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ASSIGNMENT MODULE 2

D8881
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SUBMITTED TO: Ms Sehrish Arif

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SUBMITTED BY: Madiha naveed

SUBMITTED ON: 15 September 2014

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DATE OF SUBMISSION:

TOTAL NO OF PAGES:
20 September 2014

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Q.1 Write a comprehensive note on the importance of practical life exercises.

INTRODUCTION:

Exercises of practical life or more commonly referred to as EPL are those daily
actions and routine tasks performed by adults while carrying out different activities.
Therefore, anything and everything we do, is encompassed in this heading. These may
include setting up an alarm clock daily or going for fishing once in a while.

CHILDREN AND EPL:

Children are actually the "mini adults ", who are yearning to grow up and be actual
adults. Looking at adults all around them, a child is constantly observing as to what they are
doing and how they are doing it. And if provided with the right materials and suitable
environments, the child always replays his observations in real. This is why it is always said,
"Be not worried if your child is not listening to you, be worried that he is always watching u."

WHY EPL is important:

The children should be exposed to a variety of EPL starting at early ages , as these are
the most sensitive periods of development .they need to do these exercises at home and
prepared environments at schools for the following reasons :

1. For independence

The way we treat our children today, will be exactly how they turn out as adults tomorrow. If
we pamper them too much, or shower them with superfluous help and snub them from doing
things themselves by considering them "just a child ", they’ll always take everyone else take
for granted and demand work to be done for them. Once they know that everything can be
done easily and in a better way if done by them, they'll gain a feeling of confidence and
satisfaction, which will nurture their personality for successful future.

2. For developing love of work

When a child is young, he is interested in all the activities around him that the adults or even
the older siblings are doing. This is the right time to introduce the child to daily work, which
he will be very keen on doing again and again. While busy in activities that he might consider
as fun or play, the child is actually learning to perform these in life later on and most
importantly learning to enjoy these tasks and develop the love of work.

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3. For happiness, self satisfaction and self respect

Appreciation, approval and success are the motives of adults when they work for any
objective or aim in life. The little adults are no different. This is why sentences of praise like
"you are a big boy…. ", "this is so nice of you…","I love it when you help me …"," you
behaved like a good girl , mummy so proud of you " and other such phrases bring cheer and
joy to the little children. They try to do those things again which will make parents happy and
the child will have a sense of achievement and self satisfaction. When an adult acknowledges
the child's self respect in his younger years; he is cultivating the importance of 'giving respect
to get respect ' in the personality of the child so that he will always reciprocate this goodness
of behavior later on.

4. For making world a better organized and tidier place

"There is a place for everything, and everything has a place" is an important principle
followed in Montessori schools and should be followed at homes too so as to incorporate the
habit of placing everything on its actual place and avoid clutter all around by the children.
This creates ease of finding things again when required, without the assistance of adults. Also
creating the love for tidiness and keeping one's environment clean. example when a child take
off his shoes and places it on the shoe rack by himself or puts back the plates in the kitchen
after meals. They have a feeling of being productive by doing actual adult-like things all by
themselves.

5. For learning to give and take help gracefully

Asking for help or offering to help is almost an art in itself, which can be learnt by a little
change in attitude. Not many of the children listen to, " you have to put the toys back after
you finish ', but almost all will respond willingly and happily to,"who wants to help mummy
collect the toys?" or "lets us tidy your room". It will be more fun when done like this "you
hold the toy basket while I put in the blocks or you would like to pick them up while I hold
the basket?" In this way, the child happily helps and is always ready to do so in case he sees
other child or sibling require assistance.

6. For passing on good work habits to the next generations

A child is a natural observer of everything around him. He learns his habits and develops his
personality as he sees the adults doing so. If the adult does his/her work happily, the child
will learn to work in the same way. If the adult complains about his job or his colleagues, the
child will do the same. Even managing stress and deadlines are done in the same way as the
adults do.

7. For perfection of movements

It is nature's way to continually progress, by movement. "No pain, no gain" reflects on the
same notion. Movement is a way to train motor impulses to the will and conscious activity.
The child also learns to move with grace and avoid clumsy movements. Through good work
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habits, the child learns how to move his body parts and strengthens the muscles just like any
other exercise.

