“With practical tasks, we can keep children happily occupied while their movement improves in coordination, their egos develop and are reinforced and the personal security and self-esteem continue to be enhanced. These important messages are absorbed in the developing human being and will serve to sustain him throughout all future activities: “I can, I am capable, I am worthy of something, my collaboration is needed by the people with whom I live, my work is important to others and I can transform the world around me with my work.” (Montanaro, Silvana Quattrocchi, Understanding the Human Being)
The Practical Life activities are those activities that are performed to establish, maintain and restore the environment and social relations. They are mini-laboratory how is it like to be a human being.
When the child is able to walk and his hands become free for work, he desires to participate in these daily routines to become like us. Children want to collaborate or join in. The whole purpose is to become a person of your time and place.
A list of fabulous 15, which give the children exercises of the practical life:
Development of the executive functions (e.g. working memory, inhibitory control, an ability to function in a logical way and to bring activities to a completion)
Children under 7 yeard old learn through:
1. Sensorial experience
Children need movement, which is a sensitive period in 0-6:
2. Refinement of gross and fine motor skills
Children need reality:
3. Use of the tools of environment
4. Precise goals
Children use their big 3 (absorbent mind, sensitive periods, human tendencies):
5. Order (external order brings internal order)
6. Sequence – all the Practical Life exercises have steps and one must follow the other
7. Repetition
8. Concentration
Children need communication with others:
9. Collaboration is an interaction with other humans which starts long before speaking. 0-3 children especially collaborate with adults.
10. Verbal language development
We want children to develop:
11. Independence
12. Self-esteem
13. Self-confidence
14. Security
The children go through development of thought processes:
Having a choice of work children develop their will.