ASSIGNMENT # 1

DEFINE EPL AND IT’S

IMPORTANT IN CHILD’S LIFE

SADIA BATOOL

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 DEFINE EPL AND IT’S IMPORTANT IN CHILD’S LIFE

CONTENT

WHAT IS EPL………………………………………………………………………….3
AIM OF EPL……………………………………………………………………………3
EXERCISE GROUPS…………………………………………………………………4
IMPACT OF PRACTICAL LIFE ON CHILD………………………………….5
IMPORTANCE OF EPL…………………………………………………………….6
SOME EXAMPLES OF EPL……………………………………………………….9
CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………12
SOME USEFUL RELATED RESEARCHES AND CITATION………….13
REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………..13

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 DEFINE EPL AND IT’S IMPORTANT IN CHILD’S LIFE

WHAT IS EPL?
Practical life Exercises are just that, they are Exercises so the child can learn how to do living activities in
a purposeful way. The purpose and aim of Practical Life is to help the child gain control in the
coordination of his movement, and help the child to gain independence and adapt to his society. It is
therefore important to “Teach teaching, not correcting” (Montessori) in order to allow the child to be a
fully functional member in his own society. Practical Life Exercises also aid the growth and development
of the child’s intellect and concentration and will in turn also help the child develop an orderly way of
thinking. The child observes these activities in the environment and gains knowledge through the real
experience of how to accomplish life skills in a purposeful way.

AIM OF EPL
The aim of practical life exercises is to facilitate learning through day to day work in the children’s home.
By entrusting house work to young children, they learn important lessons; they execute their work with
devotion and accuracy. By doing this they become singularly calm and dignified. These exercises are
foundational to many aspects of Montessori education. The relationship between movement and
cognition, these exercises are particularly important because they employ the body in the service of the
mind to fulfill a meaningful goal.

Children are attracted to precision in the early years,

such that they like to know exactly what sequence of
steps to carry out in an exercise. According to
Montessori, during the sensitive period between births
to 6 years of age the child is constructing his inner self.
Child is preparing himself for the big world, using his
motor skills and problem solving abilities. Child needs
order and repetition of the same activity to refine
certain skills. The child needs to move to gain balance,
grace and confidence.

Based on an idea that freedom implies self-sufficiency, exercises on practical life sought to train the
growing children to master such essential skills and knowledge as dressing, maintaining themselves
clean and tidy, dusting and sweeping, table-setting, meal and serving etc. Montessori aims at free
activity not at the cost of good manners, social order and harmony. Children under the aged three to
seven play and work under the supervision of a directress who does not act as a passive onlooker but as
an active observer. The exercises of practical life are designed to teach the child to be independent, to
supply his own wants and to perform the actions of daily life with skill and grace. Children keep the
workplace in order, dusting and arranging the furniture, and putting away each piece of material as soon
as they are through with it. They wait on themselves while they are working, getting out the things they
want, finding a convenient place to work, and then taking care of apparatus when they have worked
with as long as they like. Children do all the work connected with the meal, setting tables, serving food

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and the clearing away and washing the dishes. All children share alike in this work, regardless of their
age. Children of three and four soon learn to handle the plates and glasses, and to pass food.

EXERCISE GROUPS
Practical Life Exercises can be categorized into four different groups: Preliminary Applications, Applied
Applications, Grace and Courtesy, and Control of Moment.

In the Preliminary Exercises, the child learns the basic movements of all societies such as:
 Pouring and transferring liquids and dry ingredients without spilling
 Using scissors  Screwing and unscrewing jar lids
 Opening and closing lids  Stirring

