Age is considered a sensitive period for learning to read. What are sensitive periods? Sensitive Perception of Small Objects

The very idea of ​​developing certain rules that make life in a group convenient for everyone was born from the discovery of sensitive periods by Maria Montessori. Sensitive periods - these are periods of special sensitivity that occurs in the development of children. These fundamental stages of development cannot be influenced by an adult from outside. But if the child did not have the opportunity to develop in accordance with the directives of his periods, then he missed a single opportunity to naturally acquire a certain ability. And he will not have such an opportunity again. It turned out that during these periods the child is able to learn certain things without serious effort. These segments in a child's life are short and go away forever.

In the process of development of all children, sensitive periods arise, but the time of their occurrence, the duration and dynamics of the course are different for different children.

Period of speech development (0-6 years)

Period of perception order (0-3)

Period of sensory development (0-5.5)

Period of perception of small objects (1.5-2.5)

The period of development of movements and actions (1-4)

Period of development of social skills (2.5-6)

Period of speech development

It lasts on average from 0 to 6 years, and it begins even before the child is born (recall the natural need of mothers to talk to their unborn child, to sing songs to him).

Let us characterize the most important stages within this period, indicating the approximate age of their onset.

Between the ages of 0 and 4.5 months:

The child is already able to perceive speech as something special. Let us recall that at this age the child's consciousness cannot yet separate into separate pictures the image of the world, the image of oneself and the image of its interaction with the world. All the child's impressions of the world around him are confused into a single tangle, in which, however, the red thread stands out brightly - speech.

Therefore, children are able to look at the speaker's mouth, turn their head to the source of the speech. If this does not happen, there is a possibility that the baby has hearing problems, and this symptom is a very good reason to see a doctor. Early diagnosis of child development, developed at the Munich Children's Center, allows many children doomed to deafness to be saved from inevitable deafness.

Children learn to imitate sounds.

At this time, they constantly spit out something, inflate bubbles of saliva, which is an excellent evidence of the beginning of training the muscles of the speech apparatus.

The child independently begins to arrange the sounds pronounced by him one after another, building their various sequences, listening attentively to the melody of his native language.

Around 1 year of age:

The child deliberately pronounces the first word; for the first time in his life there is a verbal expression of thought.

But at the same time the child finds himself in a situation of frustration: perfectly imagining that speech means something, he cannot, however, use this "knowledge" due to a lack of words. He wants to talk, but he can't yet.

The way out of this situation looks natural - from the indicated age and until about 2 - 2.5 years old, an avalanche-like increase in the child's vocabulary occurs.

Around 1.5 years of age:

The child begins to express his feelings, desires. This is a wonderful age when he directly, bluntly speaks about what he wants and what he does not want; speaks the language of feelings, using the orientation mechanics "pleasant - unpleasant" instead of "right - wrong". The first way of orientation in the world is natural for a person, the second is imposed on the child in the course of "education".

The child is able to perceive the grammatical norms of the language and is able to formulate a sentence grammatically accurately. It is only because of the lack of some words that a false impression is created that there is a specific "childish" language with special grammatical norms.

This leads to two important conclusions.

The first is connected with the categorical prohibition on the "lisping" of an adult with a child, on the parents inventing a special, simplified "childish" language for communication. On the contrary, at this age, when the child is most sensitive to the norms of the language, the speech of an adult should be literate, clear and precise. More than ever, a child needs to be told as many stories as possible, containing all the richness and variety of words and grammatical structures of the native language; stories that are examples of good style and different in genre.

The second conclusion is connected with the fundamental possibility of further speech development of a child in a bilingual environment, when he has the ability to master two languages ​​at once. Moreover, in the norm, you can be sure that internal confusion with languages ​​will not occur, and Russian words will not be used in German grammatical constructions.

