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1. Write a comprehensive note on the importance of

practical life exercises.

Practical exercises are those exercises which help a child to

learn meaningful activities in a purposeful way. It helps in his
daily life because it is actually those actions which are normally
performed by everybody.
“The child can only develop by means of experience in his
environment. We call such experience work.”

Importance of practical life exercises:

There is a great importance of practical. Some are given below.
 For Independence:
EPL helps a child do be independent. Because it helps him to do
activities by himself rather than others do for him. If a teacher
or an adult helps the child do activities themselves rather than to
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doing for him makes him independent. That independence

becomes his personality trait and will help him for future life
also.
combing his hair, brush his teeth, carrying trays and glasses,
rolling and unrolling the mat, picking up leaves, cleaning home
and surroundings etc. All these activities have a great
importance in every individuals life so that EPL generates love
for them.
 For self-satisfaction and self-respect:
Every child wants to do practical life exercises as he sees his
family member doing these activities on daily basis. If adults let
the child to do his activities, his desires fulfills, he gains self-
satisfaction and self-respect. If these exercises are done by child
perfectly and appropriately, he may be a good and well-
mannered person in his future life. Modern life is so much busy
and children need to learn very efficient skills and intelligence,
practical life exercises enable them to do that.
 For making world a better organized and tidier place:
In the Montessori school, “there is a place for everything, and
everything has a place” this principle is followed. So, if we want
to make world a better place, we need to make it well organized
and tidier place and Montessori school teachers students to do it
by the help of practical life exercises. By ignoring these
exercises, child’s life becomes full of mess for example we may
leave his cloths on bed or leave the utensils on the table or
instead of putting things back to their place, he may put it
everywhere. So, in order to make the world better, Montessori
school provides him perfect cupboard and shelves that are made
according to the size of the child. He unintentionally learns how
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to organize things at school as well as home. And these

activities help to form good habits among children.
 For learning to give and take help gracefully:
Exercises of practical life help the child to give and take help
gracefully from younger and older students by pleasure at
school and home. For example, the statement of saying “go and
clean your room” should be spoken in a very good way. The
tone should be polite. Rather than saying “go and clean your
room” should be said “let us all clean the room”. By doing this
by adults, the child feels good and his self-esteem will raised up.
The child who receives help would later be the first helper.
 For passing good habits to the next generation:
If an adult complains of doing his work, the child will do the
same by imitating it. So, practical life exercises from love for
working and working it in the proper and well- affected way.
Therefore, in order to avoid mess, practical life exercises are
helpful for passing good habits to the next generation.
 For perfection of movement:
There are lots of activities in the Montessori school which help
children to be perfect in their practical life exercises. Rolling up
a carpet, polishing up the shoes, washing the basin and floor,
setting table, opening and closing boxes, and windows,
arranging rooms, putting chairs in order, drawing curtains,
carrying furniture etc. are the exercises which help children in
body and muscle movements. He can move his hands and eyes
accurately and avoids superfluous movement. In grace and
courtesy, he learns how to move in a society gracefully. He
learns to control body movements which make him to walk,
stand and sit excellently.
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 For Normalization of the child:

The age of 0-7 is the age of sensitiveness. Every child has a
strong urge to work for development. If the child couldn’t get
opportunity to fulfill his urges, it may result in deviation. That’s
why, practical life exercises help children to fulfill their strong
inner urges and by the fulfillment of theses urges lead children
to normality.
 For developing love for universe:
Practical life exercises include personal care, care of the
environment, care of living things and grace and courtesy and
all these are necessary for developing love for universe. The
child starts loving all forms of life and become peaceful and
responsible individual who do care for this universe.
 For avoiding personality disorder:
The children who have lack of confidence or not courage to face
the world are actually those who are rejected or suppressed their
inner urge by their guardians in the sensitive period. They do
not show interest in doing activities in their life because they
could not able to fulfill their urge in sensitive period. So, in
order to avoid this kind of personality disorder, practical life
exercises really help to fulfill their strong urges inside their
heart.
To sum up, exercises of practical life help a child to be
independent and face the world. In order to make world better
place. We should give freedom to children.
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2. Explain the different groups of exercises of practical

life. How do you think this grouping is helpful?

