NAME: MISBAH AMJAD

ROLL NO : D14562

PMC MODULE 2 ASSIGNMENT

Q:1 Write a comprehensive note on the importance of practical life exercises?

The practical life exercises are the beginning activities for young children. These exercises
improve motor control, eye hand coordination and concentration. The practical life exercises
include environmental care, personal care, eating, dining and many more. Children love these
practical life exercises and are also taught good work habits by being encouraged to complete the
whole task. Teaching the children to be thoughtful of the rights of other children, they are
prepared for a successful citizenship and career. The practical life activities contribute invaluably
to the development of the whole person with inner discipline, self-direction and a high degree of
concentration. In short, Practical Life Exercises are just that, they are Exercises so the child
learns how to do living activities in a purposeful way.
Aim of Practical Life Exercises:
The aim of practical life exercises is to facilitate learning through day to day work in the
children’s home. By entrusting house work to young children, they learn important lessons; they
execute their work with devotion and accuracy. By doing this they become singularly calm and
dignified. These exercises are foundational to many aspects of Montessori education. The
relationship between movement and cognition, these exercises are particularly important because
they employ the body in the service of the mind to fulfill a meaningful goal.

Children are attracted to precision in the early years, such that they like to know exactly
what sequence of steps to carry out in an exercise. According to Montessori, during the sensitive
period between births to 6 years of age the child is constructing his inner self. Child is preparing
himself for the big world, using his motor skills and problem solving abilities. Child needs order
and repetition of the same activity to refine certain skills. The child needs to move to gain
balance, grace and confidence
Based on an idea that freedom implies self-sufficiency, exercises on practical life sought to
train the growing children to master such essential skills and knowledge as dressing, maintaining
themselves clean and tidy, dusting and sweeping, table-setting, meal and serving etc. Montessori
aims at free activity not at the cost of good manners, social order and harmony. Children under
the aged three to seven play and work under the supervision of a directress who does not act as a
passive onlooker but as an active observer. The exercises of practical life are designed to teach
the child to be independent, to supply his own wants and to perform the actions of daily life with
skill and grace. Children keep the workplace in order, dusting and arranging the furniture, and
putting away each piece of material as soon as they are through with it. They wait on themselves
while they are working, getting out the things they want, finding a convenient place to work, and
then taking care of apparatus when they have worked with as long as they like. Children do all
the work connected with the meal, setting tables, serving food and the clearing away and
washing the dishes. All children share alike in this work, regardless of their age. Children of
three and four soon learn to handle the plates and glasses, and to pass food.

Importance of Exercises of Practical Life:

 NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

Practical life exercises have designed to inspire movements directed to constructive

ends. Some of the main purposes of including such exercises in the classroom are:
1. To educate the children’s movements to be geared to a purpose
2. To develop children’s ability to concentrate on a task
3. To help children to carry out a series of steps in sequence
4. To help children learn to care for the environment
One of an example of a practical life exercise in Montessori classroom is equipped with a set
of material for Table washing. This set includes a large basin to fill with water, a plastic mat to
go under the table, soap, a scrub brush, a sponge and a towel for drying. Items are all children
sized and are usually of the same color so that they obviously go together. The teacher
demonstrates for the child a precise sequence of actions that are carried out in Table washing.
The child has probably also observed other children carrying out the sequence of actions,
enabling him to learn by observation.
Dr. Montessori discovered the importance of the practical life exercises as follows:
1. To enrich the child emotionally.
2. To endow the child with affirming experiences.
3. To encourage responsibility.
4. To engage the child physically.
5. To enliven the child constructively.
6. To fascinate the child with learning.
7. To enable the child to appreciate independence.
Two main purposes of practical life exercises:
· First is the dignity of work. In the past, the child had an opportunity in the home to fold
clothes, pour water, fetch and sweep. As a result, children developed motor skills of grace and
fluid movement at an early age. More importantly, children developed competent participation
around the home and the rest of their environment.

· Second reason for the practical life exercises is to enable children to organize themselves as
functional human beings. To do this we must begin by the time the child is two years old,
primarily physical and primarily concerned with himself. We must help him to become master of
himself and then he will be able to master other things.

Q: 2 Explain the different groups of practical life? How do you think this
grouping is helpful?
Different groups of Exercises of Practical Life in Montessori System:
Through Exercises of Practical Life (EPL) a child not only learns concentration, coordination,
independence and order, but also how to interact with others and gain an understanding and
appreciation of the environment. The child begins to build himself from within while learning to
treat him and others with respect and dignity. These understandings ultimately prepare the child
for entry into society and a lifetime of self-respect and self-worthiness. EPL Ultimately provides
the foundation for success in all areas of life. The prepared environment is directly correlated to
 NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

the child’s development. The classroom is specifically designed area arranged solely for the
children. There should be a variety of movement and activity and all work operates together
through discipline. Children respond well to beauty, order and quality in their environment.