8. For normalization of the child

Every child wants engage themselves in activity, which may seem to be of no use to the
adult, but in fact plays a productive role in developing the personality traits of the child and
prepare him /her for future independence. Since the early years are the most sensitive periods
of development, once the habits are formed, the child will always take joy in doing all sorts
of work that he comes across as an adult, yielding better results as compared to unwilling
workers.

9. For developing love of the universe

When a child does things by himself, he learns to be independent, which in turns makes him
responsible for all the stuff he does or owns. Doing exercises of personal care, grooming,
grace and courtesy and care of environment in daily routine – "CARE" becomes his second
nature and an integral part of his personality.

10. For avoiding personality disorders

It is very important to groom children as cultivating delicate plants. Children need attention,
appreciation and acknowledgment. They try to achieve these through activity. But if they are
scolded or snubbed in their sensitive period of development, they grow up to be introverts
and have lack of self confidence and trust issues. Therefore epl should be actively
incorporated and encouraged for their personality building.

CONCLUSION:

Maximum opportunities should be provided to a child to have hands-on experience on

activities of daily life, so that the most could be made out of this sensitive and productive
development stage of life .because this is the right time to start these activities to make our
children independent and self sufficient today so as to become successful and dynamic adults
in the future.

Q2. Explain the different groups of exercises of practical life. How do u think this grouping is
helpful?

INTRODUCTION

Exercises of practical life are those daily actions or tasks carried out to do any work. These
are done by adults and consist of anything or everything in real life to maintain proper living
conditions. In a Montessori school these exercises are done by children in real adult like
situations, so as to make them independent and prepare for their future life and work. In a
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systematic way, the child is taught simple tasks firsts leading to more complicated ones ,
becoming more and more adept at helping himself and others by being an independent and
productive individual .

GROUPS OF EPL

The exercises of practical life are broadly grouped into four major categories. These are

1 Elementary exercises

2 Exercises of personal care

3 Grace and courtesy exercises

4 Care of environmental exercises

ELEMENTARY EXERCISES:

These are further divided into three sub groups, which are

Basic elementary exercises

These activities involve very basic movements; mostly these can be categorized as holding
and placing objects, and are completed in short times. These may include tasks like holding a
glass of water empty and filled with liquid. Placing a jug of water on the table or moving it
across the room. These may look like insignificant acts, but in actual these are helping the
child to master their motor skills and manage their clumsiness by perfecting their balance and
coordination.

Elementary exercises

These area a little complex than the basic exercises, but are short and completed quickly too.
These are also tasks from routine life like opening and closing of bottle caps .rolling and
unrolling mats, threading beads of different sizes in a string , pouring water from jugs into
glass or another jug etc. they aim at concentration building , muscular exercise , mental maths
and preparation for advanced exercises .

Higher elementary exercises

These are simple tasks of daily life, which are more logical and complex than basic ones.
Once the child has mastered the basic exercises, these are not difficult for him at all, but he
also looks forward to such exercises as the complexity level increases. His mind and body are
ready and willingly accepting more as they are presented to him .these include using a funnel
to pour water, wringing of a wet cloth and using scissors to cut along different geometrical
lines .all these exercises make a base for being independent and increase the concentration of
the child. Also the child knows how to bring into use different tools to help him in different
activities.

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PERSONAL CARE

Personal care exercises include exercises of taking care of self, hygine, grooming, dressing
and preparing food.

In exercises of personal care children are taught to wash their hands and face, cut their nails,
brush their teeth, take a shower and take care of their personal grooming. Children always
like to do these things themselves, so the main aim is to help them learn to do it correctly.
Every activity is broken down into simple and easy to remember steps for the child.

Also the child develops an aesthetic sense when he combs his hair, dresses himself and ties
his shoe laces. By using different dressing frames the child is taught how to button his shirt,
zip up his jacket, use hooks , safety pins and buckles , tie laces or bows , make a tie knot .

Meals are an important part of daily life, children are taught to feed themselves on their own
in their homes, but in a Montessori school they are also taught to help in kitchen and prepare
simple meals. They learn how to use tools like knife, peeler, grater, and blender. They
increase their vocabulary when they are exposed to different cooking materials and eatables
in the kitchen. Also, they learn to be grateful for the delicious meals that are served to them

GRACE AND COURTESY

Personality and behavior are based on the grooming of a person as a child. Manners and
etiquettes taught while the beginning years go a long way in the life of an individual. It is
why emphasis is paid on grace and courtesy exercises for the children. The child is not only
taught by lessons but a directress is a practical model of grace and courtesy, for the children
to follow. This also encourages the children to use words like please , thank you , may I ,
excuse me and sorry .