At the age of 2.5 - 3 years, the child often talks to himself. His so-called egocentric speech is an excellent and only opportunity to hear logic, consistency or inconsistency in his thoughts in a child's loud speech, because everything that he is thinking about at the moment is immediately spoken out. This is not a very long stage in speech development: gradually monologues become internal, and in the future it will be possible to judge about the peculiarities of a person's thinking only indirectly.

At the age of 3.5 - 4 years:

The child begins to use speech purposefully and consciously. This means that with the help of speech, he solves his problems and can, for example, ask a friend to close the window, and not go on his own. The child is aware of the power of his own thought, correctly expressed through speech and therefore understandable to those around him.

Children of this age are keenly interested in the symbolic designation of sounds - letters, they are happy to circle letters from rough paper, etc.

They can work with a movable alphabet, laying out next to each other letters denoting individual sounds, their combinations - up to simple words.

Therefore, at the age of 4 - 4.5 years, the next serious step in the child's speech development seems completely natural: he begins to spontaneously write individual words, whole sentences and short stories. And this despite the fact that no one taught him to write by letter. There was an indirect preparation of his intellectual and motor abilities.

Finally, at the age of about 5 years, the child learns to read without compulsion and independently: this is what the logic of speech development leads to. Since the process of writing is the expression of one's own thoughts in a special way, and the process of reading presupposes, in addition to distinguishing letters and the ability to put them into words, also understanding the thoughts of other people, which is behind these words. And this is more difficult than expressing your own thoughts.

Let's note the main idea of ​​Maria Montessori, which must be constantly kept in mind: if children have to do something outside the framework of the corresponding sensitive period, i.e. under duress (to learn to read, write, etc.), then they come to the result later or do not come at all.

Sensitive Perception Period of Order

This sensitive period is not described in detail anywhere other than the work of Maria Montessori. Let us recall her well-known phrase: "The true essence of reason consists in giving order" to chaotic impressions emanating from the surrounding world.

This period lasts from 0 to 3 years, and the stage of its highest intensity occurs on average about 2 - 2.5 years.

It should be noted right away that order means something different for a child than for an adult. Montessori says: "For a child, order is the same as for us the floor on which we walk, and for the fish, the water in which it floats. In early childhood, the human spirit takes from the world around us the orienting elements that are needed for the subsequent mastery of the surrounding world ".

We can only roughly imagine what is happening to the child in the absence of order, if we remember how difficult it was to change the usual way of life, the usual guidelines "in connection with the transition to a market economy." But we had a family, a profession, etc., and this allowed us to stay afloat at the very least. The child, on the other hand, initially has nothing stable.

Above all, external order can help a child to understand the chaos of the world. He not only substantiates the domination of man over things, but also contributes to the fact that on its basis a child at this age builds an internal order in himself. We can say that in the future life of a person, internal order - order in thoughts, actions, law-abidingness, and the level of self-regulation of behavior in general - will be developed as much as his environment was ordered at the age of 0 to 3 years.

Montessori emphasizes that at the age of 2 - 2.5 years, the child experiences characteristic love, or rather, a real passion for maintaining his usual order, loudly expressing his indignation if it is violated by adults. And since this happens almost constantly, we have formed an image of a 2.5-year-old child as a capricious, incomprehensible demanding creature.

And he urgently needs order, and especially in three areas: in his environment (indoors), in time and in the behavior of adults in relation to him.

Let's take a closer look at the order requirements in each of these three areas.

1) Order in the environment.

Compliance with it allows the child to understand the following:

- In the relationship between objects... We are talking about how to structure the environment around the child (most often - objects in his apartment) in such a way that it corresponds to the basic laws in the relationship between objects: dishes - in the kitchen, shoes - in the hallway, clothes - in the closet, toys - always in its place in a special box; in addition, the child sleeps, eats in the same place, has his own corner, eats from his own dishes, and so on. That is, a kind of "prepared environment" is created (similar to the one that is formed in the Montessori school), demonstrating a culturally grounded relationship between objects, things in everyday life.

