Montessoris Sensitive Periods and Their Effect on Child Development

The expected pattern of children’s early years development from 0-5 years consists of Physical, Intellectual and Social and Emotional development. Children aged 0-5 years are expected to be able to walk, talk and interact with other children and adults by the time they are aged 5. Social Development is where a child learns to interact with other people and how to behave in different social situations and how to understand other people 's feelings and their own feelings and how to manage them.

Intellectual Development (0-3 Years) Beginning to realise others are separate beings from themselves, imitates others and tries out ways of behaving in play, becoming more confident but still needs adult reassurance

In the film Babies, 4 infants are being observed for the first two years of their lives. Each babies comes from different culture, which shows how the various customs can impact the child’s development. Ponijao is the youngest one in his family and lives in a village in Opuwo Namibia. Bayar lives in Bayanchandmachi, Mongolia. Mari is the first child of a couple who lives in Tokyo Japan, and Hattie lives in Sans Francisco California. The film shows the babies develop cognitively, physically and socially-emotionally, during the infancy and toddler years. The Infancy and toddlerhood period is from birth to 2 years. “This period brings dramatic changes in the body and brain that support the emergence of a wide array of motor, perceptual, and intellectual capacities” (Berk & Meyers, 2016, p.6).

During the ages of two to seven, the child would be in the preoperational stage. This involves the child having an egocentric

*Social and emotional development: at this age the child becomes more independent and confident, they like to help adults, they start sharing with other children, and considering other people’s feelings.

A child develops through its whole life. They can develop; physically, linguistically, intellectually, socially and behaviourally. “Physical development is the way in which the body increases in skill and becomes more complex in its performance” [Meggitt, 2000, Page 2]. Twenty five days after conception; the body of the chid has developed immensely from the small fertilised egg. Up to birth the foetus mainly develops physically however once the child is born the child then begins the long process of development. Not only do the gross motor skills and the fine motor skills develop on the baby, but the sensory development also widens on the child.

If this stage is successful the child have the virtue of purpose. The fourth stage is industry vs. inferiority which happens in elementary school from the age 6 until puberty. During this stage, the child’s teacher and peers become the source of self-esteem. Children in this stage feel like they need to fit in and gain approval of those around them. They feel confident and gain a sense of pride when they are praised for their accomplishments. If this stage is successful they will gain the virtue of competence. If they feel they can’t do what is asked of them, are rejected by their peers, or their parents/teachers treat them insensitively, they will learn inferiority. Stage five is ego-identity vs. role-confusions which occurs during adolescence. Teenagers being to wonder who they are. This leads to them going through phases and rebelling to search for where they fit in and belong. They explore themselves, others, and roles. If they are unable to establish who they are, they’ll experience role-confusion and suffer an identity crisis. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of fidelity, but failure means they feel they have no place in society. Stage six is intimacy vs. isolation, this

| During this stage the child begins to feel more secure and is able to cope with the different surroundings and unknown adults around them for a certain period of time, they become more willing with their teachers and love to help out in class and are sociable and friendly with

Social/Cultural: In this stage the child develop a sense of self and a sense of belonging to a family. They begin interacting with other children and they also play in stages (playing alone, playing near others but not really playing with them, not wanting to share, playing and sharing, and playing with a purpose). This stage is also were the child also learn to respect the rights and feelings of others.

The first two years after birth, through the developing person has to do with three domains biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial. There are many different theories regarding the first two years. The three most influential works on growth and development was done by Piaget, Freud and Erikson. Piaget’s theory was called cognitive development or the sensorimotor stage. This is when the child interacts with his surroundings through physical action such as pushing, sucking, grabbing, etc. Freud’s theory of development is psychosexual. He proposed three stages in psychosexual development: oral, anal, phallic. Erikson’s theory is psychosocial. From birth until about one and a

During the early years of a child’s life they are developing their sense of identity, self- worth, self esteem and they are learning how others can see and treat them.

The Absorbent Mind and the the Sensitive Period influence greatly on children 's development of movement. "Development is a series of re-births. There comes a time when one psychic personality ends, and another begins" (The Absorbent Mind, 2007. Maria Montessori . Page #17). The Horme (a Montessori term meaning 'instinct ' or 'unconscious will power ') is the dominant influence on the child in the first 3 years of life. All impressions are stored in the Mneme which is described as the recording by the subconscious memory of all sensations experienced by an individual. As the child develops into the second sub-phase of the First Plane of Development, the child’s will emerges and replaces the influence of the Horme. The first three years of life are crucial for a child’s development. Dr. Montessori explains how mental movement is connected with physical movement, and depends on it. Movement helps the development of the mind and improved expression in further movement and

A sensitive period refers to “a special sensibility which a creature acquires in its infantile state" (Montessori, 1966, p.38). Such sensitive periods were first discovered in insects by the Dutch scientist Hugo de Vries, but according to Montessori, can also be found in children and are very important to consider in teaching.

Transitions from one environment to another can be stressful for the child and the parents. Every child is unique and will have different experiences and capabilities. Hence, they will react differently to stress. Children need a caring, supportive environment for physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. They also need to feel safe and have a sense of belonging. Children who experience a positive transition from preschool to primary school are more likely to succeed academically and be socially

Infancy is recognized as the stage of life from a human 's birth up until he or she learns how to speak: generally until the age of one or two. During this stage, the child transitions from a dependent toddler to a relatively active child; he or she is typically able to crawl, roll over and walk. In terms of physical development, the stage of infancy witnesses the most growth. Also during infancy the child gains a sense of trust when its caregivers provide affection and reliability, a lack of such