Why Practical Life activities?

Amit has just started school and his parents watch their little boy endearingly as he attacks real-life chores with serious determination. They are so proud to see him carefully spooning dried beans from one dish to another and concentrating hard to pick up the beans he has spilled. However, Emma’s parents watching their five year old following the steps to sew on a button are impatient to see some “real work” being carried out like reading, math or spelling. Even the best-informed Montessori parent may wonder whether the practical life activities may be using up time better spent on academic pursuits. Of course, Emma’s day is not spent solely on practical life activities but this is the area of focus to her parents.

We need to understand why these practical life exercises are so important in the primary Montessori classroom (ages 3-6) and how they relate to the child’s overall development. We should realize that mastery of the task itself is not the primary goal of these exercises.

Practical life activities may well be the most important work in the 3 – 6 classroom.

These activities lead a child to make intelligent choices and become physically and then mentally independent and responsible. The child learns to concentrate, control muscles, move and act with care, focus, analyze logical steps and complete a cycle of activity. This is the foundation for mental and physical work in all other areas, not just in early childhood but also throughout life.

Practical Life activities hone concentration and fine motor skills.

Children follow a sequence of prescribed directions, which include choosing the work on the shelf, finding a space at a table, following steps to complete the task, cleaning up and replacing the work exactly where it belongs on the shelf so it is ready for the next person. It is the small muscle coordination, motor sequencing, inner discipline leading to good social skills and work habits and ultimately self-esteem, which are so important and directly prepare for and support development in math, reading and writing.

Every child instinctively strives to grow and develop skills to the limit of his/her ability. A child’s love of the routines found in practical life activities, stems from a strong biological need to gain coordination. That need is especially strong between the ages of three and six years. At this age, the mind still runs faster than the abilities of the body. An older child may remember the steps needed to thread the needle, knot the thread, choose the button and piece of fabric and sew the button from front to back and then back to front without going around the edge of the button, but this knowledge may not yet match his/her developing physical ability. In this carefully prepared and stimulating environment children can respond to their inner need to work on a wide variety of skills until their physical abilities can keep up with their hands. Children are developing eye-hand coordination, upper body strength, balance and spatial perception. It is no coincidence that these are the basic prerequisites to successfully learn to read and write.

The practical life exercises have precise and orderly movements and are divided into steps, which are completed in a certain sequence that follow a logical progression (essential skills for understanding mathematical concepts). The concentration and inner discipline required to carry out multi-step procedures on their own help to prepare children for all of the complex academic materials they will encounter as they progress through the Montessori curriculum.

One of the greatest driving forces in the maturation of young children is the overwhelming desire to be independent. “I can do it by myself” is a phrase we hear over and over again. These practical life exercises reinforce this sense of self-sufficiency. Children discover they can exert control over their environment and such control carries with it certain responsibilities. What a thrill they feel when they have mastered a useful activity. They feel privileged as they gain the skills to progress to more and more complex tasks as they feel it implies respect for their skill and good judgment.

We can be sure that children of all ages, having experienced a continuous flow of small successes as they accomplish the exercises of practical life, will not only have the skills in place to continue with even more complex tasks, but will be happier, more confident and well-rounded individuals. They will be ready to progress through their school life with pride and the self-esteem to accept challenges, both practical and academic, with optimism and self-confidence.

Pouring work develops concentration and hand-eye coordination.

About the Article’s Author: Joan Starling, Founder, Sammamish Montessori School serving preschool, kindergarten and elementary students in Redmond WA.

Consistent routines and getting enough sleep can make a tremendous difference to your child’s day and enable them to be ready to learn new social and academic skills at school. This is true at any age, but particularly true for younger children, especially if adapting to a new routine.

The recommended amounts of sleep per 24 hours are 11-13 hours for 3 – 5-year-olds and 10-11 hours for 5 – 12-year-olds. Sleep is most restorative when it is consolidated. If, when your child goes to bed, he/she falls asleep easily, wakes up easily and is not tired during the day, then he/she is probably getting enough sleep.

