We call this practical area a home away from home because some of the materials in this environment are familiar to those that a child finds in the home. This area is important for the development of fine and gross motor skills, as well as to enhance task organisation, order, concentration and independence through aspects such as care of self and care of the environment.

Grace and Courtesy is introduced to the child which also enhances social skills because a child’s respect of self and for others is developed.

Children learn through their senses therefore in this area the child’s sensory skills are developed – chromatic, stereognostic, kinaesthetic, tactile, audio – as well as sensory impressions relating to size dimensions such as length, width, temperature, mass, etc.

Sensorial materials allow the child to manipulate, explore, analyse and experiment concepts. Children categorise and systematically organise sensorial experiences in order to fully develop their innate tendencies for order, exactness and precision.

According to Montessori, all children are mathematical by nature. Children need to learn the language of numeracy and arithmetic relevant to their everyday experiences.

Materials in this area develop the cognitive skills such as patterning, seriation, composition of number, symbols, sequence, operation, etc.

In this area, language is key as it is also a child’s sensitive period for development. The objective is to build and increase vocabulary, develop the confidence of reading, speaking and writing.

Literature, study of grammar, word building, creative drama, reading and writing are some of the skills that are refined and developed.

In this area the child is exposed to the knowledge and understanding of the World through areas such as Geography, Botany, History, Zoology and Life Sciences to get a better understanding of what it means to become the citizen of the world.

Children learn about their immediate environment by exploration, investigation and discovery thereby making sense of the natural environment and its interconnectedness and how to care for it.