How Practical Life Exercises Create Harmony, Social Cohesion And Discipline

Among Children In The Classroom.

The first work the child has to do is to find the way and the means to concentration which lays the foundations of
the character and prepares social behaviour.
~ The Absorbent Mind ~

Social cohesion arises when members of a social group feel the bonding to one another and to
the group as a whole. There are four main components: social relations, task relations,
perceived unity, and emotions. Members of strongly cohesive groups are more inclined to
participate readily and to stay with the group. Studies on cohesion-performance relation have
found that in highly cohesive groups, productivity tends to be higher, and they tend to
participate readily.

An effective work group should not only enhance the overall effectiveness of the
organization but also be able to sustain its own existence and assist the growth of its
members.

From her experience working with children, Dr. Montessori believed that children educated in
Montessori method showed awareness of belonging to a group and of contributing to the
activity of that group. And when children began showing this, as group they would not work
mechanically any longer. They would work towards an aim for the honor of the group through
each individual's activity. She called this social spirit as 'Cohesive Society. And this Cohesive
Society is one of the most remarkable outcomes of the Montessori Approach.

It is very interesting to see how, slowly, they seem to become conscious of forming a community which acts as
such. They seem to become aware of belonging to a group and of contributing to the activity of that group. They
not only begin to be interested in it, but I would almost say that they delve into it with their spirit. When they
reach this stage they do not act mechanically any longer, they aim at success, they give special consideration to
the honour of the group. This first step towards full social consciousness I call " clan spirit " comparing it to those
primitive human societies wherein the individuals already love, defend and appreciate the value of their group as
an aim of each individual's activity. This association brought about by natural urges, directed by a power within
itself, animated by a social spirit, I call Cohesive Society.1)

Society of cohesion occurs when there is respect for the rights of others and the
environment, reciprocal help (physically and morally) and appreciation, harmony, cooperation,
discipline, social sentiment, and obedience among the children, and when the necessary
characters are developed within each child. Among the characters are independence,
confidence, responsibility, sympathy, ability to interact with others, and consistency. To be
able to achieve the society of cohesion, the children must be normalized.

A normalized child means the child loves to work (and this leads to the mastery of the tasks
and concentration), has secure relationship with the reality, loves order, can control
movements, exhibits self control and self-discipline, and is aware of his strengths and
weaknesses. Normalization can be done by giving the children purposeful work in the right
prepared environment.

1)
Absorbent Mind chapter XXIV, page 172.

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Montessori put a great emphasis on prepared environment for the child to able to grow
optimally. There are six basic components to the Montessori classroom environment. They are
concepts of freedom, structure and order, reality and nature, beauty and atmosphere, the
Montessori materials, and the development of community life. The first five components
contribute to the sixth. Below are the explanation of how Practical Life Exercises, which
consist of lessons to develop motor skills, care for self, care for environment, and social
grace and courtesy are consistent with Montessori's concepts of prepared environment, and
therefore contribute to the development of community life and social cohesion.

Freedom for a child is gained through previous development and construction involving
independence, will, and inner discipline. The child must be helped to be independent. The will
must be developed by encouraging the child to coordinate actions to achieve something he,
himself, chooses to do. The discipline is exercised and developed by providing opportunities
for constructive, purposeful work.

The liberty of the child should have as its limit the collective interest; as its form, what we universally
consider good breeding. We must, therefore, check in the child whatever offends or annoys others, or
whatever tends toward rough or ill-bred acts. 2)

One aim of Practical Life Exercises is to equip children with skills to be an independent
person. In Practical Life Exercises, children learn spooning and pouring. They learn how to use
kitchen tools such as tongs, knives, turkey baster, cloth pegs. They learn to help themselves
open and close bottles, locks and keys, clean their own environment by learning how to wash
tables, clean glasses and mirrors, and even to sew. They learn how to take care of
themselves, from dressing self to combing or plaiting hair. These all will help them to be
confident and independent at school, home, and social gatherings.

The second component is its structure and order. Through order, the child learns to trust his
environment and his power to interact with it in a positive way, so that he can do purposeful
activities. In Practical Life Exercises, materials are grouped according to the skills and level
of difficulty. All and each equipment must be complete; none is missing, none is broken. By
doing this, the child knows where to get the materials he wants to work with, chooses the
level, and returns them by himself. By returning the materials by himself, the child becomes
actively involved in maintaining the order of the classroom. One thing to remember is that
although it is essential that the environment be ordered, this must be done without creating
a static environment. Flexibility is allowed as long as the arrangement serves underlying
purpose of structure for the child, which is not to serve the needs of insecure or rigid
adults, but to aid children in building their intelligence and trust in the environment.