The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to see how he/she acts during the day. Take a moment to notice if:

• Your child falls asleep in the car almost every time you drive;
• You have to wake your child up most mornings;
• Your child seems overtired, cranky, irritable, aggressive, over emotional, hyperactive or has trouble thinking during the day;
• On some nights, your child is tired much earlier than his/her usual bedtime.

If your child falls into this pattern, then he/she might not be getting enough sleep.

Sleep deprived children may have more trouble than usual controlling their emotions. The part of the brain that helps to control our response to our feelings and actions is greatly affected by sleep deprivation. A child who does not get enough sleep may have behavior or attention problems, be more likely to hurt him/herself and just not be doing as well as expected.

A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine conducted at the University of Washington also suggests children who do not get enough nighttime sleep are also at increased risk of being overweight, or overweight to obese. Researchers further noted that napping was not an effective substitute for nighttime sleep in terms of obesity prevention, citing that, “sleeping at night is deeper and therefore more restorative than sleeping during the day.” (For more information read, In Young Kids, Lack of Sleep Linked to Obesity Later.)

Make a calm, happy ritual of going to bed and getting up in the morning and keep bedtimes consistent. Make it a special time with a predictable, calming routine. It is your responsibility to put your child to bed so that he/she will have enough sleep so be loving but firm.

Put some thought into finding your children’s ideal bedtime. Notice when they are starting to slow down and get physically tired. That is the time they should be going to sleep so complete their bedtime routine and get them into bed before that time so set a fixed bedtime and stick to it. If you wait beyond that time, children tend to get a second wind. At that point they will be come more difficult to handle and they will have a harder time falling asleep. So keep consistent playtimes, meal times and nap times (if your preschool child still naps).

• Give your child some “heads up” time to put away toys and get ready mentally for bedtime.
• A warm bath is a good way to wind down after a lively day. A special toothbrush and toothpaste could be part of the routine.
• Try to keep the bedroom at a comfortable temperature with a dim nightlight if it helps. In the summertime try to block out bright daylight.
• Limit food and drink before bedtime, but at bedtime provide a sip of water so that your child doesn’t get out of bed to ask for one.
• Allow your child to choose which pajamas to wear and which stuffed animal to take to bed. Some children have a favorite blanket that is definitely part of the routine.
• Do not crowd the bed with so many toys that there is not enough room for your child and use the bed only for sleeping, not for playing or watching TV.
• Read a favorite story or recite a favorite poem. Quietly go over the highlights of the day and then mention what will be happening tomorrow.
• Soft, gentle music or a “Sound Soother” that emits white noise, waves, rustling leaves, etc. can help block out distracting noise. Stick to the same music or songs every night for preschoolers.
• You may wish to reevaluate nap times for a growing preschooler.  Often a child is ready to give up a nap if napping in the afternoon means that bedtime becomes very late.  A consolidated night’s sleep is more beneficial to a child than a nap and a shorter nighttime sleep. (See article The Effects of Napping on Cognitive Function in Preschoolers which concludes daytime napping is actually negatively correlated with neurocognitive function in preschoolers. Nighttime sleep appears to be more critical for the development of cognitive performance.)
• Tuck your child into bed snugly for a sense of security, give a kiss, say goodnight and close the door (or leave it slightly ajar if the house is quiet) and leave.

Remember that children will naturally be more tired as they adapt to a new school routine, so adjusting bedtime to be a little earlier now may make all the difference to help your child be ready for school.

There seem to be more and more things competing for time in the day. With parents’ busy schedules, unpredictable weather and the temptation of television, computer games and other electronics when children arrive home after school it is not hard to believe that statistically children in our country are getting a lot less unstructured outdoor time than in past generations. And that is a problem. It is important for us as educators and parents alike to recognize the importance of and to preserve unstructured outside time. Being outdoors in the natural world is a vital positive influence in every child’s development. For that reason, at school every class goes out to recess every morning and afternoon in all but the foulest of weather. Children staying for lunch go outside for another short lunch recess. Spending time in unstructured outside play after school and on weekends is also important for children.