Practical life Exercises are just that, they are Exercises so the child can
learn how to do living activities in a purposeful way. The purpose and
aim of Practical Life is to help the child gain control in the coordination
of his movement, and help the child to gain independence and adapt to
his society. It is therefore important to “Teach teaching, not correcting”
(Montessori) in order to allow the child to be a fully functionional
member in his own society. Practical Life Exercises also aid the growth
and development of the child’s intellect and concentration and will in
turn also help the child develop an orderly way of thinking.
Basic Elementary Exercises are divided into three sub-groups
1. Basic Elementary Exercises
2. Elementary Exercises
3. Higher Elementary Exercises
4. Exercises of Personal Care
5. Exercises of Grace & Courtesy
6. Exercises of Care of Environment

 Basic Elementary Exercises :

In Basic Elementary Exercises very basic movements . Activities are
involved, mostly involving how a child to hold and place object for
example,
 Elementary Exercises:
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The movements involved in this category are a bit move coplex and
advance than basic elementary
exercises,
In Elementary Exercises children
do practice how to open and close
bottle tops, rolling and unrolling
folding and unfolding a mat, how
to treading beads, pegging, pouring
rice water etc. one jug to another.
Spooning beans and how to turning & closing pages of a book. All
there exercises are done in elementary exercises.
 Higher Elementary Exercises:
Some activities are involved in there exercises, as in elementary
exercises but they are move logical and slightly complex then other.
For Examples:

 Sponging water one container to other

 Pouring Rice to multiple containers
 Pouring water to multiple containers
 Using a dropper & funnel
 Wringing a wet cloth
 Cutting along a line

Exercises of personel care:

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 Grooming:
Children need to learn how to wash hair face & hands & body, cut
and care for their nails, brush their teeth, blow their nose, comb, braid
and brush their hair.
 Dressing:
Children are very fownd off wearing and un wearing their cloths.
Being are to dress & undress oneself is one of the major steps towards
independence. To help the children & learn then how to do these
activities done, give then these dressing frames.
For Example:
 Button Frame with Large/small but
 Snapping frame with snap fasteners
 Hook & Eye frame
 Buckling frame with buckle and strap ( leather)
 Bow typing frame
 Lace frame (cloth)
 Shoe lacing frame (leather)
 Zipper frame

 Shoe button frame

 Safety pin frame etc.
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 Preparing food:
Children must know which things are good and which are bad for
them, they should know well take care of them salves the child
needs to learn how to use the basic tools. Like spoon, nut cracker,
ice crème scoop, fork, cookie clutler scale with weights, knife,
square grater, whisk, vegetable peeler, melon ball maker, pitcher,
chopping board, pint, quart, and gallon measures, bulb baster,
rolling pin, measuring cups for dry and liquid measure, eye dropper,
flour sieve, plastic food containers and jugs with lids, apple cover,
measuring spoons.
 Exercises of Grace & Courtesy:
The exercises of Grace and courtesy are especially important in
preserving the culture of a
nation between the of 2.5 to
6, the child is indeed in the
sensitive period for the
learning of good manners.
We should also need to
concentrate on grace and
courtesy exercises along with
the exercises of practical life.
It includes many exercises
such as,
 Walking around a mat
 Offering a knife/pointed object
 How to sit on a chair
 Knocking at the door
 Silence game
 Walk on the line
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 Holding up , caring & putting down a chair.

