Practical Life activities form a vital part of preschool life. Each child spends an ample amount of time in this section of activities. As the name suggests, Practical Life activities are a wide variety of activities the students partake in. It includes meal preparation, cleaning, sweeping and several other tasks.
Even a three-year-old child can do many things independently with the correct instructions. Activities such as Practical Life teach essential life skills to children, which help them in the long run. Not only is it an all-inclusive learning process, ensuring that boys are made to learn as much about cooking and cleaning as much as girls, but it also brings immense independence to the child.
Your child is not just learning how to cook, clean or dress themselves. They understand the importance of possessing these skills, which are extremely important for survival. So, along with academic tasks, bringing practical life skills into the curriculum is highly beneficial for the child.
Once your child has become accustomed to the activities involved in Practical Life tasks, they will themselves feel the need to participate more in the household tasks. Don’t be afraid to include them in cooking, baking, and cleaning activities. The more you let them do it by themselves, the greater is their sense of accomplishment. This sense of accomplishment then boosts self-confidence–a crucial life skill.
The dual-purpose served by the practical life tasks encourages children to be more self-dependent while also ensuring that they engage in household activities. Additionally, your child will learn to trust their instincts through peeling, boiling, and cleaning activities. While fun tasks like cooking and baking are essential, they will understand that mundane tasks like the clean-up process.
As part of the practical life activities, your child will also learn their way around clothes. They will learn to work with buttons, zippers, belts, etc. This means they would soon be ready to dress, which means no screaming for mum while looking for their socks! They will learn to be organised, self-disciplined and take responsibility for their tasks.
Honing crucial practical life skills only takes place through trial and error, so active participation in these activities is vital. Each child must learn to figure out their way of solving different problems, whether in the domestic setting or the professional one. Giving equal importance to practical skills and academic skills established the importance of both in one’s life. Skills like these will help your child develop their concentration, motor, and problem-solving skills.
Conclusion
Montessori preschools have gained immense popularity due to their approach to the more holistic development of your children. They let the students take the lead, and instant of nudging them in a particular direction–and confining them into a box–they let children work their way around their problems, thus creating multiple solutions to the same problem. Therefore, sending your child to a preschool that gives importance to practical life skills will benefit them in the short and long run!
A Montessori Nursery teaches children to be self-sufficient and responsible from an early age. Along with their academic learnings, children learn how to deal with difficult life situations.