2)
Montessori Method, chapter 5. p.113

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The third component is the emphasis on reality and nature. The child must have the
opportunity to internalize the limits of nature and reality in order to be free from physical
and psychological fantasies and illusions. This later will contribute to the development of
self-discipline and security he needs to explore the world and become an appreciative
observer of life as well as beauty, harmony, and order in nature. In Practical Life Exercises,
all materials are realistic and authentic, although they are child-sized. The jugs, beans,
tarnished silver and brass, tables, kitchen utensils, and all others are realistic. The
environment is a miniature of a society outside. It is designed to allow the child learn real
life skills such as dressing, pouring tea, cleaning home, and many others.

Keeping with the real world, everyone cannot have the same thing at once. There is only one
copy of each material. A child has to wait if the materials he wants to use are being used by
others. This teaches the child to respect others, an attitude which over time will transform
and adapt into a quality that builds social life. The child understands that society is founded
on activities which must harmonize together. By these children's experience another social
virtue is developed : patience, which is the control of impulses. The child then become
normalized.

Another method used in Montessori classes in the Practical Life Exercises is care of the
environment, including the care of plants and animals. Children are taught to come to an
understanding that if they do not water or feed the animals, for example, some bad
consequences happen to the animals or plants. This teaches them to be responsible and
disciplined. The activity like washing tables, is not given for the child to master the skills. It
is more to aid his self-construction of discipline, organization, independence, and self-esteem
through concentration on a precise and completed cycle of activity. It also builds a sense of
responsibility towards their own environment.

The fourth fundamental concept to the Montessori environment is beauty and an atmosphere
that promotes a positive and spontaneous response to life. True beauty is based upon
simplicity. The classroom must not be an elaborate place, yet everything in it must be of good
design and quality, carefully and attractively exhibited. The colors should be bright and
cheerful, and harmoniously arranged. The atmosphere must be relaxing and warm. It must be
physically and psychologically inviting the child's participation and promotes positive and
spontaneous response to life. Therefore, all materials, especially the ones for Practical Life
Exercises must be attractive, arranged and grouped in baskets neatly according to the level
of difficulty on the shelves. To allow the child finish the full cycle of an activity and ensure
the development of concentration, materials must be complete and intact.

The fifth is Montessori equipment/materials whose main aim is not to teach the child skills
or knowledge through correct usage (external), but to help him with self-construction and
psychic development. A lot of Practical Life Exercises can be started for the child at the age
of 2,5. The materials possess qualities that capture attention / focus and initiate the process
of concentration. Although there are suggested age levels, the materials are presented
according to the readiness of the child (sensitive periods) shown through an observation
process, and varied to meet his internal needs by the Directress. The Directress must
present this fundamental lesson (first presentation of how to work with each set of
materials) by considering readiness of the child, brevity, simplicity, and objectivity of the
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materials. They represent concrete ideas and then progress to more abstract ideas. The
materials are presented progressing from the simple to complex in design and usage. For
example, spooning and dry pouring activity, which is considered easier, is presented before
wet pouring which is considered more challenging. The materials isolate one quality / skill /
difficulty in a single piece of material, such as one dressing frame only has one skill the child
has to master. The materials also prepare the child for future learning, for example: the use
of spooning activity to prepare finger and wrist muscles (fine motor) to hold a pencil later; or
social grace and courtesy to prepare the child for social life and courtesy within the child's
particular culture. All materials are designed for auto education. A child knows when he
makes an error, such as spilling the water when pouring, when he works with the materials,
without having a teacher tell him that. The process puts the child in control of the learning
process and developed awareness, skills, and concentration.

The sixth component is the development of community life, where free conversations and
mutual aids occur although each individual attends to his own business or ‘work’. This will
happen, when the child’s sense of ownership and responsibility has developed toward the
classroom environment. Another elements that help in the development of community life are
the sense of responsibility towards each other and freedom to interact with others of
different ages. Montessori method employs vertical age group in classes where children are
given as much freedom to work out their own social relations with each other as possible.
From these interactions, the child has opportunities to reflect upon his own actions, to
determine their consequences both for himself and for others, to test himself against the
limits of reality, to learn what gives him a sense of fulfillment and what leaves him feeling
empty and dissatisfied, and to discover both his capabilities and his shortcomings. In short,
they develop self-knowledge, admiration and protection for one another.

The instructions of the teacher consist then merely in a hint, a touch––enough to give a start to the child. The
rest develops of itself. The children learn from one another and throw themselves into the work with enthusiasm
and delight. This atmosphere of quiet activity develops a fellow-feeling, an attitude of mutual aid, and, most
wonderful of all, an intelligent interest on the part of the older children in the progress of their little
companions.3)

Practical life exercises prepare children to be a functional member of society by giving them
examples of common grace and courtesy. It also prepares children for community life, where
sometimes silence is needed, through the Silence Game. This exercise aims to accomplish
collective order. It is normally given after previous practical life exercises that establish
individual discipline. This game began by showing how silent and immobile the Directress could
be, and inviting them to imitate this absolute silence. Whispering is another technique
employed to give instructions.