 Exercises of Care of Environment:

The child learns to take care of the environment and how to keep it
clean in this category indoor and outdoor exercises are done.
 Indoor Exercises:
Polishing brass, washing dishes, dusting, flower, arrangement, etc.
 Outdoor Exercises:
Picking up dried learns, watering plants, etc.
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 managed to grasp each and every
activity. Child learn from basic to complex, from self-control to care
of environment, from g r a c e t o c o u r t e s y e a c h an d e v e r y t h i n g
l e a r n e d s t ep b y s t e p . I t h e l p ed t h e c h i l d in h is e n t i r e
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
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place to make it ready for another are integral t o t h e ca r e o f s e lf

a n d th e en v i ro n me n t . T h e c h il d r e n u s e th e sk i l ls t h e y
h a v e l ea r n ed i n
t h e practical life area around the classroom. Plants are watered, doorkno
bs 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.

3. What are the essential points that we should keep in

mind while presenting EPL?

Becoming a Montessori teacher can seem overwhelming at times. There

are so many lessons and activities to give, new materials to master, daily
observations to record, getting used to a multi-age classroom, and
learning to work with an assistant or co-teacher. When it comes down to
it, the most important element is how you present lessons and interact
with the children.

There are certain principles we need to follow while presenting an

EPL activity to a child. The most important among all of them are
the

i) 'Analysis of movements'

ii) 'Synthetic Movements'

By analysis of movements we mean that each activity consists of a

series of individual movements which are simple in nature, a
successive logical, simpler, single movement follows each
movement. Analysis of movement is necessary when giving a
presentation to help the child understand the movement and the
sequence of the movements. Synthetic movement means
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performing a simple task divided into several movements to

achieve an intellectual goal.

Ten Important Things to Remember When Presenting

Montessori Activities

1: Invite the child to participate.

As simple as this seems, there is a world of difference between
being invited to work and being told to do it.

2: Maintain eye contact when inviting or speaking to the child.

This respectfully tells the child that he has your undivided attention.
In return, the child’s eyes tell you that the child is ready to learn.

3:Show, not tell.

Use the fewest number of words possible during presentations. The
child’s focus should be on the materials and the presentation, not on
your words.

4:Present from left to right, top to bottom.

All presentations move in this direction as an indirect preparation for
reading and writing western script.
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5: Sit on the child’s dominant side.

This way the child can watch and copy your exact movements. This
might mean you need to learn how to present activities with your non-
dominant hand!

6:Use slow, deliberate movements.

Although you may have done this presentation 100 times, it is brand
new to the child. Slow down so he can watch your exactness.

7:Repetition increases success.

The child will not perform the activity with 100% accuracy the first
time. Encourage them to use the materials repeatedly to increase their
mastery.

8:Use the three-period lesson:

This is. Show me. Tell me.
Children need repeated exposure to new vocabulary to make it part of
their repertoire. When presenting new vocabulary and concepts, use the
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three-period lesson to ensure that the child understands the term and can
connect it successfully with its corresponding object.

9:Smile and Relax.

Watching children develop and learn is a joyful experience!

10:Stop and put it away.

If the child is not interested or is making mistakes, put the activity away.
There will be another opportunity to present it later. Stop before you and
the child become frustrated.

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.

Direct Presentation:
D i r e c t p r e s en t at i o n s a r e w h en w e i n t r o d u c e an a c t iv i t y t o
t h e c h i l d . Analysis of movement is necessary when giving a
presentation to help the child understand the movements necessary and
the sequence of movements.

In Direct 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.
W h i l e p r e s en t in g an y E P L i n f r o n t o f a el d e r c h i ld t e a c h e r
o r s h o u l d k n o w t h e s e f o u r b asi c principles.
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Choosing Activities:
6hile 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.

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.

T h e p r a c t i c al li f e a r e a is b e st a r r a n g ed n e a r t h e s in k , as
w a t e r i s n e ed ed f o r so me o f th e activities

Remember that there is more to being Montessori than having a

classroom full of materials and child-size furniture. Take the time to
make sure that you are fully in the moment for all presentations and
interactions with children.

4. Try to explain “Formal setting of a Table” and “

Making a Chicken Spread Sandwich” in the same way
EPL have been explained in this book for you.

