Work area : roll a mat

First thing to learn in Montessori Classroom - roll and unroll a mat

In Montessori classroom, rug / mat is the first material a child will start with.

 A child learns to roll and unroll a mat for his/her work area.

Why we need  mat / rug for Montessori classroom? 

The mat defined the work area.  A child roll a mat to start his/her work.
After the work, he/she roll up the work and the cycle is completed.

 I don’t see the use of the mat at the first beginning. After working in Montessori environment several years, I appreciate the use of the mat. It completes the work cycle. That’s an important concept for a child. It should be for all of us as well.

 If you have children at home, it is common to have incomplete Lego/ books/ craft.    Children may work on their craft for ten mins and want to jump to Lego table right away.  A work cycle can help a child to be more organized.

Work cycle contains three parts: start, work, cleanup.

A child decides his/her work in the classroom.

Start: roll out the mat. Bring all the materials to the mat

–>Work

–>Cleanup:  Put all the materials back and roll up the mat

When a child used to complete the work cycle in the classroom, they apply the same work cycle during their play time.

Bring out the toy–> play–>put the toy back.

I found it is more efficient to work on the work cycle rather than keep calling children putting their stuff back.