Curriculum Quick Links:

Practical Life

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Our Practical Life curriculum is designed to develop the child's hand-eye coordination, independence, confidence, and fine motor skills. Each child learns simple tasks involved with care of the self and the environment, as well as lessons in grace and courtesy. These exercises provide a foundation for both reading and writing by helping the child:

  • Focus their attention
  • Follow a sequence of steps
  • Develop concentration
  • Develop the coordination and digital dexterity needed to hold a pencil through the use of the thumb, index, and middle finger

Our Practical Life exercises stress the process, not the product. Our students learn the importance of order: if the steps are done correctly, the results are clearly visible. Examples of these hands-on activities include:

  • Food preparation: pouring, scooping, squeezing
  • Using tweezers, tongs, scissors, screwdrivers, nuts and bolts
  • Snack preparation and serving friends
  • Greetings and introductions
  • Dressing: buttoning, zipping, snapping, buckling
  • Cleaning activities: sweeping, dusting, mopping