Maria Montessori designed the Practical Life curriculum to teach children concentration, independence, and a great love for work.She discovered that children have an innate need to imitate the activities of adults, as this is their way of learning about their role within society and their environment.
For young children, open ended art provides unlimited possibilities for creativity and concentration. Rather than provide detailed instructions or coloring books, offer different mediums like watercolors, crayons, colored paper, scissors and glue.
The exercises in the Practical Life area reflect Montessori’s concept of “an education for life” as the child develops practical skills necessary to gain mastery over his actions and he learns to use the common objects of daily life.
Try using one of these “lead ins” instead and see if you get a more informative response. What was the best/worst thing that happened at school today? Tell me something that made you laugh today.