The Importance of the Prepared Environment in the Area of Practical Life

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The Importance of the Prepared Environment in the Area of Practical Life Practical life exercises are simple concrete exercises that can be used daily at home and at school. The exercises are real and are presented beautifully to the children in a Montessori School. Each piece of material should be real such as glass jugs and bowls rather than plastic and they also should be child sized & easily accessible. The activities allow the child to develop physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. When a child first starts at a Montessori School they are introduced to Practical life activities as they activities satisfy the child’s desire for skills and self sufficiency. The children can see that the activities relate to what adults are doing everyday around the house. The exercises of practical life help the child to adapt to the world around them and help them on the way to self perfection. The practical life exercises help the child develop confidence and competence in the dealing with their environment and the materials they use are ones that they see used daily. All exercises should be demonstrated by an adult in a positive manner, they should show the child how to do the exercise and not correct any previous errors. Practical life exercises are broken down into 5 groups Movement, Care of the Person, Care of the environment, Social Skills and Stereognostic. In the area of movement the child is presented with exercises that provide opportunities for gross and fine motor skills. In each exercise a particular movement is promoted, the child is encouraged to repeat the exercise that promotes or isolates the movement. The child uses finger and hand movements to carry out the exercises which strengthen the muscles in hand, fingers and wrist. The exercises develop the child’s ability to concentrate which can be observed while the child becomes completely

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