Sana Maria

Roll no: D16063

Module 2: Assignment 2
Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
 PMC – Module 2(Assignment 2) Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
Sana Maria: D16063
Q1: Write a comprehensive note on the importance of practical life exercises:

A: The practical life exercises are the beginning activities for young children. These
exercises improve motor control, eye hand coordination and concentration. The practical
life exercises include environmental care, personal care, eating, dining and many more.
Children love these practical life exercises and are also taught good work habits by being
encouraged to complete the whole task. It helps in his daily life because it is actually those
actions which are normally performed by everybody.
We can understand in detail the importance of exercises of practical life (EPL) from below
points.

1. Independence:
The child is developing his mental patterns and personality between birth and six years.
During this time child will develop his personality trait. So he will be dependent or
independent in future life. Unconsciously parents or adults make mistakes by doing
things for children. If they don’t allow children do things by themselves. It will create
problem not only for themselves but for the people around them as well. Males will have
advantage to have mother, sister, wife and daughter to do their work, whereas females
will have to do this even unwillingly or unhappily.
So, we can conclude if we need to make our generation independent, we should start
practical life activities at the right time. We need to help them to do their work;
independence will become the part of their personality for long life and they will do this
happily.
2. Love for Work:
EPL will make children understand their environment and love to work. They enjoy their
activities on daily basis by doing it own their own. This increases their confidence,
courage, self-esteem and a feeling of being an important member of society.
3. For Happiness, Self Satisfaction and Self Respect:
Once children have developed work habits they must learn that they are not only helpful
for themselves but for all. They are allowed to choose work which they enjoy to do. All
activities child is learning at 0-3 years if taught seriously and properly, he will be fully
trained to maintain the house with intelligence and skills.
We need to remember that we need to be kind n our support and we should praise the
child because he is putting his best effort to do these tasks. While doing these activities,
helping his mother in household chores, he is developing his skills, intelligence and
completing his urge of satisfaction. He will feel himself as worthy in his surroundings.
4. Making a World Better Organized and Tidier Place to Live:
“There is a place for everything and everything has a place.”
EPL will help child to learn keep things at right place. This practice if starts at right age
it will be a part of their personality trait. Clean up any kind of mess that we have made
while working. To make them independent, child size cupboards and shelves can be
 PMC – Module 2(Assignment 2) Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
Sana Maria: D16063
displayed. Sometimes child is not willing to keep thing back at right place, we can offer
them help to keep it together.
5. Learn to Give and Take:
EPL is very helpful to learn to receive and give help from younger and older children
willingly. By making them all work own their own we can offer help and make a plan of
helping for example, if a room needs to be cleaned, we can say “lets clean the room
together”. This is how a child will learn to do thing properly. They will also learn to offer
help gracefully and have a thought in their mind that household work is the
responsibility of all the members living at that place.
6. Role Model for Next Generation:
This is common observation that a child during his growing phase is copying his elders.
If he sees an adult complaining about any work he is doing, a child will do the same
once he will do that work. So, we need to make him a role model with excellent work
habits, and then only he will transmit these habits in next generation when next
generation will imitate him.
7. For Perfection of Movements:
The more developed a child is, the more obedient are his instruments of motions to his
will. Movement is very natural in child and is irresistible. This movement gets slow once
a child gets older. The daily practical life exercises will make their muscles on work and
is more helpful than ordinary gymnastic exercises. In EPL they are doing work which is
refreshing and have objective. The child learns to move with grace and interest. The
more control they have on their movements, more freedom they have in their life to
enjoy and explore.
8. Love for Universe:
If a child is practicing personal care and environment care exercises on daily basis.
The term Care will no longer be a word for him but actually it will turn out as important
part of his personality. He will be more loving and caring for things around him.
9. For Avoiding Personality Disorders:
A child discouraged and not appreciated in his early phase of life when his
development was on peak and his urge was in the form to interest and fun in learning
will never be able to do same exercises later with perfection. He will have lack of
confidence. As per Maria Montessori, Sensitive period is that temporary time in child’s
life when he is repeating same task till his internal satisfaction will complete. This will
bring perfection in his life and confidence in his personality. To avoid personality
disorder in his life, provide him with maximum opportunities for development and
learning.
10. For Normalization of Child:
A child will behave normally if he is provided with circumstances where he is free to
fulfill his urge of learning and exploring. During this Sensitive period of 0-7 years if he
will be suppressed by adults the urge and need of learning will shatter his personality.
So, to up bring a healthy and normal child we need to allow them to explore things.
 PMC – Module 2(Assignment 2) Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
Sana Maria: D16063
Q2: Explain the different groups of exercises of practical life. How do you think this
grouping is helpful?

