Montessori method

Maria Montessori. For the surname, see Montessori (surname).

Children working on the phonogram moveable alphabet

The Montessori method is an educating approach for children based on the research and
experiences of Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori (1870–1952). It arose in
the process of her experimental observation of young children given freedom in an
environment, leading her to believe by 1907 that she had discovered "the child's true
normal nature." [1] Based on her observations, she created an environment prepared with
materials designed for their self-directed learning activity.[2] The method itself aims to
duplicate this experimental observation of children to bring about, sustain and support
their true natural way of being.[3]

Applying this method involves the teacher in viewing the child as having an inner natural
guidance for his or her own perfect self-directed development.[4] The teacher's role of
observation sometimes includes experimental interactions with children, commonly
referred to as "lessons," to resolve misbehavior or to show how to use the various self-
teaching materials that are provided in the environment for the children's free use.[5]

The method is primarily applied with young children (2.5–6), as this was the initial age
with which Dr. Montessori worked. Her philosophy was based on certain characteristic
seen in this age group. [6] The method is also utilized successfully for ages 0-3 and 6-9, 9-
12, 12-15 and 15-18, though the majority of children learning through this method are in
the 3-6 range.[7][8]

Although the Montessori name is recognized by many, it is not a trademark, and it is

associated with more than one organization. Schools and teacher training programs can
differ in their interpretation, intensity, practical application, and philosophy in using this
method with children.[9] This article is about Dr. Maria Montessori’s research and
discoveries and their practical application by adherents and practitioners with children.
 [edit] History
The "Montessori method" developed from experimental research that Dr. Maria
Montessori conducted with children with intellectual disabilities in the early 1900s.[10]
She began this research using the basic idea of scientific education that was developed
and employed in the 1800s with children with special needs by French physicians Jean
Itard and Edouard Seguin.[11] A student and associate of Itard, Seguin extended Itard's
initial idea of observing children in their natural, free activity by adding a series of
exercises with specially designed self-teaching materials. Based on Dr. Montessori's
success using this same approach in her initial research with children with disabilities,
she began to look for an opportunity to study how it might be applied to benefit the
education of typically developing children as well.[12]

Montessori was asked to establish a day-care center for young children (2–6) in a low-
income housing area of Rome's San Lorenzo district.[13] She opened the center in 1907,
calling it a Children's House,and began observing the children in the scientific manner
indicated before by Seguin.[12] In this process, Dr. Montessori soon discovered that the
children responded to the materials with a deep concentration that resulted in a
fundamental shift in their way of being, changing from the ordinary behavior of fantasy,
inattention, and disorder, to a state of profound peace, calm and order within their
environment. Observing this change occurring with all the children in her environment,
she concluded that she had discovered the child's true normal nature. Later, Dr.
Montessori referred to this change as normalization and the new emerging children as
normalized.[14]

After 1907, Dr. Montessori reported her discovery and experiences to educators and
others who became increasingly interested in learning how these changes came about in
children. This interest soon led her to write various books on the subject and conduct
training programs to explain her approach, which eventually came to be known as the
"Montessori method." [15]

Following her initial experiments with young children, Montessori extended her research
by introducing new materials and studying the effects of her approach with children of
different ages. For example, near the end of her life, in her book De l'Enfant à
l'Adolescent,[16] (From Childhood to Adolescence), Montessori contributed to the work of
the International Bureau of Education and UNESCO, by relating how her method would
apply to the secondary-school and university settings. Her writings, lectures, and research
during some 40 years until her death in 1952 constituted the basic foundation of
knowledge about the method, which is currently conducted according to various
philosophies in schools and other institutions associated with the name Montessori
throughout the world.[17] The method has developed along several different philosophical
tracks. Each track has evolved its own distinctive organizational affiliations, training and
presentation of the method to the general public.[18]
[edit] Philosophy
The philosophy of the Montessori method has remained difficult at times to explain.
There are many reasons for this:

1. The Montessori Method is quite different from traditional thinking. This often
leads to many aspects of the Method that are difficult to explain.
2. The Montessori Method is not trademarked, so anyone can open a school and call
it a Montessori school. It is not uncommon for people to visit a school with
"Montessori" in the name and not see the Montessori Method happening. This
leads to many incorrect assumptions about what Montessori is.
3. People might visit a well run Montessori environment, but do not have a full
understanding of what is happening.
4. Montessori education is often not a part of most mainstream educational
university programs, so even educators do not have a clear idea of what
Montessori is.
5. The Montessori Method encompasses so much that it is difficult to know where to
begin in describing it. Do we begin by talking about the materials? The
development of the child? The nature of the child? The educational outcomes?

