Whether you are a parent, classroom assistant, or just curious about Montessori, you are in the right place!
In this offering, you will learn about the Montessori method of education and child development for children ages 3-6. Each lesson will have a new topic for you with pages full of content. You will find videos, diagrams, and readings embedded for you to use as you learn about each topic.
You will begin your journey by getting to know who Dr. Maria Montessori was and her theory of the Four Planes of Development. This is a theory that assists us in understanding the development of a person from birth throughout life. We will then drill down into the specifics of child development, the Montessori Prepared Environment for the child of ages 3-6, and some Montessori fundamentals.
Each lesson is open to you to experience at your own pace. I do recommend that you progress in the order in which you see the lessons as they tend to build off the one prior.
I encourage you to share your thoughts or answers to self-reflective questions in the comments boxes in the lessons. We want to hear your perspective!
“The origins of the development, both in the species and in the individual, lie within. The child does not grow because they are nourished, because they breathe, because they are placed in conditions of temperature to which they are adapted, they grow because of the potential life within them develops…” Montessori. (1964) The Montessori Method pp. 105
This lesson will cover Dr. Montessori’s theory of the Four Planes of Development. This theory topic is typically the first to be delivered because it is broad and applies to a person for their entire life, whereas next, we will progress into theory topics centered around child development.
“This absorbent mind of the little child can enter any civilization, at any time period, and take in everything there is-in that civilization and that period. Nature gives this hidden and universal power to little children. Just as children learn to talk without being taught in schools, they absorb whatever is in their particular environment without a school to teach them.” Montessori. (2012). The 1946 London Lectures pp. 182
In the last lesson you investigated:
Dr. Montessori’s theory of the developmental stages of the human called the Four Planes of Development
The child is “reborn” into each subsequent plane because they change so profoundly physically, socially, and emotionally
The importance of the external environment to offer the preparations the child needs to move to the next developmental plane successfully
The first plane of development lasts from birth until the age of six and consists of two sub-planes, 0-3 & 3-6
The child in the first plane of development has the gifts of the Absorbent Mind and the Sensitive Periods
This lesson will cover the Absorbent Mind and Adaptation
The Absorbent Mind is a dynamic developmental force for the child. You will learn how the Absorbent Mind functions and how it supports the child in becoming the person they will be. Adaptation is one of the creations of the Absorbent Mind and is critical in the development of the child.
“A child’s different inner sensibilities enable him to choose from his complex environment what is suitable and necessary for his/her growth. They make the child sensitive to somethings, but leave him indifferent to others” Montessori. (1972) The Secret of Childhood, pp. 42
In the last lesson, you investigated:
Detailed elements of the development of the child in the first plane.
How the Absorbent Mind operates and its creations.
This lesson will cover the Sensitive Periods
You will learn about the Sensitive Periods that Dr. Montessori observed and how they support the development of the child.
“It is safe to say that once a person is born they will surely walk, and that all people will resemble one another in the way they use their feet. But no one can tell what any given person will do with their hands. Who knows what special skills the babies of today will develop?” Montessori. (1995). The Absorbent Mind, pp.148.
In the last lessons, you investigated:
Detailed elements of the development of the child in the first plane.
How the Absorbent Mind operates and its creations.
What Sensitive Periods are and how they support the development of the child.
This lesson will cover the development of movement and independence. You have learned how the Absorbent Mind supports the child in creating movement and how the child possesses a Sensitive Period specifically for this development as well. These two elements indicate how important movement is in our development. Through our movement, we begin to create a relationship with the world around us, orient ourselves to environments, and engage in the exploration that is necessary to build our intelligence. The refinement of our movements allows us to grow in our independence-which is the goal of the first plane of development.
“The entire organism of the child, from their physiological, vegetative part to their motor activity, ought to find in school “the best conditions for development.” Montessori (1967) Spontaneous Activity in Education pp. 142
Key Question: “The best conditions for development.” What do you think that means? Does it mean a perfect environment? Could it mean the best we can offer with what we have available? Can “the best conditions for development” look different from school community to school community?
