The unit of daily life is usually the first unit the child encounters upon entering the Montessori classroom. It welcomes the child and allows him to engage in attractive activities familiar to him from his home.
It consists of :
- personal care activities (getting dressed, washing hands, polishing shoes, folding clothes, hanging clothes on hangers, combing hair,…)
- environmental care activities (watering a plant, sweeping, dusting, washing a dish, washing a garment, polishing a silverware, polishing a mirror,…)
- food preparation activities (cucumber cutting, orange squeezing, serving,…)
- circles of social education – Grace and Courtesy – small plays that allow the child to see the rules of social behavior (how I borrow a book, how I greet, how I wipe my nose,…) and
- movement control and coordination activities (line walking, the game of silence)
Daily life is the first step for a child’s inner development. The marriage of action with the mind (it is no coincidence that the unity of daily life is directly linked to the development of the brain, intelligence and the mathematical mind). It is structured by simple activities, using tools and possibility for repetition.
The child through the activities of daily life, learns :
- the use of human tools
- to be self-service
- to be social
- to control his movements
- to count (cooking activities)
- to calculate (all water activities)
- achieve the so-called “opening of the hand”, which is associated with intelligence
It is the natural continuation of the home, which enables the child to imitate the adult’s household chores and provides him :
- Security
- Intimacy
- Skill Development
- Satisfaction and joy
- Efficiency
- Possibility to offer and participate in everyday life
Grows :