The question of its underlying philosophy was made clear in her writings. Still, some
philosophical differences arose.

Confusion and conflict about the method's philosophy emerged with particular intensity
in the modern development of Montessori in the United States[19] where, in 1967, the
name "Montessori" was held to be a "generic term" that no organization could claim for
its own exclusive use.[20] Since then, the number and diversity of Montessori
organizations and philosophies have expanded considerably.

[edit] Concepts

 Inner guidance of nature. All children have inherent inner directives from nature
that guides their true normal development.[21]
 Freedom for self-directed learning. The Montessori method respects individual
liberty of children to choose their own activities. This freedom allows children to
follow their inner guidance for self-directed learning. With each freedom the child
has to make a choice, there are also limits to that freedom based on the
functionality of the environment. For example, a child may choose his own work,
but only that which is available at the time and on which he has had a lesson. [22]
 Planes of development. The natural development of children proceeds through
several distinct planes of development, each one having its own unique conditions
and sensitive periods for acquiring basic faculties in the developmental process.
The first plane (ages 0–6) involves basic personality formation and learning
through physical senses. During this plane, children experience sensitive periods
for acquiring language, refinement of the senses, movement and order.[23] The
second plane of development (6–12) involves learning through abstract reasoning,
 developing through a sensitivity for imagination and social interaction with
others. The third plane (12–18) is the period of adolescent growth, involving the
significant biological changes of puberty, moving towards learning a valuation of
the human personality, especially as related to experiences in the surrounding
community. The fourth plane (18+), involves a completion of all remaining
development in the process of maturing in adult society.[24]
 Prepared environment. The optimal conditions around children allow for and
support their true natural development. For young children, the environment must
be prepared with a particular series of scientifically developed material, "the
apparatus", that are consistently organized by subject, degree of difficulty and
complexity. All materials are displayed on open shelving and are available for
free, independent use, to stimulate their natural instincts and interests for self-
directed learning. Aesthetics are extremely important in a prepared environment.
Because the child must choose to work, the materials must attract the child.[25]
 Observation and indirect teaching. The teacher's role is to observe children
engaged in activities that follow their own natural interests. Based on these
observation the teacher or "guide" determines when a child is ready for a new
challenge, which is followed by a lesson or "presentation". This indirect teaching
of responding to the child, contrasts sharply with the traditional teacher's role of
implementing a timed, pre-determined curriculum. Children in Montessori
environments, therefore, are not necessarily arriving at academic goalposts at the
same time. Discipline in a Montessori environment is based on observation as
well. For example, a Montessori environment has the teacher observing conflict
and guiding children to resolve it themselves. When the guide must resolve
misbehavior, she does so by refocusing the child to purposeful activity where she
has observed success, rather than engaging in the ordinary system of rewards and
punishments.[26]
 Normalization. During the 0–6 plane of development, children have the ability to
shift their fundamental being from the ordinary condition of disorder, inattention,
and attachment to fantasy to a state of perfect normal being, showing such
external behavior as spontaneous self-discipline, independence, love of order, and
complete harmony and peace with others in the social situation. This
psychological shift to normal being occurs through repetitive deep concentration
on some physical activity of the child's own free choice.[27] Normalization can be
fixed or unfixed. A child can move in and out of Normalization for a time, even
years, before reaching it. It is part of the Montessori philosophy that all human
beings have the ability to achieve Normalization.
 Absorbent mind. The young child (0–6) has an absorbent mind which naturally
incorporates experiences in the environment directly into its whole basic character
and personality for life. This mental faculty, which is unique to young children,
allows them to learn many concepts in an effortless, spontaneous manner. It also
allows them to undergo the key phenomenon of normalization to return to their
true natural development. After the age of about six, this absorbent mental faculty
disappears.[28]
 Work, not play. Children have an instinctive tendency to develop through
spontaneous experiences on the environment, which Dr. Montessori referred to as
 'work'.[29] In this sense, the children's normal activity is attached to reality in the
present moment, rather than idle play through such means as toys and fantasy.[30]
[31]