A: As we are dealing with different age groups, EPL has been divided into four groups to
cope with the mental and physical growth of a child. The exercises included in each group
are based on the age groups to understand and perform well by children. These all
proceed from easy to difficult practices.

Basic
Elementary
Exercises
Elementary Elementary
Exercises Exercises
Higher
Personal Elementary
EPL Care Exercises

Grace and
Courtesy

Care of
Environment
1. Elementary Exercises assist in creating routine and order in the environment.
These are further subdivided into three groups.
• Basic Elementary Exercises:
These include the exercises where child will learn to hold and place any
object. It will increase his mind strength and ability to have a grip on
objects.
• Elementary Exercises:
This is a bit more advance than the Basic Elementary Exercise, although
it will also complete in a small time period. The child will strengthen his
 PMC – Module 2(Assignment 2) Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
Sana Maria: D16063
mind and muscle coordination. It includes rolling and unrolling, folding and
unfolding, pouring etc.
• Higher Elementary Exercises:
This stage is more advanced and logical than the earlier two. Child will
learn walking on a line that will enhance his balance, cutting along the
line, using different instruments to do any task like use of a dropper.
2. Personal Care Exercises will bring more confidence and grooming in
the child. He will learn how to dress up, brush his teeth, comb his hair,
tie shoe laces etc.
3. Grace and Courtesy Exercises will make him learn how to sit and
move in the society, how he can express himself, introduce himself, he
will learn manners, he will learn when he needs to offer help, say thank
you, excuse me and many more courtesy words with which he will deal
in daily life.
4. Care of Environment will make him learn to be environment friendly, he
will not only be kind to human beings but to the things around him. He
can learn his by doing certain practices, for example gardening,
sweeping, moping, dusting, washing , organizing and also keeping the
things back after using them.
Significance of EPL grouping:
These exercises play an important role in building confidence, strength,
balance and coordination in the personality of child. If such exercises are
practiced early in a life of a person, he will be more organized, satisfied and
confident and mature in his later life. The main aim is to bring a step by step
development in child by giving his task which is real but easy to go. Once he
will master himself in easy tasks he can move to the complex ones. Any
complicated exercise is breakdown into small exercises to make them
understand and learn easily and later instead of imitating it, they can explore
and do in their own way. When child learn basic motor skills and then
advance complex and logical skills, he become more confident and satisfied
then other children.EPL can be easy or complex, long or short, individual or
grouped. Using materials, keeping him clean, manners, love for surrounding
is not only applied at home but classroom is also the part of EPL where child
can practice these exercises.
 PMC – Module 2(Assignment 2) Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
Sana Maria: D16063
Q3: What are the essential points that we should keep in mind while presenting
EPL?

A: There are many important points we need to keep in mind while presenting EPL at
home or in the classroom.

