Order: a desire for consistency and repetition, routines and carefully established ground rules. Children can be deeply disturbed by disorder and express their displeasure through tantrums. (usually ages 2-4)
Refinement of the senses: Children learn to observe and make increasingly refined discriminations in their experiences with sound, touch, weight, smell and taste (ages 2-6)
Writing: Children attempt to reproduce letters and numbers on paper, even before they can read them (ages 3-4)
Reading: Spontaneous interest in the sounds of each letter and in formation of words (ages 3-5)
Spatial relationships: the ability to work complex puzzles, find one’s way around the neighborhood, or otherwise form impressions about relationships in space (ages 4-6)
Expressive language: the use of words to communicate (birth-age 6)
Small objects: a fixation on tiny details and small objects that leads to fine muscle control (ages 1-4)
Music: the development of melody, pitch and rhythm (ages 2-6)
Math: the formation of the concepts of quantity and operations through the use of concrete, manipulative materials (birth-age 6)
Grace and Courtesy: the internalization of polite and considerate behavior through imitation of others (ages 2-6)
Montessori believed that children will accomplish a more concrete development of their unique capabilities if they meet three conditions:
-
- the adult’s knowledge of child development and the sensitive periods;
- observation by the trained adult to determine which sensitive period the child has entered, and
- a prepared classroom environment that satisfies each sensitive period.