It should be noted that the child is very happy if he again and again finds familiar things in the same place. And therefore it is necessary that every morning he sees, for example, his toys neatly arranged and in the same place - even if they were scattered in the evening. At this age, it makes no sense to demand that the child maintain order himself, because he is only still forming his own image of order. And parents can help him with this, maintaining external order around him.

In addition, it is very difficult for a child at this age to get used to the changed environment (we are talking about moving to another place of residence, about the first trip to kindergarten, etc.). The consequences of such stress usually do not go unnoticed afterwards.

- The order in the attitude of people to objects.

And again, it is desirable that this attitude be culturally conditioned: indeed, it is usually customary to sit in a chair; at the table - eat, handling the cutlery appropriately; open the door with your hand, not with your foot; drink coffee in the kitchen, not in bed, etc.

To comply with this, parents have to step on the throat of their own creativity, stop freely handling various things, household items and master the generally accepted ways of acting with them, gradually becoming "professionals" in raising their own child.

2) Order in time.

It is extremely important for a child to feel the rhythm of their day. Everyone has their own, and it is usually established during the first year of life through joint activity and concessions on both sides - on the part of the child and on the part of the parents: it is necessary that the daily routine suits everyone. After that, the task of the parents is to maintain this individual regime during the second and third years of the child's life.

To become aware of your own rhythm of the day means to start the "internal clock"; feel that there is a great law of time, which is more important than subjective desires and whims. In particular, mom or dad, if they work, cannot come home earlier than a certain time, no matter how much the child wants - but, on the other hand, the child has the right to know the exact time of their arrival and be sure of their punctuality.

There is another aspect of keeping order in time - more precisely, order in the sequence of events. For example, sequences in events when reading fairy tales already known to a child. Many of us have noticed that at this age, it is common for a child to show displeasure if the narrator makes a mistake in the sequence of events, especially if something is reinvented. The kid is not against the creativity of adults in general - he just needs to acquire stability in the world; and if Little Red Riding Hood behaves as always, then you can be confident in the future!

3) The order in the behavior of adults in relation to the child.

For a child of this age, it is most important to feel the order in the following aspects of adult behavior towards him:

The requirements that adults place on a child should be constant (unchanged) and not depend on today's mood. It is desirable that they were justified: ideally, scientifically justified (knowledge about the individual course of the sensitive periods of one's own child, for example), in reality - justified at least by common sense (understanding that it is impossible to demand from a child what he is not yet in age). able to do).

Requirements for the child should be specific (touch on one thing) and line up in a certain sequence; ideally, form a behavioral algorithm. In the latter case, after multiple repetitions of the same sequence of actions (for example, related to going to bed: wash, make the bed, undress, put clothes neatly, etc.), this algorithm becomes the child's internal property, and the adult needs only to give a general name ( "Getting ready for bed?") So that the child can act independently without humiliating words (he knows what to do next!).

The requirements for a child must be respected by the adults themselves. Since the child will still learn what he sees, this thesis can be left without any psychological comments.

In conclusion, we note that the level of formation of a child's "sense of order" is one of the main criteria for readiness for Montessori garden, and for kindergarten in general. We see that the responsibility for this lies with the parents and depends on how competently and fully they were able to satisfy (intuitively or consciously), while creating the environment, the child's natural craving for order.

The internal image of order that has developed in a child by the age of 3 will be a model in his future life. Is it worth it later to look for other reasons that in the Montessori group the child, despite the professional work of the teacher, with difficulty, sometimes for years, learns to maintain external order! The same applies to the level of "internal order" (order in thoughts, actions, etc.).

In difficult cases (developmental delay, pedagogical neglect, etc.), a child 3 years old and older, before entering the Montessori group, must undergo a course of individual Montessori therapy, the task of which is to prepare the child for kindergarten. With the help of special methods, the Montessori therapist manages to make the most of the "weariness" of the already past sensitive period.

