Here is a summary of what Maria Montessori wrote about the subject of the hand. His ideas are directly extracted and reworked from his books, so they are to be placed in the context of the time.
Maria Montessori explains that the "motor character", linked and at the service of intelligence, is the movement of the hand. It is not the walk, but the use of the hand that distinguishes the animal or the vegetable from the man. Indeed, while walking is used exclusively to move through space, the hand allows us to give life to our most convoluted intelligent thoughts.
The hand is a complex structural organ that allows humans to interact with their environment, but also to modify it through their intelligence . The hand sets intelligence in motion and yearns for work . With the appearance of language, the control of the hand constitutes the two great stages of the development of the child.
The hand is associated with very strong symbolic events in our societies. However, all these symbols are systematically linked to adult social life. We can illustrate this with traditions. For example, when a couple gets married in church , they shake hands.
Despite the sacred character conferred on hands, when children use them for the first time, they come up against parents' prohibitions: " Don't touch ", " Don't move ", "Calm down, silence ... " .
However, the use of their hands is necessary for the development of their first mental constructs. However, this crucial need has not been taken into account. In the house, the vast majority of objects belong exclusively to the adult and they are forbidden on pain of being punished.
“ When he moves constructively, using his hands to perform work, the child needs external objects to manipulate; in other words, he must find " reasons for activity " in the environment. » Mr. Montessori
From eighteen months to one year, the child carries out “elementary actions ”, that is to say, he grasps objects while pursuing a reasoning that escapes the adult. For example, opening or closing a bottle is very common. It is the first manifestation of the work instinct . This is a crucial stage in its development. However, adult society does not give it a place: how often do we hear: “ Don't touch that ”, “ It 's too fragile ”, etc.? By doing this, we repress the natural development of the child.
To resolve this conflict, parents can first create an environment that will have the capacity to accommodate the child's needs. In addition, parents must also learn to let their children handle objects that are sometimes fragile or large.
Growing up, the child observes and assimilates the behavior of adults. One day, he will want to do the same things with the same objects. So he will know in advance what he wants to do, it is not an immediate imitation. Thus, he wants to wipe the dishes, comb his hair, fold the laundry...
Sources:
- The Child , Maria Montessori, Desclée De Brouwer