Gait is an important facet of personality and to develop a graceful gait the child is made to
walk around mat and on a line. This helps in managing his balance and maintains his
confidence and poise. How to sit gracefully with an upright back is taught to the children
under so that they maintain a healthy posture and care for their backbone.

CARE OF ENVIRONMENT

Both indoor and outdoor activities take account of care of environment. This will make the
child love to keep surroundings clean and tidy, also appreciate those who do it for him. They
learn to take care of surfaces, materials, plants and animals.

The child is taught to differentiate between different surfaces and then clean it accordingly.
He learns how to take care of a tiled surface and how to clean a carpeted area. When and how
to use brooms, brushes and mops is understood by the child by doing these exercises.

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Folding of napkins and clothes , washing of small clothes and hanging them using pegs are
real life like situations which the child learns with interest and which are aimed to
unconsciously make the child independent for his/her work when required in future. The
child also washes small spoons and glasses and other cutlery with great interest which teaches
him how to handle delicate things in use.

The child exercises to plant little seeds, water plants and take care of them. He learns to use
different garden tools like a hand fork and rake and spade. The child learns to take
responsibility of little pets, by providing them food and water, taking the dog for a walk or
the pet cat to the vet, helping the adults clean the fish tank etc. all these exercises create love
for the living things and objects around him and help him bring himself in harmony with the
rest of the universe.

Q3. What are the essential points that we should keep in mind while presenting EPL?

KINDS OF PRESENTATION:

There are two types of presentations;

1 Individual presentation

As the name indicates, only one child is taken in this kind of presentation, keeping the
following points in mind.

1. The material should be placed at the eye level of the child.

2. A thing for a place and a place for a thing is to be emphasized to the child.

3. Material should be ready before presentation.

4. Consent of the child should be taken before every presentation and activity.

5. Brief the child about the material, and let him carry it to the workplace. Provide assistance
if required.

6. Do not speak while demonstrating and do not demonstrate while speaking.

7. Make brief and lively demonstration. Invite the child to carry on with the activity without
interrupting in between.

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8. If needed give another demonstration after the child finishes the activity or place the
material back.

2 Group presentation

Most of the time, individual presentations are given however group presentation is also
carried out in the classroom under the same guidelines as mentioned above. However a few
additional things that are to be kept in mind .These are as follows:

1. It is important to see if all the children in the group are in the mood to take instructions and
obey before continuing with the presentation.

2. If any of the children seem to be in a different frame of mind, then do not continue and
give individual presentations instead.

3. Even if the presentation is combined, the children should be given separate material to
work with, so they are not frustrated while waiting for their turns.

GUIDELINES: While presenting any activity of EPL to a child, the following steps are
taken:

CHOOSING ACTIVITIES:

1. Good quality material should be used.

2. All material should be child sized and functioning well.

3. In case of detergents or cleaners are required, mild and non toxic ones should be used.

4. EPL should be done in a realistic way likes he sees things being done in routine around
him by the adults.

The child should be shown how to select material from their places and put back after use.

SETTING UP:

1. The EPL area must have all the material within easy access of the child

2. The EPL area should be placed near the sink

3. Furniture used should be of different surfaces so as to expose the children with variety of
activities.

4. In case any liquid is being used, an apron must worn and sleeves must be rolled up.

PRESENTING ACTIVITY

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1. It is important to teach the child in an orderly fashion, going from easy to complex.EPL
that are taught stepwise are more likely to be comprehended by the child and interest is
developed. All exercises can be broken down into simple steps, and ample amount of time
should be given to the child to master one step before moving to the next one.

2. The activity should be performed in an interesting and enjoyable manner. If the

demonstrator himself is doing the activity half heartedly, it is almost impossible to expect
anything different from the child.

3. Before each presentation, the activity should be practiced a lot so as to become

comfortable with the materials and present with flexibility and more effectiveness.

4. Economy of words and actions is very essential. It is very important that the teacher does
not use any language while demonstration so to let the child concentrate on what is being
shown to him and vice versa.

5. keeping the lessons brief are the key to not let the child lose interest, as the children have a
very short attention span.