EPL are divided into four main groups:

1) Elementary Exercises
 Basic Elementary Exercises
 Elementary Exercises
 Higher Elementary Exercises
2) Exercises of Personal Care
3) Grace and Courtesy Exercises
4) Care of Environment Exercises
Elementary Exercises: These exercises assist in creating routine and order in the
environment and are pre requisite for other activities.
It is sub divided into three categories:
 Basic Elementary Exercises: In these exercises child learn fundamental activities involve
muscle and mind coordination. Exercises like taking object holding it and put it back, open
and close the door, etc.
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

 Elementary Exercises: In these exercises child learn a bit more advance and complex
activities using muscle and mind coordination. Exercises like rolling and unrolling of mats,
holding a chair, pouring rice from one jug to another, etc.
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

 Higher Elementary Exercises: In these exercises child learn logical and bit more complex
activities. Exercises like walking on the line, silence practice, etc.
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

Exercises of Personal Care: These exercises assist in how to deal and take care of one own
self. Care of self may include exercises on how to wash the hands, use the bathroom, brush teeth,
wear different kind of clothes, open and close buttons, lace shoes etc.
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

Grace and Courtesy Exercises: These exercises assist child to learn manners and how to
deal with other people. It also help child to learn different situation and how to behave and react
in different situations. Child learns how to use the words "excuse me" when he needs to interrupt
or ask for help. The child learns how to give thanks and show his gratitude; how to greet
someone and introduce her to others etc.
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

Care of Environment Exercises:

In these exercises child learn how to take care of environment. Care of the environment may
include exercises on organizing the clutter, sorting and putting things in the right places, dusting
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

shelves, sweeping the floor, mopping if there is a spill, raking the outdoor area, taking care of the
plants, trees, animals etc.

Importance of EPL Grouping:

EPL grouping helps to aid the child to develop his coordination in movement, his balance and his
gracefulness in his environment as well as his need to develop the power of silent. Children are
naturally interested in activities they have witnessed. During the child’s sensitive period between
birth and six, the child is constructing the inner building blocks of his person. By grouping these
exercises child manage to grasp each and every activity. Child learn from basic to complex, from
self-control to care of environment, from grace to courtesy each and everything learned step by
step. It helped the child in his entire coming life. When child learn basic motor skills and then
advance complex and logical skills, he become more confident and satisfied then other
children. More importantly, when the child is later taught a skill or an academic accomplishment,
it becomes a part of him.

The beauty of EPL lies in the fact that they can be very easy or more complicated; they can be
short or long. The long exercises are really successive exercises, such as washing and ironing.
The lengthy process can be broken down into manageable steps. Eating snack is part of practical
life. Serving yourself and cleaning your place to make it ready for another are integral to the care
of self and the environment. The children use the skills they have learned in the practical life area
around the classroom. Plants are watered, doorknobs polished, etc. Practical life activities are not
separate from the classroom. They are incorporated into the life of the child. Practical life
exercises can also be incorporated into the home.
Q:3 What are the essential points which we should keep in mind while
presenting EPL?
 NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

Essential points while Exercises of Practical Life in Montessori System:

Children are naturally interested in activities they have witnessed. It is therefore the directress’s
task to demonstrate the correct way of doing these exercises in a way that allows the child to
fully observe the movement.

materials used in the EPL:

can be characterized as follows:

i. Physical proportions: They must be the right size for the child to handle.
ii. Psychically proportionate: Their function must be clear to the child.
iii. Attractive and good quality: Materials must be beautiful and attract the child.
iv. Clean and well maintained: The materials must be kept intact. Avoid too many material
from which child can choose.
v. Real not a toy: They must be real materials not toys.

vi.
vii. One for each exercise: Multiple sets of materials so that the children learn individually.
viii. Adaptable: Must be able to change from culture to culture and be comprised of the same
objects the children would find in their home.
ix. Separation: Materials must be kept separate from other objects found in the
environment.

ix. Non-Toxic Detergents: Detergents and cleaning solutions must be non-toxic or diluted in
water.
 NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

Two ways to give EPL: The presentations for EPL can be collective or individual
depending on the child’s needs and the nature of the activity. It can be direct or indirect.

a) Direct Presentation: Direct presentations are when we introduce an activity to the child.
Analysis of movement is necessary when giving a presentation to help the child understand the
movements necessary and the sequence of movements.

b) Indirect Presentation: The indirect presentations are defined as when a child is watching the
teacher make a presentation and paying attention to the lesson without the teacher being aware of
it. This can be more important than the direct presentation, for the teacher is the biggest piece of
Montessori material.

