Practical Life Materials ~ The Dressing Frames

The Montessori casa (preschool) classroom is divided into five areas.  These areas are Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics and Culture.  This blog post is about the Dressing Frames, a key material in the Practical Life area of the classroom.  

The Practical Life activities are the first activities the child is introduced to in the Montessori classroom.  They satisfy the child's inner desire for self-sufficiency and independence.  These activities provide the child with real life experiences with real materials and tools.  

The Practical Life activities fall into three basic categories - Manipulative Skills, Care of the Person and Care of the Environment.

Activities for the development of Manipulative Skills include pouring, spooning, opening containers, handling a book and unrolling and rolling a floor mat.  

Opening and Closing Activity

Opening and Closing Activity

Activities for Care of the Person include washing hands and face, combing your hair, grace and courtesy role playing to learn how to behave socially and the Dressing Frames.

Large Button Dressing Frame

Activities for the Care of the Environment include dusting, sweeping, settling a table, sorting cutlery, watering plants and gardening.

Gardening

The Dressing Frames are a key material in the acquisition of skills needed for self-care. 

The Dressing Frames

This material consists of frames with different closings:

large button frame

small button frame

zipper frame

velcro frame

buckling frame

snapping frame

hook and eye frame

lacing frame

bow frame

safety pin frame

Snapping Frame

Bow Frame

Buckling Frame

The primary purpose of the Dressing Frames is to enable children to gain independence by learning how to get dressed and care for their personal appearance.  The Dressing Frames also develop and challenge the child's co-ordination and fine motor skills.

The large button frame is the first frame introduced to the child.  

Large Button Frame

This is followed by the zipper frame.  As their skills develop, they work with the more challenging frames.

 

Young children want to do things for themselves.  It is so frustrating to a child when they are not able to zip up their coat, unbutton their sweater or tie their shoes.  The Dressing Frames enable each child to practice these skills in an unhurried way.

They are able to practice...

practice......

practice.....

practice......

for as long as they want.

It is such a joy to watch the child fully concentrating on the task at hand.  What a delight to witness their pride when they have accomplished their task!

I did it!

"Help me to do it myself."

~ Maria Montessori