In the last lessons you investigated:
The development of gross and fine motor movement and movement milestones for the child from birth to the age of six.
The importance of movement in the construction of intelligence.
The importance of movement in developing independence.
The importance of independence for the child.
How the Children’s House supports the development of movement and independence.
This lesson will cover the Prepared Environment for the child ages three to six. You have learned a lot about the development of the child psychologically and physically! This module will focus on how a scientifically prepared environment can support the child in their development.
What are you most curious to learn about in this section? Please share it in the comments!
“A teacher is destined by their own special work to observe not simply insects or protozoa but man. And the man he is destined to observe is not one busy about his daily occupations, like those of insects when they wake up in the morning, but man when his intellectual life is awakening." Montessori. (1967). The Discovery of the Child, pp.7
In the last lesson you investigated:
The characteristics of the 3-6 Prepared Environment and materials.
The ways that the Prepared Environment supports the development of the child.
This lesson focuses on the practice of observation, which is an integral component of the work with children. Teachers prepare an environment to serve the child and then observe the child in the environment. The information received from those observations helps teachers make modifications to the classroom as well as connect and support the child in their individual development.
“He will try to understand this world, so we must give him a prepared environment with people who understand his needs-a beautiful, rich environment, where a child can be free to choose whatever is necessary for his development.” Montessori. (2012). The 1946 London Lectures, pp. 179
In the last lessons you investigated:
The characteristics of the 3-6 Prepared Environment and materials.
The ways that the Prepared Environment supports the development of the child.
What observation is.
How observation is necessary and very useful in working with children.
How to observe through starting observation training exercises.
This lesson will cover the concept of freedom and discipline. Freedom and discipline in the Montessori classroom might be two of the most misunderstood Montessori concepts among the general public. This lesson will help you to understand them so you can explain them to others.
“School is the place where the “social sentiment” is developed; it is the child’s society.” Montessori. (1965). Spontaneous Activity in Education, pp. 310
In the last lesson, you investigated:
What freedom is within the context of the Montessori Prepared Environment.
How freedom leads to spontaneous self-discipline.
This lesson will cover the social development of the child and the concept of social cohesion. The child develops socially in stages acclimating to the family unit, then as a member of a group, a member of a community, and then a member of the greater society and world. In the Children’s House, Dr. Montessori observed a social phenomenon she called “social cohesion”. Through observation, she was able to identify what within the child and the external environment made such a phenomenon possible.
“We are unable to “imagine” things which do not actually present themselves to our senses; even language would be lacking to us to explain things lying beyond those customary limits by which our consciousness is bound...The artist “imagines” their figure; they do not copy it, they “create” it but this creation is in fact the fruit of the mind which is rooted in the observation of reality.” Montessori. (1965) Spontaneous Activity in Education pp. 245 & 250
In the previous lesson you investigated:
The social development of the child
The social supports in the Montessori Prepared Environment
The concept of Social Cohesion
This lesson will cover the creative development of the child and how the work of the adult and the Montessori Prepared Environment can support it. You will also get a taste of how Dr. Montessori viewed creativity and imagination for the young child.
“Children feel the rhythm of music played with feeling, and they often follow it not only with their feet, but also with their arms and bodies. Even very little children can at times show a sense of rhythm.” Montessori. (1967) The Discovery of the Child pp. 288.
In the last lesson you investigated:
The creative development of the 3-6 age child.
How the adult and the Prepared Environment support the child’s creative development.
How art experiences align with the development of the child.
The practical aspects of designing an art area as well as offering art appreciation.
This lesson will focus on the topic of music in the Children's House. You will find that just as in many other areas of the classroom, the child engages in this subject in many ways. In Montessori, we have four separate music elements that we offer to the children.