Sensitive Period of Sensory Development

It lasts on average from 0 to 5.5 years. This period in the development of the child is described not only in the works of Maria Montessori, therefore we will make only a few special remarks.

Of course, a healthy child can in principle see, hear, smell, taste, and so on. But a high level of development of the sense organs and a certain degree of their differentiation are possible only with special training. The Montessori sensory material provides the optimum opportunity for this.

With the help of a special method of working with sensory Montessori material, a "stereognostic feeling" (the term of Maria Montessori) also develops, with the help of which, at a certain level of development of the sense organs, a person is able to recognize the essence of an object by its weight, temperature, size, surface structure without involving vision (sometimes in life it is necessary). And the training of this feeling occurs, for example, when a child in a half mask tries to insert cylinders of different sizes into their place in the block.

In what order do these shorter periods alternate?

There are basically two answers to this question. The first involves the creation of a theoretical model based on average statistical data, which is quite difficult to use in the practice of upbringing: all children are different.

The second answer is given by Maria Montessori, and it lies in the very organization of the activities of the Montessori group in kindergarten. We are talking about the so-called "free work" of children, when they have the opportunity and ability to freely realize their cognitive activity.

Simply put, in conditions of free choice and with the ability to choose (which the Montessori teacher should take care of), the child can himself approach the material that is internally necessary for him right now. In these conditions, the Montessori teacher, observing the child's choice, has the opportunity to determine the level of his current development and outline the prospects for work in the zone of his proximal development, offering the child in advance to get acquainted with the relevant didactic material.

Sensitive Perception Period of Small Objects

Lasts on average from 1.5 to 2.5 years. This period is hard not to notice, and often it gives adults a lot of excitement: the child manipulates buttons, peas, etc. with a threat to their own health. Indeed, usually adults do not see anything useful in this interest and do not provide the child with the opportunity to master adequate ways of realizing this cognitive need.

But in reality the child is interested in the problem of the whole and the part; he enjoys the fact that before his eyes, when it hits the floor, the porcelain cup breaks up into several parts, which, in turn, consist of even smaller parts. Thus, the child feels that the world is divisible and consists of smaller and smaller parts.

And adults are able to give a positive shade to this process, providing the child with the conditions for an adequate response of interest in small objects. For example, with the help of special exercises: stringing more or less small objects (chestnuts, beans with holes made in them, etc.); disassembling and assembling models from the constructor (which allows the child to feel not only the process of analyzing the whole into its component parts, but also the synthesis of these parts of the whole).

Sensitive period of development of movements and actions

It lasts on average from 1 to 4 years, and its importance for the general development of the child can hardly be overestimated. It is thanks to the movement and the accompanying increased ventilation of the child's lungs that the blood is saturated with oxygen, sufficient to supply them with those brain cells that are involved in the development of all mental functions. Thus, all educational techniques and methods (including the classroom system) that restrict the freedom of movement of a child at a specified age are, without exaggeration, a crime against his natural development. This also implies the conclusion about the harm to the development of the child of an inactive lifestyle, which is inherent in many modern families (hobby for watching television, etc.)

The course of this sensitive period is also heterogeneous: during it there are moments of time when the child concentrates his attention on certain movements and actions. And if at the beginning of the period the child is interested in movements (he has a need to feel the capabilities of his body, for which he tries, for example, to open the door with a jerk of his foot or move heavy things, and washing the table causes pleasure due to the process itself, and not the result), then later he begins to be interested in more and more complex actions, for the performance of which it is necessary to have a certain level of coordination, freedom and expressiveness of movements.

It should be noted that the child's natural tendency to move a lot, of course, was taken into account by Maria Montessori when creating her method of working with didactic material. For example, a place for working with material is chosen far enough from the shelf where it is usually stored so that the child has the opportunity to satisfy his need for movement before work, transferring the material and its individual parts.

Another example is the second stage of the three-step vocabulary lesson, when the child is given various assignments, taking into account his need for movement.