While presenting any EPL in front of a child teacher or elder should know these four basic
principles:
1. Choosing Activities: While choosing any activity all material is clean non-toxic. Teacher
should first practice a lot before presenting it in front of a child. The exercises taught must be
done in the way the children see them done in their own homes.
2. Setting Up: The practical life area must have a place for everything within reach of the children.
For example, hooks to hang the brooms and apron, dust pan, mop, duster, and aprons should be
within easy reach of the children.

· The practical life area is best arranged near the sink, as water is needed for some of the
activities.
 NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

· In setting up a classroom, provision must be made to practice all types of housework the child
sees done at home. Furniture of all types must be chosen with various surfaces. In this way,
children can learn to clean some plain unvarnished wood, some polished, and some painted
surfaces.

Things used in the class must include some made of brass and silver so that children can learn how
to polish brass and silver. These materials should not be provided in the room only as exercises,
but to serve other useful purposes as well.
· Children need to learn to wash various types of fabrics. Aprons, dusters, dish towels, etc., should
be chosen so different fabrics are represented like linen, denim, cotton, etc.
3. Presenting Activities – Guidelines:
· For all practical life activities, teacher and child should wear aprons and roll up their sleeves.
· Child is shown how to work without making a mess. The child should stand a little away from a
table or sink so as not to lean his stomach on a wet surface.
· The child is also shown how to clean up after an exercise and is encouraged, but not forced, to
do so.

· A child is shown how to put material away, rinsing and drying where necessary, and how to
hang up the apron. They are helped and encouraged to be orderly but never forced.
· When giving any new lesson, teacher will point out the directions on the cleaning agent
containers to the child. If written with red, she will tell the child that these are most important
and should be read first.
· Teacher practice each activity enough so that she feel very secure with the material. There is no
right or wrong way to present. Some ways are simply better and more efficient.

· Procedure:
I. Give lessons in a relaxed, happy and gentle manner
II. Model courtesy, quiet and graceful movements, enthusiasm, zest for learning, a helping
spirit, and a positive and pleasant attitude about work.
III. Keep the lessons short and simple. Follow a flexible sequence when introducing
exercises.
IV. Invite the child. Tell him what you are going to demonstrate.
V. Take the child to the place where the material is stored.
VI. Carry the material to the work area.
VII. Demonstrate the activity.
VIII. Show the child where to return the material when the activity is completed.
 NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

4. Evaluation: Observe children at work to determine when activities need to be simplified, when
the environment needs to be modified, and what is currently catching the interest of your
children.
I. Remove activities that are no longer being used.
II. Watch child used material appropriately and make a mental note.
III. Don’t disturb the child while he is doing any activity, either doing wrong. Repeat lessons as
needed at a neutral time.
IV. Appreciate the concentration, the mastery of any work.

Q:4 Try to explain “ Formal setting of table and cooking a chicken spread
sandwich “ in the same way ,we have been explained in this book for you?

Formal setting of a table:

NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

Material:

 Butter spreader
 A fork, spoon, and knife
 A drinking glass
 Napkin
 Butter plate
 Salad plate

Presentation:

 To present formal table setting, gather students around the table.

 Place things on their right places.
 Dinner plate should be place in the middle
 Put the knife on the right side of the dinner plate and fork and spoon on the left side.
 Salad plate should place next to fork.
 Place a glass for water at the top right side of dinner plate.
 Put the napkin on the dinner plate.
 Repeat all procedure one time more.
 Now ask students one by one to do as you did.

Age Group:

3 ½ and onwards

Chicken spread sandwich:

 NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

Exercise:

 1 1/2 to 2 cups minced cooked chicken

 1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise
 salt and pepper, to taste
 cayenne, garlic, onion powder, your choice, to taste

Preparation:

 Introduce all ingredients to children first.

 Then add all ingredients one by one in front of them.
 Mix them all.
 Now ask all students to make it one by one.

Q:5 Write just the names of as many EPL as possible (that you think a child can
do) and which are not mentioned in the book.
"Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his
joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of
independence.”
- Maria Montessori

Success in life is directly correlated to the degree in which people believe they are capable as
well as independent. And how do we learn to be capable and independent? We practice the skills
that are necessary until we no longer need help and can act and do accordingly.

Allowing children to gain independence and self-discipline is the purpose of the Practical Life
activities in the Montessori classroom and at home. I say “home” because Practical Life
activities have the purpose of allowing students to gain independence and self-discipline. These
skills cannot be practiced only at school. What happens when a child is allowed to prepare their
own snack, slice their own apples, pour their own drink, and wash and dry their own dishes in
the Montessori classroom, but at home is told “Oh, you’re much too young to use a knife. You
will spill that if you pour it. Let me do it for you”? The mixed message is clear.

