In a Montessori classroom, Practical Life activities are very common. The idea behind the Practical Life activities is for the children to learn everyday life skills. In the Lower Elementary rooms, students apply what they learned in the Early Childhood classrooms and take care of their environment with classroom jobs. The classroom jobs/responsibilities are chosen by each child and change monthly. A few examples of the jobs include, a table washer, trash helper, sweeper, botanist, meeting leader, laundry helper, and much more. The children are very persistent towards performing their classroom jobs each day and look forward to choosing a different classroom responsibility every month. The jobs of the classroom are typically enjoyable and pave the way for children to keep building their independence as they grow and learn. These jobs should also carry over to helping and being responsible at home.
Another important part of Practical Life includes Grace and Courtesy. Grace and Courtesy includes supporting the lessons the children have learned in their early years such as saying thank you, please, not to interrupt, excusing themselves when they burp, etc. Basically, teaching them how to be polite, which we find that some children may need reminders of. Being polite is important to the lessons we teach on problem-solving and conflict resolution. It is with the Practical Life skills, more than the academics, that the children learn empathy, independence, community involvement, peace-keeping, and all the characteristics we want our students to have for the future.
Have a great weekend,
The Lower Team