Finally, the absence of desks and the presence of a special motor zone, where the child at any moment, without disturbing others, can react to excessive tension in movement, once again confirm the special role that Maria Montessori assigns to satisfying the child's natural need for motor activity.

Sensitive period of development of social skills

At the age of 2.5 - 6 years, the child begins to take an active interest in the forms of polite behavior. Mastering other (impolite) ways of behavior happens by itself, since there is a courtyard, inscriptions on fences and "guys who smoke openly at bus stops." We all have had to face this: the child imitates what he saw and experienced at home, on the street, and reproduces it unconsciously in his behavior.

This is the time when the child needs to be helped to learn cultural forms of communication, so that he feels adapted and confident, being in the company of a wide variety of people. A child at this age quickly learns the forms of communication and wants to use them. He wants to know how to politely ask the other not to interfere, how to introduce himself to a stranger, how to say hello, say goodbye, ask for help, etc.

To master polite forms of communication, exercises in social skills, which are described in the works of Maria Montessori and her followers, serve.

Adults need to know that a child will never learn as easily as they did during the corresponding sensitive period of their development.

Sensitive periods are universal and individual at the same time, so the art of observation plays a special role in tracking the progress of a child's development.

Knowing the timing of the onset of the main sensitive periods, it is necessary to arrange for the child to exercise their senses, social life skills, speech, etc.

Thus, the “prepared environment” and Montessori didactic material are not something artificial, but create optimal conditions for the natural course of development of each (unique and inimitable!) Child.

Firstly, parents must definitely know at what time it is necessary to pay attention to this or that type of activity, since never later will a child be able to learn it so easily and joyfully. They should be given the opportunity to develop new skills to the fullest, provide the child with appropriate materials and not limit his activities with them.

Parents or adults who are not familiar with the peculiarities of sensitive periods may even worry that, for example, their two-year-old child is an “order maniac” because he puts his toys on the shelf in a certain sequence. Knowing about the period of perception of the order, the parent will not worry, but rather give the child the opportunity to put everything in its place, and he himself will maintain this order.

On the other hand, if the sensitive period has not yet arrived, parents should wait, and not try to teach the baby what he is not ready for.

Imagine a child about 3 years old, whose parents are trying to teach him to read and write, although the most favorable and simple period for this begins at about 4 years old, when the child will be able to highlight individual sounds in words. But the peak of interest in sensing, the development of the senses - hearing, taste, touch, perception of shape, color and size - falls just at 3 years. And while they are trying to teach the child to read, he loses the opportunity to clarify perception and develop the senses - something that in the future he will no longer be able to do so simply and with such pleasure.

What are the sensitive periods?

1. The period of speech development - from birth to 6 years.

A child learns his native language from birth. In the second year, the child's vocabulary grows, although a difficult situation often arises for him: the child understands the meaning of speech, but it is still difficult for him to explain himself. Finally, at 2.5–3 years of age, speech becomes a means of communication.

Closer to the age of 4, the child begins to highlight individual sounds in words, an interest in reading and writing appears.

2. Period of sensory development, refinement of perception of the sense organs - from birth to 5.5 years.

The baby has almost all the senses already at the moment of birth. But in the first years he constantly develops and refines perception, thus he gets acquainted with the surrounding reality, develops his mind. “Sensory perception is the main and almost the only basis of mental life,” says M. Montessori. The peak of this sensitive period falls on 3 years, by 4 years the interest in sensing begins to fade away.

3. The period of mastering movements and actions - from one year to 4.5 years.

The normal state of an awake child is movement. Restriction of physical activity in children can lead to mental retardation. The peak of this period falls on 3 years, by 4 years the child is able to master almost all types of movements available to an adult.

4. Period of perception of the order - from 1.5 to 4 years.

For a child, the sequence of events and stability in relationships with other people are very important. This is a kind of manifestation of the desire for security. At this age, it is easy to teach a child to maintain external order, put things in their place after use, as well as to observe a certain daily routine.