In the Applied Exercises (care for self & environment), the child learns about the care and maintenance
that helps everyday life. These activities are, for example, the care of the person (i.e. the washing of the
hand) and the care of the environment (i.e. dusting a table or outdoor sweeping).
 Wringing a wet cloth  Putting materials and toys away
 Washing a table or counter top  Sorting recycling materials
 Sweeping the floor with a broom and dustpan  Washing hands
 Mopping the floor  Washing face
 Vacuuming  Washing hair
 Polishing silver or brass  Blowing nose and properly throwing away the
 Polishing wood furniture tissue
 Polishing shoes  Sneezing
 Sorting laundry by color  Brushing teeth
 Matching socks  Combing hair
 Folding towels and wash cloths  Trimming fingernails
 Folding napkins  Running water in the bath
 Ironing handkerchiefs or pillowcases  Hanging up towels after use
 Sewing on buttons  Dressing oneself (including learning how to
 Washing dishes: pots and pans; plastic-ware; button, zip, snap, tie, buckle, Velcro)
silver (flat) ware; glasses; plates  Putting on a jacket
 Watering and caring for houseplants  Hanging a jacket on a low hook
 Flower arranging  Putting clean clothes in a drawer
 Caring for pets  Measuring liquid and dry ingredients
 Cleaning up spills  Peeling fruits and vegetable
 Using kitchen tools (fork, spoon, grater, blunt knife, ice cream scoop, bulb baster, peeler, chopping
board, rolling pin, whisk, pitcher, cookie cutters, melon baller, apple corer, etc.)
 Spreading (like butter, peanut butter, a mixture)

In the Grace and Courtesy Exercises, the children work on the interactions of people to people like:

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 How to greet someone  How to hand someone something

 How to answer the telephone  Table manners
 How get up from the table  Carrying objects without dropping or spilling
 How to carry a chair properly  Walking without bumping objects or people
 How to open and shut a door quietly
 How to interrupt when necessary
 How to excuse oneself when passing or
bumping into another

In the Control of Movement Exercises, the child learns

about his own movements and learns how to refine his
coordination through such activities as walking on the
line.

IMPACT OF PRACTICAL LIFE ON CHILD

Physically practical life exercises help in the development
of fine & gross motor control. Examples of activities that
enhance fine motor control are grasping, spooning,
pouring, manipulating scissors, using tweezers etc. 
Activities like hand washing, suds whipping, window
washing, and buttoning help in developing both fine &
gross motor coordination in children.  Most practical life
exercises also help in building eye-hand coordination
which is a prerequisite for a lot of activities that a child
does in his everyday life including sports.  You do not see
this type of focus on these skills in traditional preschool
classrooms.  In fact many children today are lacking these skills upon entry into kindergarten because
traditional preschool programs are using technology in their programs and this actually limits the child’s
physical development.  More and more children are receiving occupational therapy because many of
them lack the strength to write properly when they start their elementary education.

Social interaction amongst children does occur in the practical life area. In a Montessori classroom older
children who have ample experiences in this area enjoy giving the younger children lessons.

Emotional development is an integral result of working in the practical life area. The skills that a child
develops through working on activities in this area enable a child to carry on that experience into their
real life. This creates a great sense of independence & personal accomplishment in a child. A child for
example who has learned bow tying with the dressing frame feels ecstatic when he/she can tie their
own shoes.

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Intellectual development is also nourished in a child through work in this area. Lessons like hand
washing, making bubbles, and window washing involve a series of complex activities that need to be
followed in order to complete the cycle of activity. A child working on these develops a sense of
progression as well as realizes that with each activity there is a start, middle and an end. Some lessons
like the dressing frame also build early math concepts like one to one correspondence.

Spiritual development is an indirect process that occurs in a child while working in the practical life area.
The slow exaggerated movements, silent presentations and sounds of falling beans while doing
spooning & pouring are some of the things that inculcate in a child a sense of inner peace & wonder.
Remember, practical life is just one area of a Montessori classroom, by allowing the three year old to
freely engage & explore this area the child not only obtains a holistic development, it also avoids the
need for occupational therapy.

IMPORTANCE OF EPL
Montessori stated that at each plane of development there is a sensitive period for different skills and
activities. It is critical that proper stimulation be provided as nature intended. A child enters the
Montessori around the age of three. It is here where the Work of the Family, known as Practical Life
activities, provides an introduction and smooth transition to the Montessori school by linking the
activities that the child is familiar with at home to the school environment.

Children at this age enjoy, and even prefer, spending

their time helping adults with their activities. When
allowed to do so, the child learns that his
contributions are of value, thus boosting his self-
esteem and independence. He enjoys and should be
encouraged to use child-size replicas of adult tools. In
short, the direct aim of Montessori Practical Life
activities is to help develop social skills and
independence. Indirectly, Practical Life activities
develop fine motor skills, as well as strengthening
intellect, concentration, and personal will.