Unstructured outdoor play is essential for a variety of reasons, among them:

• Physical play increases overall fitness, builds healthier bodies, and helps prevent childhood obesity.
• Children need to develop large and small motor skills along with cardiovascular endurance.
• Time outdoors raises vitamin D levels, helping prevent future bone problems, diabetes, and heart disease and may also help boost the immune system.
• As little as 20-minutes of exercise has been linked to a boost in brain function afterward.
• Teachers know that outdoor play can help children release pent-up energy and doing so improves focus and concentration.
• Outdoor play has been linked to improved distance vision and lowers the chance of nearsightedness.
• Children learn important social and cognitive skills while playing outdoors: creating and organizing their own games, developing friendships and learning to resolve conflicts.
• Outside time allows children to learn through constructive play, social play, socio-dramatic play and rule-based games.
• Free time outside allows children to develop observation skills and learn about the world, using all of their senses to feel the wind or sun on their skin, observe an insect or flower, listen to birds chirping, for instance.
• Time outside allows children to create, explore, experiment, manipulate, reconfigure, expand, influence, change, marvel, discover, practice, push their limits, yell, sing, dance and move.
• Studies suggest that time in nature may be effective in reducing ADHD symptoms.
• Environmental education has been linked to improved test performance evaluating critical thinking skills, math, reading, writing and listening.
• Green spaces help reduce stress levels in children.
• Children need free unstructured playtime to protect their emotional development.
• A hurried lifestyle and loss of free time can contribute to anxiety and depression in children.
• Studies show that time spent in nature enhances social interactions and interpersonal relationships.
• New studies show physical exercise actually increases white matter in the brain and speed and connectivity of brain activity.

At home, spending time outdoors can be as easy as heading out to the backyard or playground, walking to a meet a friend, having a picnic, going to the zoo or a local park. We are lucky to have a variety of wonderful parks very close by, such as Farrel McWhirter, Grasslawn, Anderson, and Marymoor parks to name just a few. With the longer days and hopefully nicer weather of spring upon us, take advantage and spend some time outdoors with your child. You will both be glad you did.

Sources and additional resources:

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=360

www.kidsdiscovernature.com

http://www.teachpreschool.org/2009/10/preschoolers-should-go-outside-everyday/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/141891-the-benefits-outdoor-play-children/

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/08/06/336361277/scientists-say-childs-play-helps-build-a-better-brain

http://time.com/3145404/exercise-makes-kids-brains-more-efficient/

Practical Life and Sensorial Activities in a Montessori 3-6 Classroom Develop Math Readiness.

Math is an abstract concept. The ability to count, compute and use numerical relationships are hugely significant human achievements. The number system is an abstract invention that has been created over thousands of years. In primitive societies, the counting went “one, two, many”. It is exciting to witness the young child’s readiness to understand this same concept.

Children are naturally attracted to the science of number. They are trying to understand their world and make sense of their environment. They have an inborn ability to see differences and similarities, patterns and sequences. The child learns to notice and adapt to changes in the environment and as the child’s knowledge of the environment grows, he/she is able to make a mental map and feel comfortable in his/her space. The Montessori materials that are designed for categorizing and sorting help build this internal order.

The mathematical concepts covered in the primary Montessori classroom are numeration, the decimal system, computation, the arithmetic tables, whole numbers, fractions and positive numbers. Arithmetic is the process of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Geometry and algebra are introduced in the sensorial area of the classroom.

