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.
During the period sensitive to small objects, the child is interested in the details of the objects, in the tiny peculiarities that we do not notice. These details are sometimes at the limit of the perceptible.
This period usually takes place between the ages of 1 and 3, although there is no set age. Understanding the small allows the child to apprehend the global and the greater. It helps him understand the world he lives in. It is a stage of his intellectual maturation.
The child then carefully observes crumbs of bread lying around, detailed patterns, gravel... For example, during a walk in the woods, the child will stop to examine the insects or the pebbles.
Several hypotheses attempt to explain this phenomenon. One of the most shared is that it is a process of refining sight and fine motor skills.
In these moments, it is essential to respect these particular times and let the child do his thing , absorbed in his attentive observations. On a walk, let him pick up the leaves and stones he finds. You can sometimes get down on your knees to see what the child has spotted. Small attractive objects to handle that are oriented towards specific learning can also be placed on trays or in boxes.
It is obviously important to ensure the safety of the child. If he picks up an object that is not really dangerous, but which worries you a little, examine it alongside your child, tell him to be careful, explain to him why, how to use it... he wants to put an object in his mouth to understand its texture, but he could choke on it, offer him a larger, but similar object. For example, if the child is handling a small metal bead, give him a large metal spoon instead.
Sources:
- https://www-cairn-info-s.proxy.bu.dauphine.fr/la-pedagogie-montessori-- 9782130795698-page-45.htm
- https://enseignementaeduquer.fr/les-periodes-sensibles-selon-maria-montessori/ - https://montessori-neokids.fr/actualites/la-periode-sensible-des-petits-objets/