Mommy Life

May 12, 2008 9:16 AM

Montessori Mondays - sensitive periods

I know a lot of you are applying the Montessori exercises we share here and at other blogs to help your child reap the educational benefits. Far beyond the immediate results though - improved pincer grasp, eye-hand coordination, concentration skills - is the greater gift your understanding of Montessori education will provide for your child:

So while you may love creating the exercises and learning how to use a Montessori approach even with not-specifically-Montessori early education materials, I want to encourage you to dig deeper into the philosophy behind the materials and exercises.

Maria Montessori (shown in the picture above in her later years) came along at a time when few people were interested in children or the way they developed. As the first woman doctor in Italy at the turn of the century, she ended up working with slum children who'd been judged "retarded" - basically ineducable.

Her observation of the children led her to an understanding of childhood development which included what she called "sensitive periods" - what we today might call "windows of opportunity" when the child is most receptive to different areas of learning.

Montessori's experience with the impoverished/outcast/prejudged children affirmed that if presented with the appropriate environmental materials during those times, the child could learn effortlessly, that learning would be filled with joy, and that the child would continue into a lifelong love of learning.

If, on the other hand, these sensitive periods were missed, learning would come about with much more difficulty and the child will regard education as a chore.

What was especially revolutionary about Montessori’s educational philosophy was the idea that these sensitive periods – including the optimum time for reading and writing - occur before the age of five or six, the age at which American education typically begins.

Today, Montessori’s ideas do not seem so novel, as more and more is revealed about the development of the human mind. But while her discoveries have been incorporated into the mainstream education establishment and much of the collective mind, Montessori has never been credited with them, though she began publishing her theory and methods in 1912.

That excerpt is from my book Mommy, Teach Me! which I wrote with one specific purpose: to take my year of AMI Montessori teacher training - plus years of applying the principles at home with my own children - to make Montessori's philosophy and strategies available to everyday moms in everyday language.

I wanted to be reader-friendly, so that any mom of any education level could learn enough from this book - without feeling guilty or overburdened - to see her life with her children begin to change. So while my focus had always been on helping children release their God-given abilities, it has now become more focused on teaching moms to do this themselves. Not everyone can take a year of Montessori training. And not everyone will become a gung-ho Montessori enthusiast. But a simple understanding of some basic ideas can encourage, empower and equip you as a mom to make the most of these years.

How do you know when a child's sensitive periods are? Usually because they give us the cues. When a child is ready to learn household chores, like sweeping, they pick up a broom. Our job is then to figure out how to teach them to sweep in a way that takes their needs and childish limitations into account. When we don't say "No, you're not ready to peel the carrots," but instead stretch ourselves to teach/equip/empower the child, he will always remember learning with joy - and will look forward to learning more.

The same is true of reading. Almost every child has the God-given potential to learn to read (even Helen Keller, who was blind, deaf and mute, learned to read - and became a writer herself). When we wait too long to teach reading, or we use inappropriate techniques, reading becomes a chore. That's why I wrote Mommy, Teach Me to Read! - to empower mothers with the philosophy and everyday techniques they could use to make teaching children to read a natural part of their home life, rather than thinking of it as something only professionals could do.

I really am not writing to push my books, but I can't help mentioning them when I know how much they can make a difference in your home life :) Maybe some of you who've read them could leave a comment to say whether or not they've been worth the investment of time and resources.

Sensitive periods - that's what it's all about. That's why these years - when you are so busy and have so many demands - are so important. But the good news is that if you know how to approach the sensitive periods and your child learns what he is ready to learn when he is most receptive, you will have a child who loves to learn and approaches education with independence and joy!

That makes spending a little time learning to be a better teacher - no matter whether your child will go on to public, private, or homeschool - an important investment, and one your children will thank you for someday! Please link to your won blog entries on anything Montessori.

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Posted in Homeschooling, Montessori, Montessori Mondays, Mothering, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink

Comments

I don't have your newer books, but I have read some of your older books, can't remember titles though. I loved all the information in it - and tried to work with my now 4-year-old on the age appropriate stuff at 2 and 3. It just didn't work. He would not do what was asked of him. Dried beans between bowls meant making a huge mess of the project. Pouring water or sand, the same thing. He is not the child of order, but disorder. I shelved all the ideas of Montessori, thinking it would not help me. He is a bright child - knows letters, numbers, colors and is on the verge of reading, but motor skills are not his forte.

Now, my 20 month old does things like taking out games, playing and putting away without me even showing him. He is naturally orderly and I am thinking of revisiting the material with him.

Posted by: Shelly | May 12, 2008 11:45 AM

Hi Barbara,

I just finished reading Mommy Teach Me, and I'm working through Mommy Teach me to Read with my Kindergartner and Preschooler. I just wanted to thank you for these great resources. I have found that even my 2nd grader likes doing the activities from Mommy Teach Me, and though she is too old, my Kindergartner has learned to read using your book. That's a load off my mind. Now we can have fun building on that skill. Thank you!

Posted by: angie | May 12, 2008 1:40 PM

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