 Multi-age grouping. Children learn from each other in a spontaneous manner

that supports their independent self-directed activity. The ordinary Montessori
classroom therefore consists of a mixed-aged group, such as 2–6 (primary level)
or 6–12 (elementary level), based on Planes of Development (see above).[32]

[edit] Montessori materials and curriculum

The Montessori method involves a curriculum of learning that comes from the child's
own natural inner guidance and expresses itself in outward behavior as the child's various
individual interests are at work. Supporting this inner plan of nature, the method provides
a range of materials to stimulate the child's interest through self-directed activity. In the
first plane of development (0–6), these materials are generally organized into five basic
categories: practical life, sensorial, math, language, and culture. Other categories include
geography (a child's perception of himself in space), history (a child's perception of
himself in time), and science (interactions with the natural world).

[edit] Practical life

Practical life materials and exercises respond to the young child's natural interests to
develop physical coordination, care of self and care of the environment. Specific
materials provide opportunities for self-help dressing activities, using various devices to
practice buttoning, zipping, bow tying, and lacing. Other practical life materials include
pouring, scooping and sorting activities, as well as washing a table and food preparation
to develop hand-eye coordination. These activities also provide a useful opportunity for
children to concentrate bringing about their normalization. Other practical life activities
include lessons in polite manners, such as folding hands, sitting in a chair, walking in
line.[33] As the child ages into an elementary program, Practical Life activities take on a
practical purpose, such as cooking and vacuuming.

[edit] Sensorial

The sensorial materials provide a range of activities and exercises for children to
experience the natural order of the physical environment, including such attributes as
size, color, shape and dimension.[34] Many of these materials were originally suggested
and developed by Seguin in his prior research with scientific education.[35]

Examples of these materials are pink tower (series of ten sequential cubes, varying in
volume); knobbed cylinders (wooden blocks with 10 depressions to fit variable sized
cylinders); broad stairs (ten wooden blocks, sequentially varying in two dimensions);
color tablets (colored objects for matching pairs or grading shapes of color).[36]

[edit] Language
In the first plane of development (0–6), the Montessori language materials provide
experiences to develop use of a writing instrument and the basic skills of reading a
written language. For writing skill development, the metal insets provide essential
exercises to guide the child's hand in following different outline shapes while using a
pencil. For reading, a set of individual letters, commonly known as sandpaper letters,
provide the basic means for associating the individual letter symbols with their
corresponding phonetic sounds.[37] Displaying several letters, a lesson known as the
"Seguin three-period lesson" (see below) guides children to learn the letter sounds and the
movements of their shape. When the child is proficient with the majority of the sounds,
he can create words using moveable letters from the "moveable alphabet". When their
hand is strong enough from use with the Metal Insets and other materials, he may write
words with a pencil using the shapes he learned from the sandpaper letters. Following
writing with the movable alphabet, the child begins to read words. Montessori language
materials have also been developed to help children learn grammar, including parts of
speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, articles, prepositions, adverbs, conjunctions,
pronouns, and interjections. The materials evolve for further complexity in the later
planes of development [38]

[edit] Cultural subjects

The Montessori classroom may also include other materials and resources to learn
cultural subjects, such as geography (map puzzles, globes, cultural suitcases containing
country-specific materials), and science, such as biology in naming and organizing plants
and animals. Music and art are also commonly involved with children in various ways.
After the age of approximately six, learning resources include reading books and more
abstract materials for learning a broad range of advanced subject matter.[39]

[edit] Elementary (6–12) curriculum

During the second plane (6–12) of development, the curriculum takes on a more
conventional appearance of books and writing activities, since children now function
more through abstract reasoning and are no longer as sensitive to the physical
environment.[40] The contextual format for this more advanced curriculum is described as
cosmic education, a concept that was first explained in England in 1935.[41] Cosmic
education is the total interrelated functioning of the whole universe, which allows
elementary children to store and organize a great amount of knowledge from among a
wide range of different subject matter areas and disciplines.[42]

[edit] Lessons

In the Montessori method, a lesson is an experimental interaction with children to support

their true normal development.[43] With materials, these lessons primarily aim to present
their basic use to children according to their own individual interests and academic
readiness. These lessons are therefore given in such a way that the teacher carefully
shows the precise use, through isolated movements or steps, so as to leave the child with
a high potential for success and not to interfere with the child's own free learning directly
through the materials themselves.[44]

For many presentations, a three-step process, described originally by Seguin, is used in

the Montessori method for showing the relationship between objects and names. This is
called the "three-period lesson."[45] With this nomenclature lesson, two or three materials
are selected from what the children are working with.

