• Corpus ID: 150320426

Effects of Practical Life Exercises on Fine Motor Development in a Montessori Children’s House Classroom

@inproceedings{Elcombe2017EffectsOP,
  title={Effects of Practical Life Exercises on Fine Motor Development in a Montessori Children’s House Classroom},
  author={Elizabeth Elcombe},
  year={2017}
}

• Elizabeth Elcombe
• Published 11 November 2017
• Education, Psychology

Effects of Practical Life Exercises on Fine Motor Development in a Montessori Children’s House Classroom This action research project examined the effect of Montessori Practical Life exercises on kindergarteners’ and pre-kindergarteners’ fine motor development. Fine motor skills have been linked to academic and social/emotional achievement. This project’s primary research question was: Do interventions in the Practical Life area support fine motor development? The secondary question for this study was: Are there differences in fine motor growth between students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten who receive interventions in the Practical Life area? This study was conducted in a Montessori Children’s House classroom containing pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students between the ages of four and six years old in an urban public school. Students were pretested and post-tested using the Penny Posting Test to determine fine motor pincer grip ability. Over a five-week period, Children’s House students received interventions in the area of Practical Life specifically focusing on developing pincer grip ability. Results show growth in fine motor ability, which indicates that Practical Life materials do support the development of fine motor ability. Based on this study, continued advocacy for the inclusion of Practical Life materials in the public school Montessori curriculum is necessary.