Running head: Sensitive Periods 1

Sensitive Periods

Student ID 19

Thursday, October 4, 2018

 2

Introduction

Sensitive Periods are an aspect of the absorbent mind that are limited in time and scope

which aid the child in acquiring specific skills essential to human development. Sensitive Periods

can also be described as “…blocks of time in a child’s life when he is absorbed with one

characteristic of his environment to the exclusion of others. They appear in the individual as ‘an

intense interest for repeating certain actions at length, for no obvious reason, until- because of

this repetition- a special function suddenly appears with explosive force.” (Paula Polk Lilard,

Montessori, A Modern Approach p.32) Maria Montessori defines them as ‘animating impulse[s]

leading to the performance of wonderful, staggering actions…The adult can do nothing from the

outside that will affect these different states…They are energies starting from non-existence, to

bring to existence the basic elements fro which the child’s psychic world will eventually be

constructed(1). Each sensitive period is marked by a period of intense preparation leading to

self-creation and a less active period of consolidation.

Maria Montessori borrowed the sensitive periods from Hugo Defrese who noticed the

evolution of the butterfly. He noticed how the caterpillar would crawl to the top of a branch to

eat leaves once and then go through a phase where it became sensitive to the light which drove

him to eat rougher leaves and continued through observable phases that eventually lead to the

birth of the butterfly. Frederic Forbel also observed stages of effortless development during

certain phases. Once a phase passed it became a lot of work and effort to acquire certain

characteristics. The work of these men had a tremendous impact of how Dr. Montessori

observed the development of children. Dr. Montessori coined the phrase “Sensitive Periods” as
 3

they relate to the development of children. Thus was born the Montessori Method based on the

developmental needs and phases a child goes through naturally.

Characteristics

"The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge. Our apparatus

for educating the senses offers the child a key to guide his explorations of the world, they cast a

light upon it which makes visible to him more things in greater detail than he could see in the

dark, or uneducated state." The Absorbent Mind p 167, Chap 17

Unconscious, ages 0-3 are an unconscious phase. There is no distinction between good

or bad. The child is directed by unconscious powers to fill his cravings. From the ages 3-6, a

child will absorb whatever is being offered. The sensitive period is so strong that a child will

retain all that is in the environment and seek to refine behavior in accordance with the urges of

“skills being acquired” no matter what. For example, when children are learning to walk, they

will climb up and down stairs for no apparent reason. When they fall down and are warned not

to go back- they still go back to refine the skills they are driven to master. The child in the third

plane is different in that they are very emotional. The adults have a tremendous influence on

them. The adults in their environment have a unique and lasting impact.

Universal

Every child undergoes this process and the same time. Sensitive Periods are Transitory

and periodic they are short phases that emerge for a time for specific purpose and then they

pass. Even if a human characteristic is not acquired during its appointed time the sensitivity
 4

passes. These periods can overlap. Each period is devoted to a particular acquisition, when a

child is in the period the child has an urge to develop a certain human quality. At this time the

focus is entirely devoted to acquiring whatever the acquisition is. The child’s interest will be

consumed with some part of the environment depending on her personality; physical,

intellectual or spiritual.

Another characteristic of the sensitive periods is the tendency to overlap and coincide.

Order and language overlap in time. Each of the basic periods coincide at one point or another

and some run parallel. Sensitive Periods are only found in the child while she is developing.

The most pronounced and highest in number are the sensitivities in the first plane of

development. The most distinct sensitivities are between 0 to 3 years old. If the child does not

acquire a certain human quality it does not come back in the same way because the sensitive

period has passed. We observe these periods by noting behaviors.

Sensitive Periods in the First Plane

The first plane begins at conception and lasts until age six. There are noted four different

four sensitivities unique to the first plane of development. These are acquisition of language,

order, refinement of the senses and movement. The sensitive period for language, which begins

in the womb, the child hears sounds specifically her mother’s voice and the language spoken in

her culture. The newborn is a great communicator waving her arms and legs, crying to get her

needs meet. The infant will always prefer the sound and smell of her mother. Voices and

movement of the mouth interest the child as well as intent listening to human discourse. In only
 5

two the child acquires her mother tongue effortlessly. “Man does not merely speak a language

because he grows…Language is developed gradually, precisely during that epoch of inertia and

unconsciousness of early infancy. At two years or two years and three months, the child speaks

distinctly and reproduces precisely the language spoken in his environment.” (Montessori, The

Formation of Man, p.74) A child in this sensitive period will gradually discerns the sounds of her

environment. In The Secret of Childhood, Maria Montessori describes this acquisition; “from the

beginning, the sounds of the environment are confusion and chaos, indistinguishable and then,

all at once, they are heard as distinct, alluring, fascinating, the separate sounds of an

incomprehensible but articulate language, and the mind, as yet without thought, hears a kind of

music that fills the world.” The more language the child receives in his environment the better

he can express himself. By the age of three the foundation is laid. Children at this age will ask

what everything is. Specific nomenclature will assist them as they build up order in their

environment. Gratifying this urge that a child naturally has and being mindful to place words in

context will help them acquire the language to communicated clearly. A rich language

environment will continue to serve their efforts of writing and reading.