 Period 1 consists of providing the child with the name of the material. In the case
of letter sounds, the teacher will have the child trace the letter and say, "This is
/u/. This is /p/." This provides the children with the name of what they are
learning.
 Period 2 is to help the child recognize the different objects. Most of the time with
the three-period lesson is in period 2. Some things the teacher might say are,
"Show me the /u/. Show me the /p/” or "Point to the /u/. Point to the /p/.” After
spending some time in the second period, the child may move on to period 3.
 Period 3 involves checking to see if the child not only recognizes the name of the
material, but is able to tell you what it is. The teacher will point to the "u"
sandpaper letter and ask the student, "What is this?" If the child replies with, "u",
the child fully understands it. With letters, the lessons continue until the child can
combine the letters, or "sounds" to make a words, such as “up.”[46]

[edit] Montessori in the Home

Aspects of the Montessori method are readily employed with children at home. With
young children, the practical life materials and exercises are provided through everyday
household activities and chores, such as setting the table for meals, food preparation, and
folding clothes for laundry. Parents follow the method by using slow, simple movements
in showing how to do these chores, as well as by establishing routines for children to
conduct their own activities with as much independence and self-direction as possible.[47]
Despite much criticism, Montessori applications appeared in 2010 for the Apple iPad for
parents to employ digital versions of Montessori activities at home.

[edit] Music in Montessori environment

Maria Montessori discovered that musical education greatly benefits children during their
developmental years.[citation needed] As it is reinforced by Diana Deutsch, a professor at the
University of California at San Diego in an interview on WNYC radio,[48] infant brains
are sensitive and responsive to musical sounds, preferring them over other types of
sounds. A child’s musical receptiveness remains especially strong through the preschool
years until about the age of six.[citation needed] That is why parents speak to their infants in a
high-pitched, “sing-song” type of voice.[dubious – discuss] Educators, scientists, researchers and
doctors are confirming that musical training can significantly enhance child development.
[citation needed]
Several studies[which?] indicate that exposure to music (listening, learning and
playing) does have beneficial effects for preschoolers. Active musical training can
improve their problem-solving skills, physical coordination, poise, concentration,
memory, visual, aural and language skills, self discipline.[citation needed] It fosters self
confidence and improves the ability to learn.[49] The Montessori environment provides
experiential learning with a set of bells, tone blocks and movable note blocks.

[edit] Criticism of Montessori

Some critics claim that a flaw in the Montessori method is its close association with Dr.
Montessori herself. In Maria Montessori: a Biography, Rita Kramer[50] reports that a New
York Times writer interviewing Montessori in 1913 stated:

...the method is Montessori and Montessori is the method and one may well have grave
doubts about how it will go with 'auto-education' when Maria Montessori's personality is
removed.” (p. 188)

[edit] Benefits
Angeline Stoll Lillard's award-winning 2005 book Montessori: The Science Behind the
Genius (Oxford University Press) presents a recent overview evaluating Montessori
versus conventional education in terms of research relevant to their underlying principles.
Lillard cites research indicating that Montessori's basic methods are more suited to what
psychology research reveals about human development, and argues the need for more
research.

A 2006 study published in the journal "Science" concluded that Montessori students (at
ages 5 and 12) performed better than control students who had lost a random
computerized lottery to attend a Montessori school and instead went to a variety of
different conventional schools. This improved performance was achieved in a variety of
areas, including not only traditional academic areas such as language and math, but in
social skills as well (though by age 12 academic benefits had largely disappeared).[51]

On several dimensions, children at a public inner city Montessori school had superior
outcomes relative to a sample of Montessori applicants who, because of a random lottery,
attended other schools. By the end of kindergarten, the Montessori children performed
better on standardized tests of reading and math, engaged in positive interaction on the
playground more, and showed advanced social cognition and executive control more.
They also showed more concern for fairness and justice. At the end of elementary school,
Montessori children wrote more creative essays with more complex sentence structures,
selected more positive responses to social dilemmas, and reported feeling more of a sense
of community at their school.