6. Always take the child's consent and brief about the activity being presented. The child can
also help to bring the material to the work place. After the activity is finished, the material
should be placed back too, with the child's assistance.

7. If any cleaners are being used in the activity, the teacher must read the labels first and
bring the child's attention to anything written in red.

8. If any dangerous tools are being used the child must be specifically be made aware of the
sharp and blunt sides of it, and how to handle it with caution.

9. After the activity, the child is instructed to use the material whenever desired. Also if the
activity is no longer being used by the children should be kept away.

10. If required, demonstrate more than once or as many times as the child requests. Also
observe the child carefully and make mental notes so as to make any modifications that are
needed.

11. The child should not be interrupted during his activity, so as not to affect his self esteem.
Also the child is learning by repeated actions to increase his expertise and skill. The lesson or
demonstration can be repeated after the activity or at some other neutral time.

12. Appreciation is a lifeline to children development. Even with the easiest of tasks being
done, appreciating boosts his morale and increases his self confidence eventually yearning to
do more and better.

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Q4. Try to explain "formal setting of a table "and "making a chicken spread sandwich" in the
same way Epl has been explained in the book

FORMAL SETTING OF A TABLE

MATERIALS: a clean table cloth, table mats, napkins folded neatly napkin holders, plates,
spoons, forks and glasses.

PRESENTATION:

1. This can be an individual or group presentation exercise. With the help of the children
bring the material to the workplace (table).

2. One child each can hold onto a corner of the table sheet and spread it. In case of any
creases the hands may be used to make them smooth.

3. Place one table mat and place a plate very carefully on it without making any noise .place
the spoon to its right side and the fork to its left.

4. The glass is placed in front towards the center of the table and the napkin is folded and
placed in a napkin holder besides the glass.

5. Guide the children about what you have done and the order of placing things. Now invite
them to set the rest of the table in a similar manner.

VARIATION:

Instead of placing down the things altogether, the teacher may first place one object so that
the rest of the children may follow, then move on to the second object and so on .

PURPOSE:

1. The children will learn to help at meal times.

2. They will learn to work as a team.

3. They will have an idea about how everyone contributes by doing a little part to accomplish
one big task.

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MAKING A CHICKEN SPREAD SANDWICH

MATERIALS: a plate a butter knife, some bread, jar of chicken spread, tissue box and a big
tray.

PRESENTATION:

1. All the items are placed on a big tray and brought to the table.

2. Place the plate on the table, and a piece of bread on that plate.

3. Open the jar of chicken spread and take out some with the help of the knife.

4. Place it on the bread and spread it to make it even, use more spread if required to cover the
entire bread.

5. Place the second piece of bread on it and press it close.

6. Cut the sandwich diagonally to make two triangles.

7. Wrap each triangle separately in a tissue paper or napkin to hand over to the children for
eating later.

8. Invite the children to make a sandwich on their own.

PURPOSE:

1. The child will learn to help himself doing simple tasks and preparing simple meals.

2. The child will appreciate people making meals for him , and learn to be thankful.

3. The child will enjoy doing daily tasks.

Q5. Write just the names of as many epl that a child can do, not mentioned in this book.

 Setting of tables sheets, placing mats and cutlery

 Spreading / fitting bed sheets

 Switching off extra fans and light switches when not in use
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 Putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket

 Sorting colored socks in pairs

 Hanging their own clothes on little hangers

 Hanging umbrellas on umbrella stand

 Hanging and taking off coats and caps from the coat stand

 Collecting toys after playtime

 Stacking of books in the bookshelf

 Placing eggs in an egg tray

 Washing fruits

 Refilling ice tray for freezing

 Placing shoes on the shoe rack

 Peeling and cutting boiled eggs

 Spreading butter/jam/spreads on bread

 Pouring milk in cereal bowls

 Mixing sugar in milk / juice

 Beating/whisking eggs

 Using water cooler /dispenser

 Filling water bottles for school

 Cleaning own bicycles after play time

 Opening and drawing curtains and blinds

 Helping with the vacuum cleaner

 Cutting sandwiches into triangles

 Planting small seeds in flower pots

 Filling food and water trays of pet animals and birds

 Opening packets of chips and cookies

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 Inserting straws in juice boxes

 Preparing own school bags

 Maintaining and cleaning own study tables

 Lighting and blowing out candles

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