“The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth’’
-Dr. Montessori (The Absorbent Mind)
From birth to three years, the child has an unconscious mind. It’s not formed yet. The adults’ conceptions are on the basis of their acquired knowledge. The child has to start from nothing. So, he has an “absorbent mind” at this stage, which helps him to absorb impression from the environment unconsciously and construct his own world. Because of this, the child is constantly working with his environment.
The other aids, which help the child in his growth, are his ‘sensitive periods’. During such a period the child is empowered with a special ability, which urges him to focus his attention on certain objects of his environment to the exclusion of others. These are called “Sensitive Periods” and are apparent in the early years of childhood. This is how the child picks up a particular language from his adults even before he learns to read and write. The child has a natural curiosity to explore the environment. The child must have objects to explore in order to develop his neurological structures for perceiving and thinking. It is important to note that the child’s actions at the age of 0 to3 years, are not due to random choice but directed by his inner needs for development. At this stage he needs to begin with practical life exercises to help him achieve a normalized state. It is during the sensitive period that a function can be more perfectly established. If the child is deprived of following the interest of the sensitive periods, the opportunity for a natural learning is lost forever. This in turn will have a disturbing effect on his psychic development. In these periods where the PLE play a very crucial role by teaching the children the most basic functions we do in our every day life.
To put it in Dr. Alexis Carol’s words, “The period of infancy is undoubtedly the richest. It should be utilized by education in every possible and conceivable way”
- L’Homme cet Inconnu, Paris 1947 (Source “The Absorbent Mind”)
What exactly are practical life exercises (PLE)?
All the activities connected with looking after yourself and your surroundings, such as getting dressed, preparing food, laying the table, wiping the floor, clearing dishes, doing the dusting, etc., are activities belonging to what Dr. Montessori called ‘Practical Life,’
-Dr. Silvana Montanaro, MD, and Montessori Teacher Trainer
The practical Life Exercises are the first activities the child is introduced to in the Montessori environment. Practical life is the area in which a child may first choose work, be inspired to act and develop his concentration, work habits, skills and control that lay the foundation for work in other areas. When the children are undertaking these activities, we can see that they are fulfilling a biological need. It is characteristic of all children at this stage of development that they feel immense satisfaction by using any of their muscles. The PLE are designed specially to answer the needs of this “sensitive period” through which the child is passing. Here Dr. Montessori aims to help the child to do tasks in a more perfect and orderly manner.
The PLE are divided into four main categories, which are discussed below.
1.Development of Motor Skills
“The child concentrates best by fixing his attention on some task he is performing with his hands”
- St. Nicholas (Source: “Montessori Philosophy and Theory DMT 101” Pg 168)
Montessori classrooms are designed to help the child improve his fine and gross motor skills, eye hand co-ordination and concentration. Exercises such as the opening and closing of bottles, boxes, latches, padlocks, cutting with scissors, screwing and unscrewing of nuts and bolts, sewing, pasting, weaving, plaiting and many more activities are aimed towards achieving this goal. Transferring and handling various objects such as sponges, tongs, chopsticks, and escargot tongs are also included under the heading- Development of Motor skills. These exercises strengthen their wrist and finger muscles. They satisfy the young child’s inner desire for skills and self-sufficiency. All these exercises prepare them for their future.
Pouring activities are common in all Montessori Schools. Children learn to pour beans from jug to jug and then move on to more complex pouring exercises such as from jug into more than one container. These simple exercises make the child use his brain and without us knowing it he starts learning new concepts. Once the children gain competence in dry pouring, children can then be introduced to wet pouring exercises. They are gradually introduced to the exercises with greater degree of difficulty like pouring water/liquid into a bottle using a funnel or pouring in jugs with an indicator line etc.
2. Care Of The Environment
The Exercises that teach the child the correct use of objects in the environment and how to care for them are included in the category of Care of the Environment. Exercises that help the development of the child’s ability are closely linked with the craft activities of classroom. Initially, cleaning, polishing, dusting, sweeping, and arranging tables and chairs are taught to the child. As he gains greater control of his gross motor movements, he will gradually be given more complex tasks such as washing dishes, cleaning stairs and scrubbing pots and pans.