The authors concluded that, "when strictly implemented, Montessori education fosters
social and academic skills that are equal or superior to those fostered by a pool of other
types of schools." Research by K. Dohrmann and colleagues [52] supplements this by
showing superior math and science performance in high school by children who
previously attended public Montessori (as compared to high school classmates, over half
of whom were at the most selective city public high schools); and two studies by
Rathunde and Csikszentmihalyi[53][54] showing a higher level of interest and motivation
while doing school work as well as more positive social relations among Montessori
middle-schoolers as opposed to matched controls.

[edit] See also

 Montessori sensorial materials
 Maria Montessori
 Dorothy Canfield Fisher
 Inclusive classroom
 Gifted education
Preschool Assessment
In The Classroom
Appropriate ongoing preschool assessment is an important component of any quality
early childhood program. Young children should always be assessed in a natural setting
while doing the things they do every day. Young children should be assessed
throughout the day so that the teacher will be aware of the child's skills in all areas of
development.

Teachers observe, write anecdotal notes, and reflect on each child's abilities. They plan
according to what they have learned through their observations. If it is apparent that a
child never counts past three the teacher knows that she must provide materials and
opportunities and guidance for this child to count as often as possible.

Types of Preschool Assessment

Preschool assessment in an early childhood classroom is important because it drives the

teacher's lesson plans. This is formative assessment. The assessment also provides
information for teacher's to share with parents at conferences etc.

A developmentally appropriate assessment includes observations of the child as he goes

about his business. All  teaching staff will write anecdotal notes continuously on
children that reflect their skills in all areas of development.

Anecdotal notes should only state the facts -not opinions. In other words, it is okay to
say "Charlie smiled" but not okay to say "Charlie was happy." The anecdotal notes will
tell the date, the time of day (circle time, choice time, etc.), what the child was doing,
and a few details. It is alright to use your own shorthand as long as you know what it
means.

The teacher takes anecdotal notes regularly as she does observations of the child. She
also collects samples of the child's work. The assessment tool gives the teacher
guidelines that show her where the child stands in the process of his development.
Children develop most skills in a specific order.

For instance when children are learning to write they scribble, then make letter-like
symbols, then write letters, and then words and sentences. If Jimmy has been making
letter-like symbols, we know he is nearly ready to begin writing letters and later words.
So, we offer Jimmy lots of materials, opportunities and guidance that will move him to
the next level, writing letters.

This type of assessment is called authentic assessment because the child is not tested.
The assessment is done in natural circumstances. The anecdotal notes are not
considered accurate unless the teacher observes the same level of functioning in a
particular area of development more than once.

Having worked with this type of assessment I know it is not easy at first. It seems
overwhelming at times. If you are using a particular early childhood assessment tool for
the first time relax. Become familiar with the process and the assessment tool. It takes a
long time to know what to look for when you are observing for assessment purposes.

Organizing the method you use for writing anecdotal notes helps you be more effective
and efficient as you do your observations. I have seen teachers write anecdotals on
sticky notes, index cards, notebook paper, and computer labels. I have seen teachers
put materials for note taking in several different spots in the classroom (for easy
access).

I am a very visual person myself. I wanted to be able to see at a glance which children I
hadn't observed much and which areas of development I was neglecting. I had a larger
than legal size paper. It was divided into squares labeled with the various areas of
development. I wrote my anecdotals on computer labels and put the labels on each
child's sheet in the appropriate area. I could see everything I wanted to see at a glance.

I have also carried index cards and an ink pen in a fanny pack or small tool apron. This
works great too. One way to organize index cards of course is in a recipe box with the
children's names in order alphabetically.

Preschool Assessment Tools

There are a number of great tools for assessing  young children's skills in all areas of
development. The HighScope Child Observation Record (COR) and the Creative
Curriculum Continuum and Meisels Work Sampling System are three of them.

For several  years my co-teacher and I video-taped each child on his or her own tape at
various times during the day. The advantage to the video tapes was that we could watch
them over and over in order to see different things. We could look at the tape one time
and look at the interaction with  other children.

Another time we might look at the same video and concentrate on play skills or gross or
fine motor skills. A video tape of a child building with blocks can be as helpful as a
sample of a child's writing. Parents can learn a lot by watching their child's video too.

Some preschool assessment tools are now available online. Assessment tools that are
available on CD or online have their advantages. Usually you can type in your anecdotal
information and the computer program will organize the information almost any way
you want it. Some assessments will even take the recorded information and give you a
summary for a parent report.