The skills that are being taught at school are not allowed at home, thus creating a dichotomy in
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

the child’s thinking: I am capable and independent at school, but at home I am not. Later, when
Montessori teachers comment about how independent a child is, how he enjoys taking care of his
environment and keeps his work area neat and tidy, the parents shake their heads and wonder
why these skills are not being demonstrated at home. The answer is clear; the well-meaning and
loving parents have done for the child what he is clearly able to do himself.

Montessori Practical Life Activities:

Practical Life activities are the traditional works of the family and home. They can be broken
down into four categories:

1. Preliminary activities – carrying a tray, pouring water, spooning grain, walking on the line,
etc.
2. Care of the environment – cleaning, sweeping, dusting, gardening, raking, polishing.

3. Care of self – dressing, toileting, brushing teeth, bathing, combing hair, preparing food,
setting the table.
4. Grace and courtesy – using table manners, greeting others, saying “please” and “thank you”,
learning to control one’s own body.

Each activity is carefully analyzed and broken down into successive steps so that the child may
practice each step repeatedly until he has mastered the skill. Adults must model these activities,
not just the mechanics of the process, but also the joy that is to be found in a job well done. If the
adults lack enthusiasm, the child will learn that it is not a worthwhile task and will not want to
continue. We can delight together in dishes that are clean and ready for use at our next meal or in
a well-set table.

So, what can be done to extend the Practical Life activities in the home? First off, make sure that
the materials you use are child-size. Why is this important? Well, I think about it this way. As an
adult, I have several paring knives that I have bought or received over the years. My favorite,
however, is the very first one I ever received, even though the tip is broken off and the blade is
wobbly. Why is it my favorite? Because it fits my hands just right. The other ones just don’t
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

“feel” right to me. This is the difference between a child learning how to work using materials
that fit her just right and trying to adapt an adult-size tool to a child-size body.

Remember that Practical Life activities are the routines and rituals that adults perform daily in
order to maintain their environment. Here are a few examples of how to invite your child to
continue these valuable Practical Life lessons at home:

Preliminary Activities:

 Pouring and transferring liquids and dry ingredients without spilling

 Using scissors
 Opening and closing lids
 Screwing and unscrewing jar lids
 Stirring

Care of the Environment:

 Wringing a wet cloth

 Washing a table or counter top
 Sweeping the floor with a broom and dustpan
 Mopping the floor
 Vacuuming
 Polishing silver or brass
 Polishing wood furniture
 Polishing shoes
 Sorting laundry by color
 Matching socks
 Folding towels and wash cloths
 Folding napkins
 Ironing handkerchiefs or pillowcases
 Sewing on buttons
 Washing dishes: pots and pans; plastic-ware; silver (flat) ware; glasses; plates
 Watering and caring for houseplants
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

 Flower arranging
 Caring for pets
 Cleaning up spills
 Putting materials and toys away
 Sorting recycling materials

Care of Self:

 Washing hands
 Washing face
 Washing hair
 Blowing nose and properly throwing away the tissue
 Sneezing
 Brushing teeth
 Combing hair
 Trimming fingernails
 Running water in the bath
 Hanging up towels after use
 Dressing oneself (including learning how to button, zip, snap, tie, buckle, Velcro)
 Putting on a jacket
 Hanging a jacket on a low hook
 Putting clean clothes in a drawer
 Measuring liquid and dry ingredients
 Peeling fruits and vegetables
 Using kitchen tools (fork, spoon, grater, blunt knife, ice cream scoop, bulb baster,
peeler, chopping board, rolling pin, whisk, pitcher, cookie cutters, melon baller, apple
corer, etc.)
 Spreading (like butter, peanut butter, a mixture)

Grace and Courtesy:

NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562

 How to greet someone

 How to answer the telephone
 How get up from the table
 How to carry a chair properly
 How to open and shut a door quietly
 How to interrupt when necessary
 How to excuse oneself when passing or bumping into another
 How to hand someone something
 Table manners
 Carrying objects without dropping or spilling
 Walking without bumping objects or people

When we remember to present these activities with enthusiasm and break them down into
sequential steps, a child will feel encouraged as he practices them independently. We must
remember that “Adults work to finish a task, but the child works in order to grow and is working
to create the adult, the person that is to be.” (Montessori) As adults, we work to finish tasks
efficiently and quickly so as to move on to the next task at hand. A child, however, is working to
master the activity. He will practice repeatedly to perfect his abilities and then, may turn his
attention elsewhere
NAME: MISBAH AMJAD
ROLL NO : D14562