Another aim of such exercises is to educate the ear of the child to noises so that he shall accustom himself to
distinguish every slight noise and compare it with sounds, coming to resent harsh or disordered noises. Such sense
education has a value in that it exercises aesthetic taste, and may be applied in a most noteworthy way to
practical discipline. 4)

3)
Dr.Montessori's Own Handbook, p.25
4)
The Montessori Method, chapter 13, p.172.
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The experience of living in a cohesive society where everybody has faith in generosity, trust,
compassion, and good deeds for each other despite differences in cultures, will remain with
the children for the rest of their lives as the results of their absorbent minds and sensitive
periods. As they mature, they will transform into adults in society. They will be adults who
are fulfilled and balanced, the ones who have the drive for good deeds without being tied by
their own ambitions and desires. They will be free from greed and hostility. They will be the
people who could take on the task of making education a priority and influencing peoples from
all parts of the world to seek out common goals for mankind. They will be interested in
resolving social problems, and as a result, nations could live in peace, having learned to be
tolerant and resolve issues without violence.

The greatest danger lies in our ignorance, in the ignorance of us who look for pearls in oyster shells, for gold in
rocks, for coal in the very entrails of the earth, but ignore the spiritual germs, the nebulae of creation, which the
child hides within himself when he comes into our world to renew mankind. 5)

5)
The Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, p.179.

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Bibliography
1. Montessori, Maria, The Montessori Method, Frederick A.Stokes Company, New York,
1912.
2. Montessori, Maria, The Absorbent Mind, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1967.
3. Montessori, Maria, Dr.Montessori's Own Handbook, Frederick A.Stokes Company, New
York, 1914.
4. Montessori, Maria, Education and Peace, The Theosophical Publishing House, Madras,
India, 1971.
5. Lillard, Paula Polk, Montessori, A Modern Approach, Shocken Books Inc., New York, 1972.
6. Gettman, David, Basic Montessori Activities for Under Fives, St.Martin Griffin Press,
New York 1987.
7. Soholt, Polli, The Social Roots of a Global Community, NAMTA conference Fostering
Montessori Preparedness for Global Citizenship, Seattle, WA, 2014.

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Self Test

1. List down the reasons for Practical Life Exercises.

a. to grow in self knowledge. f. to develop a good self image.

b. develop concentration. g. to appreciate and understand the limits of his
c. develop fine and gross motor skills. environment.
d. help the child towards independence. h. to develop a sense of responsibility
e. to establish order. i. to aid the child with his self-construction.
j. to prepare the child for future learning.

2. Name the four categories of Practical Life Exercises.

a. The primary movements of everyday c. Care of the environment

life / Development of motor skills. d. Social Grace and Courtesy
b. Care of the person / self

3. For each of the category mentioned in 2, list down 5 exercises.

Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4

 All spooning  All exercises with  Opening & closing  Greeting and
exercises dressing frames of bottles shaking hands
 All dry pouring  Washing hands  Working with nuts  Inviting someone
exercises and bolts
 All wet pouring  Plaiting  Threading and  Interrupting
exercises beading
 All pegging  Combing hair  Cutting  Offering help
exercises
 All folding and  Brushing teeth  Washing a table  Coughing/yawning
unfolding exercises

4. List down three exercises that would help the development of dexterity and would particularly use
the muscles of the hand (give early, intermediate, and late examples).

Early Intermediate Late

 Rolling and Unrolling  Spooning and pouring  Sweeping
 Folding and unfolding  Squeezing  Washing a table
 Carrying  Using tongs  Care of books
 Using cloth pegs

5. List down which Practical Life exercises particularly prepare the child for craftwork whilst
improving his dexterity and coordination of movement.

1. Threading
2. Cutting
3. Sewing
4. Needlework
5. Weaving

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6. Why should the activities of grace and couretsy be presented as a group activity?

1. When presented in groups, it develops a sense of personal dignity as well as social awareness
and understanding of life.
2. The aim is to acquire social skills essential for everyday living in society and most of the
techniques employed are role-play. There are more than one child is required to do this.
3. Social interactions extend vocabulary as preparation for future learning.

7. What is the benefit of the silence game to the child?

1. Increases sensitivity to sounds / auditory skills.

2. Help them control the impulses and awareness of self.
3. Help them to develop concentration
4. Help them to gain a sense of unity
5. Help them prepare themselves for prayer and meditation or the next lesson/exercise.

8. List down some of the basic principles behind the Montessori Practical Life materials.

1. Each material must have a definite purpose and be meaningful to the child.
2. The difficulty or the error must be isolated in a single piece of material.
3. They progress from simple to complex in design and usage.
4. They prepare the child for future learning.
5. They begin as concrete expressions of an idea and gradually become more abstract
representations.
6. The materials must be auto-educative where control of errors lie on the materials themselves.
This allows the child to recognize his own mistake without having anybody tell him.

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