Montessori realized the first 3 years of a child life as the unconscious creation of the mind. She called this as the psychic embryo, since so much mental development occurs after birth. At this phase the child absorbs it’s surrounding unconsciously. The second phase of life is a conscious development that is from 3 to 6 years. She believed that ‘the most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man's intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed.”
Montessori said the child from birth to six years has an “absorbent mind”. At this period the mind absorbs knowledge effortlessly almost anything from it’s surrounding. Thatis why it is important to provide a calm, peaceful uncluttered surrounding that is aesthetically appealing to the senses. Also children need to gain information about everything around them. Rules for social adaptation clearly set, consistently and firmly followed.
Very young children are sensitively attracted to certain activities and keep on repeating it for a certain period of time with concentrated attention. This period is well known to a Montessorian as the sensitive period since so much mental development occurs after birth. For example, children in a sensitive period for order will be drawn to activities that involve ordering. They are motivated to act this way in order to satisfy a psychological hunger necessary for its inner development. Any interruption at this period will end this developmental phase prematuredly
People whom the little child comes into contact with, need to keep this in mind and must be sensitive to their inner needs and assist the child in taking full advantage of this period and aiding to unfold his/her natural inner capabilities to optimum capacity .By the age of 3, the child has already laid down the foundations of his personality The child has enormous creative enegy. Early childhood education helps the child utilize it to his/her best.
Every Montessori activity helps the child to auto educate with inbuilt control of error. This puts the control in the hands of the learner and protects the young child’s self-esteem and self-motivation. Their muscular co-ordination improves. Because of this developmental need, children are drawn to activities that involve movement and especially to pastimes that demand a certain level of challenge
.The sensorial materials were created to help children in the process of creating and organizing their intelligence. The materials worked upon should not be too easy or too frustrating. Then only it will encourage repetition. Each scientifically designed material isolates a quality found in the world such as color, size, shape, etc. and this isolation focuses the attention on this one aspect. The child, through repeated manipulation of these objects, comes to form clear ideas on abstractions. What could not be explained by words,[abstract facts ] for e.g. dimensions, the child learns by experience, working with the sensorial materials The child is presented materials and activities in a way that it does not distract from the purpose. Given freedom and time, they choose purposeful activities over frivolous ones
In our school the child is provided a prepared environment: where everything necessary for his/her development is included in a safe atmosphere. These include order reality, beauty and simplicity. She/he is given opportunity, to experiment, and experience with the senses
In Montessori’s view all humans are intuitively inclined to
Exploration
Orientation
Order
Abstraction
Work
Self-perfection
Communication
A spiritual life
Montessori did not believe in reward or punishment. Disciplining by external control does not withstand. The child learns to discipline itself by developing its inner control and by the development of the will
Children love to do things for themselves and in Montessori schools they are encouraged to be self-dependent. Making their own choices is the first step towards independence. An understanding Montessori educator encourages this. Willpower or self-control develops from making and executing ones choice.
In Little Folks the children are provided with lot of interesting books. They are told stories .Conversation is aimed at developing the grasp of English language and knowledge of the world around them. Phonetics and both upper and lowercase alphabets are taught. Teaching maths and language are through simple and fun activities.Lot, of experience in classifying. gradation, memory games. Comparison, matching and contrast simple geometry, graph, and set theory exercises are given so that in later years it will be easier for them to accept these concepts
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