5. The period of interest in small subjects is from 2 to 3.5 years.

The child feels the need for intensive development of fine motor skills of the fingers. Thus, he also cognizes the fragmentation of the world, prepares the brain for the operations of analysis and synthesis.

6. The period of social adaptation - from 2 to 6 years.

At this age, the child's dependence on an adult decreases, he is interested in other children, norms of behavior in a group, relationships with adults and peers. He masters demeanor, everyday speech, clearly shows his character. The culture is actively absorbed. Thus, it is simply necessary for a child to be in society during this period, to communicate with peers and elders.

It should be clarified that the age of passage and the intensity of a particular period depend on the child, his personal characteristics.

Hello dear readers! Today I would like to talk about what the sensitive periods of a child's development are, and what specific stages are identified for the development of a particular skill.
Nowadays, most parents try to develop their baby almost from birth.
In the development of children, there are periods of sensitive and critical.

The sensitive (or sensitive) period is the most favorable time for the perception of information and the development of certain skills, psychological qualities and activities.

This concept was introduced by the outstanding Russian psychologist and scientist L.S. Vygotsky

During these periods of time, there is the greatest opportunity to maximize the abilities of babies. Each child is different, there are no identical children, but each of them has its own sensitive periods.

They are limited in time, so if you skip a certain stage, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort in the future to fill the gap in the development of certain functions.

Early age is generally a good time to develop new skills and functions such as speech, thinking and memory.
But teachers and psychologists distinguish separate sensitive periods in the development of each specific skill.

Sensitive periods of development of a preschool child

Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor, teacher, scientist, distinguishes the following periods:

1. Motor development - from birth to 1.5 years.

At this stage, the baby learns the world around him through movement. Gradually, the baby learns to control his body: take a toy, roll over on his tummy and back, sit down, crawl, stand up and walk.

2. Development of muscular coordination - from 1.5 to 4 years.

3. Development of speech - from birth to 6 years.

During this period, the child gradually expands his vocabulary. First he gaggles, babbles, and then learns to speak.
Optimal development of oral speech occurs from 1.5 to 3 years.

4. Interest in small subjects - from 1 to 4 years.

At this stage, the baby is attracted by small toys, objects and details, games with them. This contributes to the development of fine motor skills.

5. Perception of order - from 2 to 4 years.

This time is favorable not only for teaching order and cleaning the house, realizing that every thing has its place. And also for a certain daily routine and daily rituals necessary for a child.

6. Musical perception - from 2 to 6 years.

During this period, the development of ear for music takes place. Children can easily learn to perceive the melody, rhythm and pitch of sounds.

7. Politeness and etiquette - from 2.5 to 6 years.

It is important not to waste this time to teach your toddler how to treat others politely and to lay the foundations for etiquette. Parents must set the right example, as the child first imitates their behavior.

8. Differentiation of perception - from 2.5 to 6 years.

The kid learns to comprehend and distinguish between different sensory sensations: taste, smell, sound, touch.

9. Reading - from 3 to 5.5 years

At this stage, children are interested in letters and the formation of words from them, so it will be easier to teach to read than at an older age.

10. Writing skill - from 3.5 to 4.5 years

At this time, children develop an interest in writing letters and numbers. Stimulate it with different games.

11. Spatial perception - from 3.5 to 4.5 years

During this period, kids develop an interest in the area plan and geographical maps. They learn to navigate in space, to find their way to familiar objects. They like to collect jigsaw puzzles and play 3D constructors.

12. Mathematics - from 4 to 6 years old

Children get acquainted with the concept of quantity, with serial numbers, the simplest arithmetic operations. This knowledge will be required in the future for the successful development of mathematical skills.

Parents need to be aware that each child has sensitive developmental periods, but their time of appearance and duration may be individual. Some children in their development may be ahead of the calendar age, while others - vice versa.

Try not to skip these milestones with your little one.

