Practical Life

This area of curriculum helps the child to develop an independent approach to personal care and learn to control his muscles. The activities included here, some of which might appear frivolous to the casual observer (such as table washing and water pouring), help the child to develop physically and to coordinate large and small motor functions. For example, silver polishing is an indirect preparation for writing (through learning to manipulate a small object dexterously.)

Sensorial

The material used in this area is designed to accentuate the child’s various physical senses. For example, The Pink Tower – a set of ten wooden cubes all varying in size arithmetically – is put together as a tower from biggest to smallest, thus developing visual discrimination. Three “color boxes” contain color tablets which help to develop the sense of color discrimination. The first box contains primary color; the second contains the primary and secondary colors plus black and white; the third contains nine colors, each shaded from dark to light.

Language

Language exercises stimulate the development of vocabulary and speech and involve introductory reading and writing skills. One of the more popular exercises utilizes alphabet letters cut out of sandpaper and mounted on wooden pallets. The child is invited to trace the “sandpaper letters,” thereby learning the shapes of the letters through his sense of touch. Simultaneously, he learns the phonetic sound of the letter. Through “feeling” it, he finds it easier to reproduce the letter when he starts to write.

Mathematics

Specialized apparatus aids the child in understanding the basic mathematical concepts. The math equipment is colorful and appealing and math is learned easily. Dr. Montessori spoke of the development of the “mathematical mind” in which a child views number concepts not as a separate entity but as a natural and integral part of all his activities.