Even though I have always used authentic assessment I find that it is nearly impossible
to collect ALL of the information I would like. Interacting with the children is still the
MOST important thing teachers do and preschool assessment serves no purpose without
interaction.
Preschool/Kindergarten - The Foundation Program of Montessori

Our 3–6 distance education Montessori diploma program offers a comprehensive

curriculum, including a thorough theory and teaching strategies manual that provides
detailed, essential topics surrounding the theory, philosophy and methodology of Dr.
Montessori.

Six superior quality curriculum manuals are included with this diploma program. The
manuals cover the critical stages of development for ages 3–6, setting out step-by-step
activities for the educator to introduce to the children. PLUS! Our program includes
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Blackline Masters on CD, all designed to complement our 3–6 curriculum.

Sensorial Development & Music Enrichment

(214 page manual)
Sensorial Activities including Music: An array of activities to
assist the child in understanding the information she
receives from her environment. Sensorial impressions are
infinite. The activities presented in this manual help the child
discriminate, appreciate and understand her world. Music  
for the Montessori classroom is also covered. View Table of
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Blackline Masters
19 pages of blackline masters, complement the Sensorial View a Sample Lesson
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Sensorial Online Presentations Now Included!

Follow along with your curriculum manual and view
 
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Montessori 3-6 Classroom Guide  

(275 page manual)

This is the most extensive Montessori 3–6 "How to

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Some of the topics covered are:

 How to present lessons the Montessori Way
 How to organize a Montessori classroom
 Classroom management View Sample Pages
  Starting off right in September View Table of Contents
 Parental involvement
 Special needs
 The absorbent mind
 Critical periods of development
 Grace and courtesy

 Dr. Montessori and the Montessori method

Language Arts Manual

(209 page manual)
Through the use of a multitude of activities, a child first learns
his phonetic sounds, phonetic reading and writing, irregular or
sight words, phonograms and blends, which leads to fluent
(total) reading. We also document journal keeping, creative
 
writing, whole language and poetry.

Blackline Masters
255 pages of Language Arts blackline masters, including the
pink, blue and yellow materials, complement the Language View a Sample Lesson
Arts curriculum. View a Sample Blackline Master. View Table of Contents
Language Arts Online Presentations Now
Included!
Follow along with your curriculum manual and view 26
key Language Arts activities, including demonstrations
using the Movable Alphabet, Sandpaper Letters, Pink &  
Blue Materials and many more activities.
View Sample Video
View Activity List

Culture and Science Manual  

(183 page manual)
Geography - Starting with land, water and air, and
progressing to studying the world's different regions
through photographs, art, geo-molds and geography
puzzles.

History - By examining their own timeline from birth to

present, and their own family tree, children gain their first
sense of history, and the concept of time is brought to life.
View a Sample Lesson
View Table of Contents
Botany - Assists the child in exploring the biological
aspects of his environment. Helps him develop an
appreciation for the delicate balance of nature. The study
of botany is child centered using live plants as a
knowledge and interest catalyst.
Zoology - Children by their very nature are fascinated with animals. We learn about
animals and to respect their needs, habits and characteristics.

Science Experiments - The activities are interesting and fun! They are all "hands on".
Prediction and analysis are incorporated into each experiment. All experiments are "teacher
friendly".

Blackline Masters
74 pages of blackline masters, complement the Culture & Science curriculum. View a Sample
Blackline Master.

Mathematics Manual
(201 page manual)
All activities incorporate the use of concrete materials.
Children first learn to count to ten, and systematically
progress to solving complex addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division questions. View Table of Contents.  

Blackline Masters
126 pages of blackline masters, complement the Mathematics
curriculum. View a Sample Blackline Master. View a Sample Lesson

Mathematics Online Presentations Now Included!

Follow along with your curriculum manual and view 51 key
Mathematics activities, including demonstrations using the
Number Rods, Sand Paper Number, Bead Material, Teen
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View Sample Video

View Activity List

Practical Life Manual

(155 page manual)
Practical Life Activities: Like all of the manuals, Practical
Life begins with an introduction to ensure your thorough
understanding of the subject. Following the introduction,  
many creative time tested Practical Life activities are
offered to assist the child in developing a sense of order,
concentration, personal pride, independence, respect for
others, fine motor skills, grace and courtesy, confidence View a Sample Lesson
View Table of Contents
and self esteem.