Absorbent Mind
Dr. Montessori calls birth to 6 the most important part of life.
It’s in this period that the young child experiences intense mental activity which allows them to ‘absorb’ their world without conscious effort, naturally and spontaneously. Hence the term the absorbent mind.
In these early years, impressions do not merely enter the child’s mind, actually they form it. What the child absorbs now is a part of who they will ultimately become.
Much like how the first plane of development is divided into sub-planes, the period of the absorbent mind is also seen as having two parts.
Let’s take a look:
Unconscious Absorbent Mind (0-3)
A period of “unconscious creativity” in which the child possesses a unique creative power.
Mental and physical functions are being created.
Memory is not yet developed.
As the child develops the ability to interact with the environment, they become more and more conscious.
Conscious Absorbent Mind (3-6)
A period of “conscious development” in which the previously created functions are now refined.
The child now consciously chooses experiences for the pure pleasure of doing.
They begin to name, sort, and categorize their environment.
Through absorbed impressions, they begin to memory and are moving toward more complex mental abilities.
Montessori also says the personality can only develop by making use of its own powers.
Here we find balance in modeling, cultivating the will, drawing forth positive social and life skills, character development, and giving children clear messages that they are capable, significant, and they belong.
Positive Discipline comes in beautifully here, and it isn’t all about misbehavior. It is about connection. It’s about practicing ways to be proactive, empowering, and encouraging to your child as they are developing, as they are forming and constructing themselves, to move around in this world they are creating.