Set a Formal Table

To set a formal table, you'll need a table cloth, charger, dinner plates,
soup bowls, salad plates, bread plates, napkins, salad forks, dinner forks,
knives, soup spoons, butter knives, dessert spoons, water glasses, red
wine glasses, and white wine glasses.
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 Formal Setting of a False:

The first tuing that you, need is a table cloth and for occasions a plain,
white damask one is ideal.
 Place setting should be placed at an equal distance from each
other, and crockery, cutlery and glasses should match. Naturally
you will need to have a sufficient quantity for as many courses
as you are going to serve. If you do not have enough and you
do not want to buy them, renting is an option.

 Knives should be placed to the right of the plate with the one
that is going to be used first on the outside with then moving in
words to words the plate in order. The blades of the knives
should be pointing to words the plate.

 Forks go to the left of the plate and are placed in the same way
as the knives so that the outer one is the one that the used first.
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A soup spoon should be placed to the right of the knives, and

the dessert spoon should lie at the head of the plate.

 Glasses are also set out in order of use, and are placed above the
knives.

 Napkins (fabric to match the table cloth, of course) should be

 Making a Chicken Spread Sandwich:

Making a chicken spread sandwich is the same as making any

other sandwich. You choose
the bread that you want and
spread it with butter or a
butter substitute, and then put
your fitting on to the bread, in
this ease, chicken spread.
You can also add other things
if you want such as salad, or
relishes.
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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 ?

In the kitchen area of the classroom, these activities set up for the children to

work with any time:

1. Spreading crackers
2. Peeling and cutting bananas
3. Squeezing orange juice
4. Peeling and cutting applies
5. Dish washing
6. Pouring water
7. How to use a Blunt Knife

You can see everything they need laid

out on a tray at the ready. It’s attractive. And the implements are child-sized
for the child to have success.
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Other practical life activities found in the classroom include:

1. Hand washing
2. Flower arranging
3. Sweeping and mopping
4. Cleaning the windows
5. Watering the plants
6. Self care – nose blowing, hair brushing and some hair clips to practise
with

Some are other EPL activities are mention below:

 Wash Seat
 Wash Table
 Shoe Cleaning
 Folding blankets
 Scroll pay rolls
 Fried egg
 Close and unlocked (doors, windows)
 Wash ear
 Wear trousers
 Wear (shirts, shoes,
ties)
 Climb Ladders
 Plug pouker
 Bath self
 Shampoo self
 Blow your nose
 Whispered
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 Grace full Laughing when meet with someone

 Take care of back pact toys pant, shirt, shoes, socks
 Uses of towel
 Shoes Cleaning
 Wash table, plate, etc
 Take care yourself & baby
 Sweeping
 Uses apron while doing work in the kitchen
 How to drink, sit with their
 Sharing their toys and clothes etc
 Cutting nails
 Reading books
 Baking
 Holding a ( tray, Jug, basket , glass, spoon)
 Rolling and unrolling a mat
 Pouring( Rice / water/ juice) from one jug to another
 Sponging water
 Wringing a wet clothes
 Cutting along a Line
 Button ,Buckle and snapping Frame
 Hook & Eye frame
 Zipper frame
 Using a crater
 Knocking at the door
 Walking on the line

Additional Activities at home

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It’s quite easy to incorporate any of these activities at home with a little
preparation.

1. Helping with the laundry – bringing things to the laundry basket,

putting clothes in and out of the washing machine, adding soap, sorting
washing
2. Getting dressed and undressed – provide just as much help as necessary
and provide clothing that is easy for the child to learn to master
3. Help with breakfast – have a container with a scoop in it for them to
serve their own cereal; add a small jug of milk on the breakfast table;
setting the table
4. Help with lunch – have a small amount of items where the child can
serve themselves, for example, some slices of bread or rice crackers
with various toppings or spread; the child may wish to help wash up
5. Help with dinner – preparing vegetables (look for implements suitable
for small hands) and salad; setting the table; washing up
6. Getting ready for visitors – making the beds, getting a towel, tidying
away toys
7. Trips to the supermarket