Fall Practical Life: Physical Skill Work for Fine Motor Control

- November 16, 2014

The work found in Montessori Schools in the Practical Life Area aids inner construction, discipline, independence, self-esteem, and sense of order. These traits and virtues are gained from concentration on a precise material. It has been said that this type of adaptation to our work, the do-it-yourself capabilities we instill, is the very foundation for education.

Everything in the Montessori environment is painstakingly prepared for the success of the child.

In particular, the teachers prepare activities for each type of practical life work.

1) Physical Skills: Pouring, Scooping/Spooning, Squeezing, Twisting, and Bead Stringing/Lacing

2) Care of Self

3) Care of Environment

4) Grace and Courtesy

5) Food Preparation

The area of Practical Life for today's post will be Physical Skills, all with the them of Fall. Activities that involve pouring, spooning/scooping, squeezing, twisting, and lacing help train the child for writing, and ready them for fine motor activity. These physical skill works are done in an order sequence to prepare the student for reading by working from left to right, top to bottom. Even the way the entire Montessori classroom is set up in order of difficulty left to right, top to bottom- relative to the way most languages read. The order of materials is set up from no transfer-to-transfer, large to small, and hands to tool. Our Practical Life work helps strengthen and advance the hands of our children by the way their fingers work in the process of these activities. Most commonly children use what is called the pincer grip on Practical Life work, which will soon become the child's way of correctly holding a writing utensil. The work is on the shelves from left to right, starting on the left with gross motor skills, and fading into fine motor skills towards the right and closer to the bottom.

Pouring