Montessori Practical Life Activities, In the Classroom and

at Home
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
practise 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 “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
 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

 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

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Material:

 Butter spreader
 A fork, spoon, and knife
 A drinking glass
 Napkin
 Butter plate
 Salad plate
Presentation:
1. To present formal table setting, gather students around the table.
2. Place things on their right places.
3. Dinner plate should be place in the middle
4. Put the knife on the right side of the dinner plate and fork and spoon on the left side.
5. Salad plate should place next to fork.
6. Place a glass for water at the top right side of dinner plate.
7. Put the napkin on the dinner plate.
8. Repeat all procedure one time more.
9. Now ask students one by one to do as you did.
 Age Group:
3 ½ and onwards

Chicken spread sandwich:

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:
1. Introduce all ingredients to children first.
2. Then add all ingredients one by one in front of them.
3. Mix them all.
4. Now ask all students to make it one by one.

Formal Setting of a Table

Material:

 1 Table mat
 1 Plate
 1 Glass
 1 Spoon
 1 Knife
 1 Fork
 1 Napkin
 1 large wooden tray (optional)

Presentation:

1. Prepare a child-sized table for the presentation and place a chair in front of
the table. Invite the child by asking him/her whether they would like to learn
to set up a formal table.

2. Bring the appropriate material from the place where it is stored to the
workplace with the help of the child. The material must be kept at the child’s
eye level.

3. The child can be demonstrated how to set the table using the large wooden
tray or directly onto the table. In this presentation the demonstration is being
done directly onto the table.

Pick up the place mat by holding the top right corner with your right thumb
and index finger and the top left corner with our left thumb and index finger.
Lift the table mat on the table right in front of the chair.

5. Flatten out the mat so that it does not have any wrinkles in it.

6. Pick up the plate by holding it from its rims with both hands in such a way
that the thumbs of both hands are on the upper side and fingers should be
underneath the plate for support.

7. Lift the plate and place it in the middle of the table mat without making a
sound.

8. Pick up the napkin in such a way that your thumb is on the lower side and
fingers are on the upper side of the napkin.

9. Lift the napkin and place it on the left side of the plate. (Please note:
different variations of the position of the napkin are used. In this presentation
the simplest napkin position is being used for the convenience of the child who
is learning to set the table for the first time.) Keep the napkin in line with the
plate so that it looks balanced.

10. If the napkin needs to be folded, hold its corners with your thumb and
index fingers and bring the corners a bit higher. Put them on the opposite
corners. If required double fold from left to right. After folding smooth out the
crease.

11. Pick up the fork with your index finger and thumb such that the
thumb is on the upper side and index finger is on the lower side of the holding
part (handle) of the fork.

12. Place the fork gently on the left side of the plate on top of the napkin.
Make sure the fork is in line with the plate.

13. Pick up the knife in the same manner as the fork. Place it on the right
hand side of the plate in such a manner that the sharp edge of the knife faces
the plate. The fork, plate and knife should all be in line and in a balanced
 position.

14. Pick up the spoon and place it on the right side of the knife. Keep it in
a balanced line with the knife.

15. Pick up the glass in such a way that the thumb of right hand is on
your side and four fingers on the opposite side, while the palm of the left hand
may be used to support the glass. Place it on the right side of the table mat just
above the knife and spoon, without making a sound.

16. Invite the child to use the material to practice the activity himself.

17. After the child has finished the activity he should be shown where the
material must be placed.

18. The child may be allowed to use the material anytime for practising.
Points of Interest:
 Remembering where and how to place the various items
 Keeping the items in balance with each other
 Maintaining balance while holding and carrying different utensils
 Concentration
Control of Error:
 Dropping glass, plate or other utensils
 Making sound while placing different utensils on the table.
Direct Aim:
Learn to set up a table while coping independently with the various items and
remembering their right places.
Indirect Aim:
 Hand eye coordination
 Balance
 Perfection of movement
 Concentration
Age Group: 3 years and onwards