➢ The cleaning products used for any exercise will be non- toxic or mild, they should be
of good quality.
➢ The good quality material like tools, sponge, utensils and clothes should be used.
➢ The child sized material will be used and that will be a real material as we use in
daily activities rather than a toy.
➢ All the things must be washed and cleaned regularly.
➢ There should be a limited number of material to deal with too much of them will
make child confused in selection and to work with.
➢ Whatever Exercises of practical life will be done in the class, should be done in a
realistic way as we do in our home. Washing of utensils in a washbasin, mopping of
floor, etc.
➢ We need to show them from where they can collect the things for any exercise and
once it is done things should be placed back properly. In other word, children should
know that each thing has a place, or there is a place for each thing.
➢ To enhance child’s memory and to make him work in an intelligent way let him select
the material for the specific exercise among the materials placed on the shelf or
cabinet.
➢ There should be all required things for EPL near the sink or within the access of
child. As there are tasks require water.
➢ If different types of furniture will be used in the class. Children will learn about
different surfaces, smoothness and hardness. They will learn how to polish them. The
surfaces are painted, varnished, Formica etc
➢ Use of different texture of fabrics will also help them to understand their use.
➢ For liquid activities plastic aprons and for cooking clean cloth aprons must be worn.
➢ Children must know the safe distance from the sink, not to make them wet, they
should be instructed to clean and dry the place if there is any spill.
➢ Children at this age likes to follow orders, to keep things back at their place must
be clearly instructed. This will help in the mental development of children. Their
memory will increase with this EPL.
➢ EPL materials should be less in number to avoid children gets confuse and mixing
up, which can lessen their interest as well. The best way to build an interest is to keep
on replacing materials.
➢ The directress must be in a happy and good mood while performing any activity.
She should practice it in a proper way before demonstrating it. The children will follow
and imitate the way any activity is performed.
➢ Nature is guiding the child to copy and learn all work done in front of them.
 PMC – Module 2(Assignment 2) Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
Sana Maria: D16063
➢ Child must be aware of cautions marked on the cleaners.
➢ The less talk and more actions will make them understand well.
➢ Demo should be presented in a glad, cheerful and relaxed way.
➢ The consent of the child is one of the important points in EPL.
➢ Take the help of the child to bring and keep back the material for EPL.
➢ Let the child explore the material and use it in a way they like.
➢ Make them aware of sharp and blunt edges and also the instructions mentioned on
the materials.
➢ Keep on observing children if they are using material correctly. If repetition of any
lesson is required plan it for some other day.
➢ Le the children do the practice even if they are doing it wrongly. Don’t interrupt them.
It can hurt their self esteem or let them down.
➢ At the end, appreciation is an important point in EPL because with repeated activities
they are developing their skills not only trying to just finish it.

Q4: Try to explain “formal setting of a table” and “making a Chicken Spread
Sandwich” in the same way EPL have been explained in this book for you.

Formal setting of a table

Materials:

• Table
• Table cloth
• Dinner plate
• Table spoon, fork and knife
• Napkin
• Glass
• Placement
• A tray- to bring all these material on the table before setting.
 PMC – Module 2(Assignment 2) Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
Sana Maria: D16063
Setting:

1. Gather students around a table.

2. Flatten out the table cloth onto the table.
3. Flatten out the placemat onto the table.
4. Place the rolled napkin to the far left side of the mat.
5. Place the dinner plate in the centre of the placemat.
6. Bring the knife over to the mat and place the knife’s tip to the right of the plate and set it
carefully down onto the table.
7. Pick up the spoon and fork in the same way and place them with their mouth facing
downwards. Fork to the left and spoon to the right of the knife.
8. Place the glass (for water) at the top right side of the dinner plate.
9. Stand back to allow the child to take in the set table.

Making a Chicken Spread Sandwich

Materials:

• Plate
• Plastic knife
• 2 slices of bread
• Chicken spread

Preparing:

1. Place the slices of bread on the plate.

2. Open the bottle of chicken spead.
3. Hold the knife in your hand.
4. Take out chicken spread and spread it on the
slice of bread one by one.
5. Now place both of the slices on eachother
facing the chicken spread sides towards
eachother.
6. The sandwich can be cut into half for children to eat and hold easliy.
 PMC – Module 2(Assignment 2) Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
Sana Maria: D16063
Q5: Write just the names of as many EPL as possible(that you think a child can do)
and which are not mentioned in the book.

• Paying for small items at shops.

• Answering a phone call.

• Making a phone call in case of emergency.

• Throwing away trash.

• Opening packets.

• Putting things in a bag.

• Putting on socks/shoes.

• Putting on mittens.

• Drying body with a towel.

• Reading the time on a clock/watch.

• Making the bed.

• Drawing the curtains.

• Opening/closing a window.

• Wearing a car seat belt.

• Locking the car door.

• Crushing with pestle and mortar.

• Beating and whisking of eggs.

• Cleaning rice, wheat, dal, etc

• Maintenance of bird cages, aquarium.

 PMC – Module 2(Assignment 2) Exercises of Practical Life (EPL)
Sana Maria: D16063