According to Maria Montessori, children naturally gravitate towards activities that are beneficial for their psychic development.
A sensitive period is a time when a child can very quickly and with pleasure learn a particular character. The role of the parent is to identify these phases in order to offer the child an appropriate environment and activities.
Thanks to his five senses, the child can apprehend the world around him and develop his intelligence. Sensory impressions actively participate in the construction of his brain. As he grows up, his perceptions become more refined . They form the basis of his learning.
“ The child multiplies experiences. His senses are like reading keys that allow him to apprehend the world. » Charlotte Poussin , Montessori educator graduated from the International Montessori Association.
Proposing stimulating activities to the child means supporting him in the good development of his intelligence. Indeed, it is by experimenting that he can understand the meaning of the notions that surround him . How to understand the words "soft" or "rough" without touching it? Thus, it is important to name the sensations he feels in order to make it easier for him to conceptualize and master them.
The development of the hand is absolutely fundamental, because the manipulation builds the link between the external world and the thought. It allows our child to progress towards abstraction and logical thinking.
“The senses are organs for grasping images of the external world, necessary for intelligence, just as the hand is an organ for grasping material things necessary for the body. ” Maria Montessori.
To support him in his development, we can offer him many fun activities that meet a specific goal.
In order to facilitate its understanding, it may be wise to isolate a parameter/a quality such as shapes, colors, materials ... For example, if we choose to focus on the perception of colors, we can take objects identical, only the color varies. Then, in a second step, it is also interesting to group similar elements so that the child can achieve gradations. Indeed, pairing is an exercise that requires finer sensory discrimination.
Finally, as Céline Alvarez reminds us, games/objects only complement all the stimulation that a real and varied life already provides. Touching carpet, wood, painting, pulling blades of grass , comparing the size of small twigs, picking up dead leaves ... are equally important and effective activities for refining the child's senses . The Montessori school material is only used to order, organize and name everything that the child experiences in his daily life.
Sources:
- Montessori: from birth to 3 years , Charlotte Poussin, Eyrolles.
- https://www.mes-jeux-educatifs.fr/blog/montessori-periode-sensible-raffinement- sensoriel.htm
- https://enseignementaeduquer.fr/les-periodes-sensibles-selon-maria-montessori/ - https://www.celinealvarez.org/affinement-des-sens/introduction