The importance of beauty in the Montessori classroom can be keenly observed in the Practical Life area
of the classroom. Practical Life activities have a unique purpose which, when carried out properly, are
very calming. To the adult eye, these activities may seem simple and repetitive, but a child who is
learning to wash a table or fold napkins is accomplishing more than meets the eye. The Montessori
teacher realizes that the child is:
 demonstrating a high level of concentration
 developing a sense of order (putting all materials back where they belong)
 taking pride in a job well done
 increasing independence through care of self and the environment

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 developing respect for his community (using materials appropriately and cleaning up
afterwards)
 improving fine motor coordination
 to grow in self knowledge
 to develop fine and gross motor skills
 to develop a good self-esteem
 to appreciate and understand the limits of his environment
 to develop a sense of responsibility
 to aid the child in his construction
 to appreciate culture

There is a great importance & benefits of practical life exercises. Some are given below.
For Independence:
 EPL helps a child do be independent. Because it helps him to do activities by himself rather than
others do for him. If a teacher or an adult helps the child do activities themselves rather than to
doing for him makes him independent.  That independence becomes his personality trait and
will help him for future life also.

For developing love for work:

 EPL helps the child to develop love for work because he enjoys going activities of the daily
routine by himself. It gives the child feeling of being important. He loves to do combing his hair,
brush his teeth, carrying trays and glasses, rolling and unrolling the mat, picking up leaves,
cleaning home and surroundings etc. All these activities have a great importance in every
individual’s life so that EPL generates love for them.

For self-Satisfaction and self-respect:

 Every child wants to do practical life exercises as he sees his family member doing these
activities on daily basis. If adults let the child to do these activities, his desires fulfills, he gains
self-satisfaction and self-respect.  If these exercises are done by child perfectly and
appropriately, he may be a good and well-mannered person in his future life. Modern life is so
much busy and children need to learn very efficient skills and intelligence; practical life exercises
enable them to do that.

For making world a better organized and tidier place:

 In the Montessori school, “there is a place for everything, and everything has a place” this
principle is followed. So, if we want to make world a better place, we need to make it well
organized and tidier place and Montessori School teaches students to do it by the help of
practical life exercises. By ignoring these exercises, child’s life becomes full of mess for example
we may leave his clothes on bed or leave the utensils on the table or instead of putting things
back to their place, he may put it everywhere.  So, in order to make the world better,
Montessori school provides him perfect cupboard and shelves that are made according to the

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size of the child. He unintentionally learns how to organize things at school as well as
home.  And these activities help to form good habits among children. 

For learning to Give and take help gracefully:

 Exercises of practical life help the child to give and take help gracefully from younger and older
students by pleasure at school and home. For example, the statement of saying “go and clean
your room” should be spoken in a very good way. The tone should be polite. Rather than saying
“go and clean your room” should be said “let us all clean the room”. By doing this by adults, the
child feels good and his self-esteem will rise up.  The child who receives help would later be the
first helper.

For passing good habits to the next generation:

 If an adult complains of doing his work, the child will do the same by imitating it. So, practical
life exercises form love for working and working it in the proper and well- affected
way.  Therefore, in order to avoid mess, practical life exercises are helpful for passing good
habits to the next generation. 

For Perfection of movement:

 There are lots of activities in the Montessori school which help children to be perfect in their
practical life exercises.  Rolling up a carpet, polishing up the shoes, washing the basin and floor,
setting table, opening and closing boxes, and windows, arranging rooms, putting chairs in order,
drawing curtains,  carrying furniture etc. are the exercise which help children in body and
muscle movements . He can move his hands and eyes accurately and avoids superfluous
movement. In grace and courtesy, he learns how to move in a society gracefully. He learns to
control body movements which make him to walk, stand and sit excellently.

For Normalization of the child:

 The age of 0 -7 is the age of sensitiveness. Every child has a strong urge to work for
development. If the child couldn’t get opportunity to fulfill his urges, it may result in deviation.
That’s why, practical life exercises help children to fulfill their strong inner urges and by the
fulfillment of theses urges lead children to normality. 

For developing love for universe:

 Practical life exercises include personal care, care of the environment, care of living things and
grace and courtesy and all these are necessary for developing love for universe. The child starts
loving all forms of life and become peaceful and responsible individual who do care for this
universe.

For avoiding personality disorder:

 The children who have lack of confidence or not courage to face the world are actually those
who are rejected or suppressed their inner urge by their guardians in the sensitive period.  They
do not show interest in doing activities in their life because they could not able to fulfill their

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urge in sensitive period. So, in order to avoid this kind of personality disorder, practical life
exercises really help to fulfill their strong urges inside their heart.

