Name: Tuba Mahboob
Roll no: D20200
Write a comprehensive note on the importance of practical
life exercises.
Exercises of practical life also called EPL are those simple daily actions which
are performed by adults in the environment. These actions are totally real and
are actually performed in real situations. These activities are performed by
adults for maintaining and restoring living conditions properly.
There is so much importance of exercises of practical life in adults and children
lives. By doing EPL children can easily perform complicated activities in their
daily routines. The children should be taught variety of exercises of practical
life during their early age in homes as well as prepared environments.
Following are the points for explaining why exercises of practical life is
important for children.
1. For Independence
By now it is well now that the age between the birth to six years of age
of child is the most developing age. His personality is developing in this
age as well as his mental patterns are getting fixed in this phase six to
seven years. The dependency or independency is also an important
personality trait, which is only developed in early age childhood of the
children.
The parents, adult family members and teachers are not able to
understand that all efforts to grow are in actual the efforts to be
independent. So they offer help and love to do things and every day task
for the children out of love. But they are unable to understand that will
be not very beneficial in long run. As the child will become dependent on
them for every little thing and this will become a part of their personality
which will be impossible to change later in life.
For example, the main reason for male dependency is the large amount
of help offered to them from everyone in their early childhood. And as
for females; when the time is right to build independency in their
personality, the family members and mothers keep doing things for
them but as soon as they are adult all of a sudden all the burden of
household is put on them. Then they are pressurised to do things.
The main point of all this discussion is that if practical life activities are
taught at the right and we help the children to do things on their own
Name: Tuba Mahboob
Roll no: D20200
rather than doing things for them. Independence will become a lifelong
natural trait in their personality.
2. For Developing Love for Work
Exercises of practical life is supposed to teach the children all about their
environment and how things work there. The children learn to love the
work they are doing and with full enjoyment through EPL. The children
enjoy the activities that are involved in keeping them as well as the
environment good for living. All this work helps in giving children high
self-esteem and feeling of being important.
3. For Happiness, Self-Satisfaction and Self-Respect
Happiness and self-esteem can be only acquired when all the work is
done in a proper way. When the work habits are being formed, a child
must be taught to be helpful for everyone not just for himself. And
about the adults who are choosing profession, if he chooses the right
kind of work then only he can enjoy his work, which will build his self-
esteem. Just like that younger ones should also be given the chance to
choose their own work so that they can enjoy while doing it. Which will
help in building their self-esteem. If you let the child help you in your
work it gives them a sign for contentment and satisfaction that they are
part of an important task. But if we stop the children from helping or
taking part in the work, it will stop them from developing.
4. For Making World a Better Organized and Tidier Place
In Montessori schools a principle is followed i.e. There is a place for
everything and everything has a place. It is an element of exercises of
practical life. And unfortunately we are far from practicing this element
of putting things back at their proper places. And by not following this
practice at the right age, we make things difficult in the environment
and our lives.
We can adapt this rule only if we start putting things at their right places
at home or school at the right age.
5. For Learning to Give and Take Help Gracefully
Exercises of practical life are very helpful in learning to willingly receive
and give help from younger to older children at school or at home. The
Name: Tuba Mahboob
Roll no: D20200
basic statement ‘Go and clean your room’ should be replaced with let us
all clean the guest room today. This practice helps to form good work
habits among children. This helping nature then later on become a
permanent trait in a child’s personality.
6. For Passing On Good Work Habits to Next Generation
It is a fact that when the children are young, they greatly learn a lot from
copying and acting like adults. If at that time the adults are complaining
about the work or work load, then automatically the children later in life
try to avoid all sort of work.
7. For Perfection of Movements
It’s a well-known fact that the nature wants a child to be on constant
move. They are always moving around without getting tired which helps
them in their development. In childhood the need for movement is
irresistible, which later on fades away as we grow old. Movements helps
to create subject for motor skills. The more freely a child moves with his
control on his movement, the more freedom he enjoys because the
adults are not stopping their movements.
8. For Normalization of the Child
Every child goes through the sensitive period during 0 to 7 years of age.
Sensitive periods for EPL also starts and ends during this age. In this
period a child has strong urges to get certain experience for their
development. In this period, they are required to do necessary activities.
Fulfilment of strong inner urges leads the child to ‘normality’ which is
spiritual goal of EPL.
9. For Developing Love of the Universe
By performing exercises of personal care, care of the environment, care
of all the living things and exercises of grace and courtesy develops the
love for the entire universe in the children. They become peaceful and
responsible, who cares about everything as ‘care’ becomes an integral
part of their personality.
10. For Avoiding Personality Disorders
Name: Tuba Mahboob
Roll no: D20200
The reason for children who are introvert and lac confidence, is because
of the lack of attention and rejection from the parents and adults of
family. These children on may learn how to perform a task but they can
never achieve perfection in it. We must be aware of child’s natural urges
and must not turn them down because it is their sensitive period for
learning. If we stop them, then it will become a hurdle in the
development of the child.