The second sensitive period which begins early in life and continues until age 4-4.5

manifests itself most clearly at the beginning of the Sensitive Period. “ Plainly the child’s love of

order is something more than what the adult means by the words. It is a vital need at a certain
 6

age, in which disorder is painful and is felt as a wound in the depths of the soul, so that the child

might say, “I cannot live unless I have order about me.’ For the grown-up, it is only a question of

external pleasure, of a more or less indifferent comfort.” (Maria Montessori, The Secret of

Childhood p.41) Order enables children to structure and organize their conceptual framework as

they interact with their environment. “It is necessary that for a long time the scenes of the

baby’s explorations should be the same. Thus seeing the same things it learns to recognize

them, finding them always in the same place, while it learns to distinguish movements of

things…” (The Secret of Childhood, p.44). Initially, a child makes general classifications, e.g.,

mom, dad, book, water. Then a child is able to classify different adults, books, liquids.

External, consistent order provides predictability which allows a child to see repeated

patterns and to internalize them. When a child has a secure sense of order in the environment

they can muster the courage and confidence to try new things. Young children depend on this

external order which creates a sense of safety for them. Order also builds trust. This manifests

when children shut doors, cry for the things they are used to having when they go to sleep, or

eat. Children will get quite upset when their order is disrupted and incorrectly interpreted as a

child be “spoiled or difficult”. The child relies on order to orient himself physically. Once

physical order is established the child can construct his mental order and build his intelligence.

Maria Montessori defines order the child seeks in this sensitive period, “Order-things in their
 7

place. It means a knowledge of the arrangement of objects in the child’s surroundings, a

recollection of the place where each belongs. And this means that he can orient himself in his

environment.” (The Secret of Childhood, p.41)

Refinement of the senses starts after birth and continues in the first plane. The child

experience his whole world through his senses and is bringing them to a purer state. “There is

nothing in the intellect which was not first in the senses.” (E.M. Standing, Maria Montessori, Her

Life and Her Work p. 159-160) The ability to walk is biological, movement of the hands is

biological and is also connected to the direction of the brain. The child is able to refine his

movement through purposeful activities that are concrete. It is important for the adult to slow

down so that the child can observe movements at a pace he can follow. The child then repeats

these movements in their own way until they are satisfied.

The senses are a point of contact involving the mind. The child taking in the world

through sight, hearing, tasting, touching, etc. The child is learning to discriminate in his

environment by understanding tall, short, thin, thick, etc. From ages 0-3 the child is bombarded

with stimuli- he can distinguish his mother’s voice. He is taking in sensory impressions and is

organizing those impressions for example the concept of rough, rougher, roughest. Through our

prepared environment and presentations we are providing an order for the child’s sensory

impressions.
 8

When the sensitive periods are being stimulated and language is given to the experiences

of a child they build their intellect. The finer the distinctions the greater the ability to organize

experiences. Movement is the anchor of a Montessori environment. The task of the child is to

develop the movement directed by his will and intelligence. One of the greatest sins of

education is the idea that a child should sit still for the comfort of the adult. Maria Montessori

stated this clearly when she said “The sufferings of man who remains the prisoners of his flesh

present a more tragic and significant picture than the sufferings of those deaf and blind.”

Movement is required for learning. The Freedom to move about the environment develops the

will, coordination of movement, balance, and intelligence. “The child walks to develop his

powers, he is building up his being.” (The Secret of Childhood p.76)

Other sensitivities include the child’s interest in adapting to their social structure. They

seek to become and to belong. The start to demand fairness and politeness and are aware of

societal norms. Children during the first plane are drawn to very small things…this has been

interpreted as “the child on the edge on consciousness. The child becomes interested and able

to see tiny objects barely noticed by the eye. They see and are drawn the tiniest insects. They

can and do detect the smallest details. They notice everything. Psychologically, the child in the

first plane is constructing himself.

 9

There are many positive manifestations which include the child in deep concentration

when the child’s entire personality is absorbed in his work and ends his work when he is

satisfied. Spontaneous interests and repletion is another encouraging characteristic. Children

are working for pure joy and intrinsic gratification. It is our duty to provide children a stimulating

environment with suitable freedom to explore.

The child naturally loves the adults in their life and when there is strife, chances are

something is lacking in their environment. When the environment goes against the child’s needs

the child starts to become disturbed and dissatisfied. We need to be proactive in the

environment providing opportunities in line with the child’s needs. Maria Montessori writes,

“Naughtiness is the expression of inner disturbance and unsatisfied need, a state of tension; the

child’s soul is crying out for what it needs, seeking to defend itself.” (The Secret of Childhood

p.40)

It is our privilege to work with children and serve them according to their needs and their

sensitivities. We can provide for them with simple, clean and ordered environments. We can

assist them by providing routines and the freedom to move and to choose. When a child is upset

we can refer to their “natural tendencies” and work to meet their needs.