To sum up, exercises of practical life help a child to be independent and face the world. In order to make
world better place, we should give freedom to children.

SOME EXAMPLES OF EPL

Carrying a Table
Purpose
Direct: Growth in independence with regard to the performance of the movements necessary for the
carrying and placing of the table without damaging himself, others, or the table.
Indirect: Coordination of the child’s movement, development of the muscles, and concentration.
Points of Interests: Lifting at different levels based of the other person’s height.
Age: 2 1/2 onwards

Carrying a Jug
Purpose
Direct: Growth in independence with regard to the performance of the movements necessary for the
carrying and placing
of the jug without spilling any water and damaging himself, others, or the jug.
Indirect: Coordination of the child’s movement, development of the muscles, and concentration.
Points of Interests: Looking at the water level as they are walking to see how much the water is moving
around the jug.
Age: 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 years

Opening Boxes
Purpose
Direct: To assist the child to independently cope with opening and closing boxes. .
Indirect: To strengthen the hand and wrist muscles.
Points of Interests: Feeling the lid slide down on the box.
Age: 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 ye

Carrying a Tray
Purpose
Direct: Growth in independence with regard to the performance of the movements necessary for the
carrying and placing the tray without damaging himself, others, or the tray.
Indirect: Coordination of the child’s movement, development of the muscles, and concentration.
Points of Interests: Listening to see if a sound is made.
Age: 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 years

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Note
When offering each child a personal turn, do so by inviting each child to stand only when it is his turn.
And be clear as to where you would like the child to walk to with the tray in his hands.

Washing Hands
Purpose
Direct: Care of the person and giving a sense of cleanliness.
Indirect: Growth in the child’s ability to work in a sustained and concentrated way.
Points of Interests: Seeing dirty hands become clean.
Age: 2 – 4 years

Dressing Frame: Snaps

Purpose
Direct: Development of independence.
Indirect: Acquiring coordination of movement.
Points of Interests: The noise made to indicate the snap has been successfully snapped closed.
Age: 3 – 3 1/2years

Wet Mopping
Purpose
Direct: To help the child become more aware of the environment.
Indirect: Building up voluntary movements.
Points of Interests: Seeing the water get soaked up into the mop. 
Age: 3 years plus

Washing a Chalkboard
Purpose
Direct: Care of the Environment: the child becomes aware of the accumulation of chalk o the boards and
is helped to clean independently.
Indirect: Coordination and carefulness in movements.
Points of Interests : Seeing the wet streak from the sponge as the chalkboard is being cleaned.
Age: 3 –  4 years

 Thank You
Purpose
Direct: Teaching the children grace and courtesy in the classroom.
Indirect:  To have the children use “thank you” with others.
Points of Interests: Looking in each other’s eyes as they are saying “thank you”. 
Age: 2 1/2 – 3 1/2

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Use of “Excuse Me“

Purpose
Direct: Teaching the children grace and courtesy in the classroom.
Indirect:  To have the children use “excuse me” with others.
Points of Interests: Getting by the obstacle successfully by using the words “excuse me”. 
Age: 2 1/2 – 3 ½

Offering Help
Purpose
Direct:Teaching the children grace and courtesy in the classroom.
Indirect: Awareness of others in the class.
Points of Interests: Waiting to hear the other child’s response to their offer of help.
Age: 2 1/2 – 3 1/2

Greeting a Person
Purpose
Direct:Teaching the children grace and courtesy in the classroom.
Indirect:To have the children greet each other, visitors, and guests.
Points of Interests: Looking in each other’s eyes as they are greeting each other.
Age: 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 years
 

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The Silence Game

Purpose
Direct: Building the child’s awareness and sensitivities to the noise around him and the noise he creates.
Indirect: Awareness of their body and building up balance.
Points of Interests: Seeing if they are able to “create silence” individually and as a class. 
Age: 2 1/2 – 6 years

Walking on the Line

Purpose
Direct: Helping the child work on concentration, coordination of movements and extortion of will.
Indirect: Awareness of their body and building up balance.
Points of Interests: Keeping your head up as much as possible
Age: 2 1/2 – 6 years

CONCLUSION
EPL -Exercises of Practical life - of a Montessori House of children is the best example of the benefits of
education, when activities in a school are 'embedded' in the daily life of a child. 

