The Importance of Practical Life Skills
This article is written by Chaimaa from MINI MINDS.
Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/miniminds_learnthroughplay/
Chaimaa is a mother to a two year old and a teaching enthusiast with 13 years Teaching experience in a top private Kindergarten in London, Chelsea. With this, her aim is to support all families with resourceful, Montessori inspired, stimulating and fun activities.
She also runs The Balloon Workshop. A class which provides seasonal themed classes in exclusive family venues across London! A class that cultivates creativity and imagination from 18 months right up-to 6 years.
Practical life activities include the everyday routines and practices of life:
Pouring and scooping, laying the table, arranging flowers, dressing oneself, cleaning, being helpful, preparing snack , habitual courtesies, and many more. These are exciting tasks that are visibly part of every day life that are empowering to master.
Montessori saw that very young children are frequently frustrated in their attempts to do things for themselves and that what they need is to have specific exercises, as closely linked to real life as possible, that allow them to master the tasks that they see going on around them in everyday life.
Such as:
Pouring
Scooping/transferring
Spray cleaning
Baking
Feeding pets & Watering plants
Gardening
Peeling fruit
Pegging
Cutting exercises
Chopping fruits
Practical life in Montessori is a purposeful activity and develops order, motor control, concentration, coordination, and independence.
Invite your child in activities you think will interest and benefit your child at the moment.
BENEFITS:• Attention to detail• Practising sequencing • Developing logical thought patterns• Increasing sense of independence • Improving fine motor skills• Developing a sense of pride • Showing respect for self and the environment • Developing self esteem, self confidence and self control • Expanded concentration
You can adapt any of your daily life activities to fit the ages and developmental stages of your children. Life skills, are life skills after all make them all fun and enjoyable to learn.