Arborland Montessori

The purpose of the Practical Life Exercises is to teach respect for one's self, other living things, care of the person and the environment. In addition, the activities develop skills necessary to do work in all areas of the curriculum.
Practical life exercises have four main areas:

1.    Care of the environment
2.    Care of the person (to achieve functional independence)
3.    Social relations
4.    Analysis and control of movement

Practical Life exercises are composed of many parts done in a specific sequence. These exercises are designed to perfect the child's eye-hand coordination, gradually lengthen his/her attention span, and allow him/her to gain a sense of independence as he works.  They enable the child to become functionally independent. It requires concentration, memory and many other skills to complete the activities, as well as to repeat the exercises in the same manner each time. These exercises also provide an introduction for the beginner to the children’s house. The beauty of these exercises is that they are very simple and consist of visible movements the child can easily duplicate.  Finally, the child satisfies his/her sense of order by cleaning up and putting the activity way neatly before beginning another activity. On completion of each exercise there is a great source of satisfaction, as the child feels a contribution is being made to the adult world.