The First Plane of Development

When I picture the avatar of a child, 0-6 years old, I picture a being, covered in a network of nerves, pulsating with energy. In fact, Dr. Montessori described these new beings’ need to move as soon as these nerve cells are ready, “…it happens that if a child is prevented from using his powers of movement as soon as they are ready, this child’s mental development is obstructed. Although mental development has no limits, it depends in great part on being able to use its instruments of action, on overcoming by this means the bonds of its own impotence.” (Absorbent Mind, p. 65) Everything about the child’s development relies on movement in the first few years of life.

I want to tell you how amazing humans are, at this age. How the average two year old has 600 billion neurons, about seven times as many as their pediatrician. How they can absorb as many languages as we can give them, if they hear them consistently and precisely. How they learn basic courtesies, like holding the door for the person behind them, just through being. I want to tell you these things and so much more, but I think we need to explore what this means for us. How does our behavior, our interactions with these children, our interactions in front of these children…how does that affect them?

These little walking nerve networks take it all in, they feel everything, they incorporate it into who they are. We are taking part in a sacred portion of their life—the part in which they are forming their personality, their spirit, their lifelong habits and priorities…and they are doing this just by being. Currently, we use the term “windows of opportunity” to describe what Montessori called Sensitive Periods. These are periods of time is which a child is attracted to a type of work the way are eyes are attracted to the light of a candle in a dark room. There is so much to see and do in the room, but we can only focus on the one thing. The child’s work in this one particular aspect is done with repetition, high focus, and usually without fatigue, even after multiple repetitions.

Order

The Sensitive Period for Order lasts from birth through six, but is especially present from one year to three years of age. They show a strong need to establish patterns and relationships between objects, people and the environment. It is really important that our environments—at home and at school—are orderly and consistent. Every change, at this stage, means that the child’s brain must reclassify their relationships and environment, undermining their ability to make predictions, feel in control, and have a sense of security and trust. By establishing external order with (and for) the child, their energy is free to form internal order, like the ability to classify and sort experiences, language, numbers, and more.

In our homes, this means that the children should participate in the process of returning everything to order. They should help set the table, put away their things, and clean. One of my trainers, Dr. Silvia Dubovoy, said of adults, “We need to trust the children. We want to make it easy for the children. But the children need it to be difficult. They love a challenge.” For most children, it will not hurt to give them a task that you may think is a bit too difficult for them. Most often, they will shock us and complete it. If not, we can work on it alongside them. This also helps them know we will support them through difficult things. They need our trust (and we need their work!).

Language

The Sensitive Period for Language is from birth to six (but maybe 12?). We have seen our children acquire language with not one ounce of effort. They have adorable ways of saying things wrong (Nora is still working on saying “her dress” not “hers dress”) that just work themselves out—even in the midst of a thousand inconsistencies within the language itself. At about 2, there is an explosion in speaking. Between 3 ½ and 4 ½, explosions into reading and writing happen, if the environment connects the children with letters. If we are not seeing this happen at school, we are evaluating both the environment and the child.

At home, this means that we speak with consistently good grammar. We should not be using language that we do not wish to become a part of our children’s inner thesaurus. Most importantly, we should be talking with them a LOT. We should talk with the infants through every process and once that explosion into speaking happens, we should converse with the children. It’s so important that we talk with them in the same tone that we speak with adults (once they are past the infancy stage). They need our respect and will absorb the rules with which we engage with them.

Senses

The Sensitive Period for Refinement of the Senses occurs between two and four years old. The senses are the instruments through which the child comes into contact with their environment. They are the doors through which sensations pass to intelligence. They provide information about the environment and cause the formation of neural centers responsible for sensorial intake and interpretation: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile perceptions such as: stereagnostic, baric, thermic and kinesthetic.

Perceptions become clearer and the child has a strong drive to organize and classify all of his sensorial impressions. We can help them with this by allowing them time to build with blocks and Lego-like toys, by providing lots of opportunities to create art, and lots and lots of cardboard boxes. Children should have a variety of music and time to move to that music, at home.

Here’s the important thing: Children must interact with their environment with their whole beings. The vast majority of their time must be in movement. Their senses will not be adequately developed by interacting with only two dimensions. Please limit screen time for children to less than thirty minutes a day, in order for senses to develop appropriately.

Movement

The Sensitive Period for the Refinement of Movement happens between 2 ½ and 4 ½ years old. This period is defined as a desperate passion for movement. Movement is the way through which personality expresses itself, and thus the child needs to develop and refine it. Refined movement is necessary for the proper development of the psyche and acquisition of independence. It is a joy to watch the children preparing tea in porcelain tea pots and carefully pouring it into porcelain tea cups, then walking ever-so-carefully, delivering the cup and saucer to the recipient.

It is through movement that the child develops the hand and equilibrium which are vital for function and self-expression. During these years the child will be open to learning social graces, like carrying delicate objects. They will become concerned with the tiniest of objects. One of the things I loved to do with my children, when they were this small, was to take walks. They would lead. I remember Nora pointing out a bug that I couldn’t even see. We stayed in one place, watching that tiny bug cross the sidewalk from one end to another and her concentration didn’t waiver one bit. We often, in Montessori, say “Follow the child.” But literally, follow your child on a walk. It is an act of meditation you won’t soon forget.

Again, children require movement in order to adapt to their environment adequately. When children are engaged with screens for too long, their opportunity for movement and interaction with their environment is sacrificed.

Missed Sensitive Periods

Unfortunately, if a child does not gain a skill during a sensitive period, they may gain the skill later, but it will be with immense effort and likely won’t be with the fluency they otherwise would have achieved. Additionally, the child will feel unfulfilled and will likely act out with tantrums. Our little walking nerve endings are full, amazing humans. They need us to set the limits of the environment and invest all we can into helping them fulfill their needs at this sacred time.

—Jen Stoll, Director & Owner