If you were a fly on the wall in the studio this week, or indeed any week of the year, you would see learners engaged in an activity unique to Montessori environments: taking out a rolled up mat, unrolling it on the floor, getting a work out, doing the work on the mat, then returning the work to the shelf, carefully rolling up the mat, and putting the mat away. This process is called the work cycle, and it is the basic unit of activity in the studio.

The work cycle asks a lot of new learners. They have to learn and remember where objects are in the environment; remember the sequence of an activity, including how to set up before beginning something; and keep their attention on a particular task all the way through clean-up. One young learner this week took out a tray with materials that she wanted to work with, and then wondered how she would be able to get out a mat since her hands were full. She learned that she needed to do one thing at a time in a different order. She put the tray back, got out a mat, and then retrieved the tray. This was an experience of delayed gratification and problem solving. This week in the studio, the older children challenged themselves to roll up their mats so tightly that the mats could stand upright by themselves. The younger learners watched this feat of fine motor skills and coordination, and it gave them extra motivation to practice.

Working on a mat also helps learners organize their materials spatially within physical boundaries. Young children are still developing awareness of their impact on the environment and having a mat gives them immediate feedback about where their belongings are and how they can adjust. It also helps them see the boundaries around others’ work. Also embedded in the work cycle are key principles that serve as a foundation for a child’s future learning: doing one thing at a time, finishing what we start, and respecting and helping maintain our environment.

The seemingly simple work cycle is actually not so simple. If you observe the studio and see a child rolling up his mat and putting it away, you will understand the many developmental tasks he has accomplished!