Practical Life Activities for Preschoolers

Montessori practical life activities for children aged 3 through 6 may appear silly at a quick glance, but with closer examination, these clever exercises are a sequential chain of logic-driven events designed to lead the child to impressive feats.

For instance, consider the basic task of pouring water. No big deal, right? Any able-bodied person can pour water. But if you delve deeper and recognize that the act of pouring water is introduced after a Montessori preschool or kindergarten student has first learned to transfer and pour solids, you may view the situation differently.

Montessori practical life pouring activities

When we pour liquids there is a great chance we may cause a spill. Transferring solids presents less of a risk and an easier clean up if a spill occurs. That is why this is a practical life activity. Kids first practice pouring a solid and later move on to a liquid.

You may also wonder why there are multiple pouring activities stored on the shelf, each graduated in difficulty. When water is poured from one container to the next, we start by isolating the biggest motor skill, like transferring liquid across bowls with a sponge. With this practical life activity, the student has to concentrate on using the whole arm and hand movement.

Once the child masters this movement, the next step is to pour water from one pitcher to another, then a pitcher to glass, and from a pitcher into three separate glasses. Each step introduces an increased difficulty level.

Why is learning to pour water without spilling it so important?

This practical life activity indirectly helps develop valuable complex skills and prepares Montessori kids to take on harder tasks that require more steps.

• Pouring water helps build concentration.
• It encourages independence because the child is now able to get his or herself a cup of water.
• It builds coordination and the option to serve others without spilling.
• It helps develop math skills because the child needs to evaluate how much water is available and determine how much can be poured into each glass.
• Lastly, some muscle control and grip development are achieved through this activity. This will later be useful when the child starts holding a pencil to write.

There is so much a child can learn from Montessori practical life activities. By simply pouring water students develop better concentration, a sense of independence, more confidence, fine motor skills and so much more.