fine motor skills, problem solve effectively, and establish a strong sense of self by actively contributing to their world.

Five Areas of Practical Life

Within the Montessori Curriculum, activities of Practical Life revolve around five key areas, including: Preliminary Exercises, Care of Self, Care for the Environment, Grace and Courtesy, and Control of Movement.

In the Preliminary Exercises, children learn the basic movements of all societies, such as pouring, folding and carrying.

Care of Self incorporates activities connected with personal care and the maintenance involved in everyday life, such as washing hands, and getting dressed.

Care for the Environment is focused on teaching children how to interact with their environment in a way that exhibits love and respect. Typical activities include: watering a plant, washing a table, and arranging flowers.

Through Grace and Courtesy exercises children learn the skills associated with social interactions. Key activities include greetings, introducing oneself, and how to appropriately interrupt others.

Control of Movement is focused on teaching children to refine and coordinate control of their bodies through activities such as walking on the line and the silence game.

Characteristics of Practical Life Exercises

In order to be effective, it is essential that children are given access to real Practical Life materials that are familiar, breakable and functional whenever possible.

Children increase their self-confidence when they are given the opportunity to use real things, which corresponds with a greater level of respect when caring for the materials.

Practical Life exercises must also be related to the child’s time and culture. This way, children learn how to complete the activities for themselves, and can then apply this knowledge within their home environment.

In the Montessori classroom, Practical Life exercises will be arranged left to right, from easiest to hardest, and are often colour coded to help facilitate a sense of order. This structure is important as children needs to know that every material has a place.

Tips for Introducing Practical Life Activities

• Follow your child’s interests when they want to ‘help’
• Show your child first, slowly, and with minimal words
• Repeat activities several times when your child is interested and watching
• Give them the tools for success by providing child-sized brooms, mops, dust pans, and utensils
• Let go of perfection and appreciate that while a spill may not be perfectly wiped up, it has been wiped, and that is progress to build on
• Scaffold skills by providing opportunities to extend on and repeat activities
• Invite your child to do family work with you throughout the day to diversify their interests

A 7-Day Plan of Montessori Practical Life Activities to Try at Home

Below are seven activities to incorporate practical life activities into your weekly routine. These practical life activities are perfectly suited to toddlers and preschoolers.

Before starting an activity, take a moment to prepare everything your child will need. In Montessori, preparation is essential and is reflected in our classrooms, often referred to as the prepared environment. When the activity is finished, encourage your child to help pack it away. This simple step supports independence, responsibility, and respect for their surroundings.

Monday – Chop a banana	a. Peel the banana (you can chop off the top to make this easier). b. Place the banana peel into the first bowl. This will go in the compost bin at the end of the activity. c. Chop the banana one piece at a time until the banana is completely cut. d. Place the banana pieces into the second bowl. 6. Take the food bowl away and invite your child to clean up and pack away with you. 7. Following clean up, invite your child to eat the fruits of their labour.
Tuesday – Squeeze an orange	a. Cut the orange in the middle. b. Squeeze the orange one half at a time using the juicer. c. Pour the juice from the first half of the orange into the cup. d. Place the squeezed orange into the bowl. This will go in the compost bin at the end of the activity. e. Squeeze the second half of the orange. f. Pour the juice from the second half or the orange into the cup. g. To extend on this activity use a measuring cup to measure out the juice from each orange half. 6. Invite your child to help clean up, putting the used orange into the composting bin, and assisting with washing up. 7. After clean up, allow your child to drink the cup of juice that they created.
Wednesday – Practice spooning cereal	a. Pinch the middle of the spoon between your index finger and thumb. b. Wrap your three right fingers around the handle of the spoon to grasp it firmly. c. Lower the spoon into the left bowl. d. Rotate the spoon towards the back of the bowl to scoop up the cereal. e. Rotate the spoon towards your body and hold it flat over the bowl. f. Lift the full spoon out and above the bowl carefully. g. Move the spoon in a slow but smooth way over to the right bowl. h. Rotate the spoon towards your body so that the cereal falls into the mouth of the bowl. i. Once all the cereal has fallen into the bowl, return the spoon to a flat position. j. Repeat the same movement to practice spooning.
Thursday – Colour matching with socks	a. Remove the socks from the basket one at a time. b. Lay out the socks from left to right next to each other c. Encourage your child to look at the differences of the socks. Which ones are the same and which ones are different? d. Match the socks and repeat.
Friday – Planting seeds in a pot	a. Shovel the soil into the pot carefully. b. Make a small hole for the seed using your gloved hand or the shovel. c. Place the seed into the hole. d. Cover the seed with soil. e. Water the seed using the watering can. f. Repeat until you have planted all the seeds.
Saturday – Take a nature walk	Begin by preparing for your walk by packing a backpack of the things you may need. You may choose to include hats, sunscreen, water, a notepad, magnifying glass and camera. Choose a familiar route. This way your child can become familiar with their local environment, and observe the same animals and plants in different seasons and types of weather. Begin your walk by discussing and listing to the environment with your child. Can they hear the wind or running water? Encourage your child to use all of their senses. Can they smell the earth and the trees? Breathe deeply and note any different smells. Become familiar with the local flora and fauna. What plants and animals can they see? Pick up different types of rocks and leaves. Encourage your child to learn about different textures. Are the rocks they picked up rough or smooth? Use your magnifying glass or binoculars to examine aspects of the natural environment in detail. Can you see the veins in the leaves? Take a note pad and pencils on your nature walk. Your child can make a rubbing of a leaf, draw something they see, or list down the types of animals and plants you see. Encourage your child to extend on their learning from the nature walk when you get home. Research different types of animals and plants to enrich their knowledge and interests.
Sunday – Sea Shell Treasure Hunt	Nothing says summer like a sea shell treasure hunt! Prepare for your beach walk by packing a bucket, hat, sunscreen, and sun safe clothing. Invite your child to go on a sea shell treasure hunt with you. Encourage your child to listen to the ocean and the waves while you walk, and to smell the salt in the air. Show them how to scrunch up their toes in the sand to make different types of foot prints. Search for different types of sea shells along the sand and sea shore. Encourage them to take notice that some shells that come from the dry sand are dry, while others that may be closer to the water, may be wet. Place the shells into a bucket to begin your shell collection. Encourage your child to take notice of the different types of shells. How do they look and feel different? Do they have patterns, are they big or small? Differentiating and sorting shells is wonderful for developing vocabularies. Invite your child to listen to the larger shells. Can they hear the ocean? Does the ocean sound different in different types of shells? Practice drawing different types of shells in the sand or writing out the letters that spell out “shell.” You can also practice writing different letters or words using your finger or a stick. Take your shells home for a range of different learning extensions, including: washing shells, matching shells, sorting shells into univalve and bivalve, researching different types of shells, and sea shell craft.