3. Care of Self
In this category, the materials are designed to teach children some of the skills needed for independence. Care of self includes activities related to personal hygiene such as washing and drying of hands, brushing, combing or plaiting of hair, cleaning and cutting of nails, blowing one’s nose and dressing and undressing. The main focus of the exercise in this category is to help the child towards independence. In wanting to do so, we need to provide children with purposeful work. Children also need to establish will and discipline in order to gain independence.
4. Social Grace And Courtesy
Maria Montessori considered the social grace and courtesy activities as the most important exercises in the practical life curriculum. She felt that when children are first brought into a Montessori classroom, emphasis must be placed on social grace exercises. Children must be taught how to use the common greetings like “Hello”, “How do you do?” shaking hands, asking for something, saying “Please”, apologizing and excusing one self. Once children have gained confidence in these exercises, other exercises might include setting a table, table manners, showing respect and care for others’ work and possession.
In each group, there is a logical progression from simple to complex exercises. The exact point at which any particular exercise will be appropriate for any particular child will depend on that child’s individual development and interest, and because of this it is hard to give an exact age at which the PLE should start. Each exercise has direct and indirect aims, which prepare the child for their future. The basic aim of these exercises is to provide real-life experiences – and assist the child in his work. The directress is the keen observer of all the activities in order to know the exact level of development of a particular child and when she thinks the child has achieved his goals she can take him to the next exercise.
Why Children Enjoy PLE
“ . . . but I know happiness does not come with things.
It can come from work and pride in what you do”
- Gandhi
The main reason is, the child gets pleasure through work and the Practical Life Exercises, provide a child with clear meaningful tasks. The child sees washing, cleaning, dressing and other activities like these going on all around him. So, it makes him feel important when he thinks that he is doing the job of an adult.
The materials used for PLE are all child-sized tools that really work. As said before, the child feels happy to perform the same activities that he has seen the adults performing at home.
He can work without any obstruction from adults.
Children like to experiment and this need of theirs is fulfilled through PLE.
The repetition of the same steps makes the whole process enjoyable for them.
The quantity of materials used in PLE are just enough for the child to keep engaged; so they do not get bored.
“Precision is found to attract him deeply. It is this that keeps him at work.”
- Dr. Montessori (Absorbent Mind Ch.17, P.164)
All the materials have specific place and order, and due to this the child develops familiarity with the materials and is encouraged to use them and this helps them in their concentration. The peculiar character of a child is, he has a sensitivity to order and this encourages him to work in an organized environment.
Free choice of activity (within a prescribed limit). The child is allowed to work with materials of his choice.
It is rightly said that,
“Montessori freedom means unlimited freedom to do right”
- Father Drinkwater “Educational Essays” (Source “Maria Montessori: Her Life And Work” by, E.M. Standing)
All the activities have easily achievable goals. So, when the goal is accomplished he gets a sense of achievement and his pride goes up. He can then shift his focus to another purposeful activity.
He is not punished if he falters.
In the Montessori environment the child explores the world through various cultural, craft and art activities.
PLE allow the child to work in a group and teach the child how to be more gracious and courteous so that he learns to face the immediate world with more confidence.
He moves in a friendly and secure environment. Where he learns to care for self and others.
He gets to work with spontaneity while working with PLE activities. His particular inner needs are satisfied due to which he is at peace with himself and with the environment around him. This assists him in his over all development of personality.
To conclude we can say that Dr. Maria Montessori has been a true discoverer. She has established an educational method, through which we have been able to learn about the child. Provided that we give the right conditions, we will be able to see new qualities in the child which make him a better human being as he develops.
The Montessori method has been something that has brought to light, the real inner mind of the young child. We should never forget that we are the ones who will be depending on these very children who right now, greatly depend on us. The bringing up of a child can be compared with the situation of a farmer and his produce. A farmer has to spend lots of time and hard work to maintain his produce but once his produce is sold off, it brings him profits. The more he toils, the better is his product and his returns. These young children are the future of our human race and deserve to be provided with the facilities to bring out the best in them.
“Times have changed, and science has made great progress, and no less our work; but our principles have only been confirmed”
-Dr. Maria Montessori. (“Discovery of the child”)
