How many sensitive periods

And from the torpor of indifference is born the weariness of labor. Understanding your child's sensitive periods is one of the keys to understanding what they need in their environment and why they are behaving in a certain way.

Maria was clear that sensitive periods deeply influence a child's behavior and reactions. What Dr. Montessori was less clear about was when exactly these sensitive periods occur. I wish I could point you to one page in one book that explained them all. But, that just doesn't exist. There is some debate in the Montessori community about when these sensitive periods occur and what exactly the entire list of sensitive periods are.

I decided to put together a little cheat sheet chart to help everyone myself included remember the basic sensitive periods. They disappear just as soon as there is a possibility of satisfying the need or eliminating the danger. One can at times observe in a child a sudden calm following a state of agitation that seemed almost pathological.

To create this, I included the most commonly cited sensitive periods for this age group. This list is not meant to be completely exhaustive but is meant to include the most popular and important. The age ranges are taken from the averages of many sources. You'll notice that many of the sensitive periods overlap and span long periods of time. In addition to the above chart, I created a little PDF guide to sensitive periods with some ideas to support the sensitive period and some more of Dr.

Montessori's own words for inspiration. Sign up below and the guide will be emailed directly to you. Labels Montessori sensitive period. Montessori sensitive period. Kim said…. This is absolutely fantastic. Can't wait to get the guide in my email. May 26, at AM. Carolina :o said…. The Association Montessori International defines sensitive periods in this way:. Y oung children experience transient periods of sensibility, and are intrinsically motivated or urged to activity by specific sensitivities.

A child in a sensitive period is believed to exhibit spontaneous concentration when engaged in an activity that matches a particular sensitivity. For example, children in a sensitive period for order will be drawn to activities that involve ordering. They will be observed choosing such activities and becoming deeply concentrated, sometimes repeating the activity over and over, without external reward or encouragement. Young children are naturally drawn towards those specific aspects of the environment which meet their developmental needs.

Sensitivity to order can be characterised by a desire for consistency and repetition, where children crave routine and structure. During this period of sensitivity, children may be more interested in putting things in order and packing things away, than they are in playing with their toys.

To support the sensitive period for order, it is important to establish ground rules, a solid routine, and create an organised environment where everything has a place. From birth to age six, children are in the sensitive period for language. Sensitivity to language involves three key phases: spoken language, written language, and reading.

The sensitive period for spoken language is from 7 months to 3 years of age. It begins when the child first creates sounds by mimicking mouth movements, and progresses over time, as they learn to form words and simple sentences. The sensitive period for learning to write is from 3. This begins when the child learns the alphabet, and then sight words, which form the foundation for reading and writing skills.

For reading, a child is intensely interested from 4. Reading skills are often developed after a child learns to write as it involves visual tracking skills.

To support language development at home, it is important to immerse your child in an environment that is rich in language stimulation. This involves speaking to your child in clear language, singing and reading with them, and allowing them to speak their needs instead of anticipating them. Children begin to understand and refine their senses from birth to age five.

The first phase of sensory awareness, sensitivity to small objects, occurs from one to three years of age. The second sensitivity phase, sensorial exploration and classification, occurs from 2. This phase can be classified by an intense desire to take part in learning experiences that integrate the senses. These experiences provide children with a system to classify objects within their environment.