EPL are daily activities of a child which include three distinct nature of activities: a> taking care of
environment (such as booming, gardening, washing) b> taking care of oneself (such as fastening buttons
of a shirt, pouring water in the glass, tying shoe lace, washing one's hands, walking on a straight line,
carrying objects of different sizes) and c> social behavior (like greeting, how to interrupt others, how to
yawn, cough or sneeze, how to offer water/tea to others). Because EPL activities are embedded in a
culture in which the child lives, EPL activities vary according to the location of the school.

Many parents ask me 'why EPL is important for a child of 3 year of age'. One line answer to that question
is that the direct aim of the EPL exercises is to help the child acquire 'independence' in true sense.
Unless a child learns to 'pour water without spilling', how can he be confident of 'giving water to his
parents'? Until the child manages to walk on the line, she keeps on 'bumping' against objects in the
house. However, despite knowing the importance of these activities to the 'psyche' of a child, no
educational method has taken the effort to 'help' the child to 'master' the coordination of his
movements.  

Montessori method is the only method where every activity of EPL has been analyzed in details so that
every moment of an activity ( such as pouring water) is 'shown' to the child, who can therefore 'repeat'
it in the same sequence. When 'coordination of movements' is not helped, the child performs an activity
and keeps on repeating it without success. When we see such a child, we wrongly call such a child
'hyperactive'! If the child is unable to 'master his coordination' for a long period of time, it may also lead
the child into fantasy or day-dreaming or unreal imagination, a deviation.
Although the direct aim of EPL is to help the child become 'independent', it is the indirect aim that is
more important in the development of child. When the child can successfully execute his desire (the

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Will) of 'pouring water in the glass' by coordinating his movements and intelligence, he is integrating his
personality (Will, movement of muscle, and intelligence) with every 'attempt'.

EPL exercises are therefore not simple muscular gymnastics like a game. A game is just an ad-hoc activity
that if designed properly may help the child coordinate his movement and intelligence at the most. But
the game for less than 5 year is rarely designed to help the child integrate his ‘Will’. You will therefore
observe that a child rarely engages in a game for more than 2/3 days. No sooner she has played it; she
loses interest in the game. When Dr Montessori tried to introduce 'toys' to the child in her school, she
discovered that the children rarely touched those toys.

If you observe a child of less than 5 year old in a public place like Airport, Railway train or bus, who eats
without spilling anything, or who uses 'tissue paper' to clean his hands, and who seems 'composed and
graceful', please ask his parents the name of the school he is in? In 2 out of 3 cases, you will find that the
child has been in a Montessori pre-school. You have to remember that in pre-school education (some
even say that in secondary and primary education), development is more important than learning. 

SOME USEFUL RELATED RESEARCHES AND CITATION

Exercize of Practical Effects of Practical Beneficial Effects of

Life.pdf Life Activities on Executive
Practical
Function
Life Activities
Skills.pdf and Normalization.pdf

REFERENCES
Mminor, Published on 3 Oct 2017. Why Practical Life in a Montessori Preschool. Retrieved from
https://www.stepbystepmontessori.com/2017/10/03/practical-life-montessori-classroom/
Supriya Jain, Published on 29 Mar 2013. EPL – Exercise Of Practical Life. Retrieved from
https://supriyajain83.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/epl-exercise-of-practical-life/
Maryam, Published on 8 May 2015. Importance Of Practical Life Exercises. Retrieved from
https://prismmmm.blogspot.com/2015/05/importance-of-practical-life-exercises_28.html
Sanjiv Bhamre, Published on 20 Jan 2012. EPL - the innovation of Montessori. Retrieved from
http://developyourchildinamontessoriway.blogspot.com/2012/01/epl-innovation-of-montessori.html
Heidi Philipart, Published, An Introduction to Practical Life. Retrieved from
https://montessoriguide.org/an-introduction-to-practical-life/
Montessori Primary Guide, Published, Introduction to Practical Life. Retrieved from
http://www.infomontessori.com/practical-life/introduction.htm
NAMC, Published on 10 Jun 2008. The Importance of Practical Life Activities in the Montessori
Preschool Classroom. Retrieved from
http://montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2008/06/importance-of-practical-life-activities.html

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