The sensorial and practical life areas of the classroom prepare the child for math and language. The foundation for geometry is developed through the sensorial materials. For instance, some of the materials are graded by size. Children experience spatial relations by manipulating these materials (the pink tower, the brown stair, red rods, constructive triangles, two main types of graded cylinders, plane shapes and geometric solids.) The plane shapes and geometric solids are the basis for computing volume and surface area. The monomial, binomial and trinomial cubes are all geometric representations of algebraic equations, used in higher math. Squares and cubes pave the way for the golden beads where the child experiences the concept of one hundred beads joined to make a square and a thousand beads joined to make a cube. Sensorial activities also indirectly prepare for base ten counting. The pink tower has ten graded cubes, increasing in size by 1 cm.; the brown stair has ten graded square prisms, each 1 cm. larger than the last; the ten red rods are graded from 10 cm. to 100 cm. in length.

The numerical rods in the math area are similar rods but are divided into ten consecutive red and blue sections of 10cm. The child can set the rods out from numbers one to ten so it shows that the longer the rod, the higher the number. Simple math calculations can be performed with the red and blue rods. It is easy to see how the “two” rod and the “three” rod combine to make the “five” rod. In mathematics, objects are classified and have a definite order. All parts of the sensorial curriculum have classification activities. Practical life activities are done in a definite order, which is internalized. Pre-reading activities include matching, sorting and sequencing activities.

The practical life activities are the foundation of the entire Montessori curriculum. Its direct aims are coordination, confidence, independence, concentration and order. These five attributes are internalized and benefit the child throughout life. Manipulation of the materials requires coordination. Finally, the child must have the confidence to work independently.

The Montessori math program addresses three separate concepts: number, quantity, and the relationship of the two together. The child uses concrete materials that isolate each concept. Then the child is shown how to label a quantity with the appropriate numerical symbol. The child then advances to a progression of sequential materials that combine number and quantity. In the same way that a child can learn the “Alphabet Song” without having any idea of the sounds of the letters, similarly a child can learn to count without actually understanding what it all means, but the concrete Montessori materials make sense of it all.

After children have become familiar with the numbers one through ten, they progress to the teens, and then focus on numbers to one hundred. After that, he child is ready for the golden beads which are used for large number recognition over one hundred. Golden beads are also used for the basic arithmetic functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Children enjoy working with large numbers and compute easily with hundreds and thousands using golden beads and numeral cards.

Golden beads are all the same size. A single bead comprises one unit; ten beads strung on a wire make a ten bar; one hundred is a square made up of ten ten-bars side by side and one thousand is ten one hundred squares stacked on top of each other to form a cube.

Additional work is introduced with the number chains–which are separate chains of beads one through ten–that demonstrate squares and cubes of numbers. Children love to skip count using these chains, which forms the concrete basis of the multiplication tables.

There are many more math materials to challenge students since the Montessori math curriculum in a 3-6 classroom actually extends to 3rd grade. They are varied and enticing and children are never bored and can work at their own level with joy and confidence. It is amazing how far these students can progress with the foundation of confidence, curiosity, and order they learned in the practical life and sensorial areas of the classroom.

In her analysis of Montessori education, University of Virginia Professor, Angeline S. Lillard, Ph.D. notes eight fundamental ideas central to Montessori education that in her words, help provide students with superior educational outcomes:

1. Movement and cognition are closely intertwined; physical movement can enhance thinking and learning.
2. Choice and perceived-control promote children’s concentration and contentment in the learning process.
3. Personal interest enhances learning in a context where interests build on prior knowledge and the children’s own questions.
4. Extrinsic rewards negatively impact long- term motivation and learning.
5. Collaborative (child–child) arrangements are conducive to learning.
6. Learning situated in and connected to meaningful contexts is more effective than learning in abstracted contexts.
7. Sensitive and responsive (nurturing) teaching is associated with more optimal outcomes. (Multi-age classrooms where children stay with the same teacher and many of the same peers promote continuity and close relationships.)
8. Order in the environment promotes and establishes mental order and is beneficial to the child.

More information about Montessori education:

http://montessorimadmen.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQl-7Lmm4hE (Superworman was already here)

www.montessoriforeveryone.com www.montessori.org

www.montessori-science.org www.amshq.org

http://mariamontessori.com/mm/