I would be very grateful if you click on the buttons of social networks and share this information with your friends.

It turns out that a child in different periods of life is especially "sensitive", susceptible to a certain type of activity.

It is impossible to influence the timing and duration of these periods, but it is very useful to know about them in order not to go against nature. Moreover, knowing which sensitive period your baby is about to go through will help you better prepare for it and get the most out of it. Upbringing, as you know, 90% consists of foresight.

Sensitive periods are described most fully and in detail by the famous teacher Maria Montessori and her followers. Their research describes the nature of the development of any baby, regardless of his place of residence, nationality, cultural differences.

On the one hand, sensitive periods are universal, because everyone goes through them in one way or another. On the other hand, they are individual, because biological age does not always correspond to psychological age - in some children, psychological development lags behind physical, in others it is ahead. Therefore, focus only on your own baby.

If a child has to do something under compulsion, outside the framework of the corresponding sensitive period, then they come to the corresponding result later or do not come at all. Therefore, a variety of techniques such as "Read - before walking" should be treated with great caution. Nature does not forgive violence against itself.

Sensitive speech development period: 0 to 6 years

0 to 1 year

The child imitates sounds, shows a very great interest in speech and in emotional communication with an adult. At this age, he really wants to talk, but so far he cannot do it. If the baby was deprived of warm emotional contact (first of all, with the mother) - for example, like children in orphanages, this, alas, is an irreparable loss, and the whole process of further development of the baby will already be disrupted.

From one to three years

At this age, the baby masters oral speech (it is known that if for some reason he was deprived of human society and human speech, he will never learn to speak normally, like, for example, Mowgli children). At a tremendous speed, a child increases his vocabulary - this is the most intensive increase in vocabulary in a person's life.

This is the period when the baby is most sensitive to language norms. That is why Montessori does not advise adults to lisp with a baby, you need to speak to him clearly and clearly - now this is the most striking role model.

Three to six

After three years, the child develops an interest in letters, in writing. With great enthusiasm, he tries to write this or that letter. And, by the way, not necessarily with a pen on paper. Children are happy to lay out letters from sticks and wire, sculpt them from plasticine or write with their fingers in the sand. At the age of about five years, most children show an interest in reading, at the age of five it is easiest to teach a child to read, he seems to be waiting for it.

Oddly enough, learning to read is more difficult than writing. Therefore, Montessori advises to approach reading through writing. After all, writing is an expression of one's thoughts and desires, and reading is an understanding of other people's thoughts, the solution of a certain “alien” problem.

Sensitive Period for Perception of Order: 0 to 3 years

Order for a child is not quite the same as order for an adult. The fact that things are in their places, that every morning clothes are waiting for him, neatly folded on a chair, that every day goes by a certain schedule - the baby sees the stability of the world. The external order thus turns into the internal one.

Sometimes adults think that children of two or two and a half years old are unbearably capricious (some even talk about a two-year-old crisis). But it seems that this is not so much a whim as a demand to keep things in order. And if this order is violated, it unsettles the little man.

There should be order in everything: in the environment, in time (every day passes in a certain rhythm), in the behavior of adults (they act according to certain rules that do not change depending on mood and weather).

Sensitive Period for Sensory Development: 0 to 5.5 years

At this age, the ability to see, hear, smell, taste, etc. is trained. This, of course, occurs naturally, but for a more intense sensory development M. Montessori recommends special exercises: for example, with closed eyes, determine the taste, smell, size.

The child should have as many sensory impressions as possible. And for this it is not at all necessary to take your baby to the theater or to a concert of symphonic music every day. You can, for example, guess how various household items sound (listen, for example, how a glass rings if you lightly tap on it with a stick or spoon, and how an iron pan or a wooden table will behave in the same situation).

Children of this age (and adults too) really like the Magic Bag game. A variety of small objects are placed in a bag made of opaque fabric: scraps of various fabrics (from chiffon to tarpaulin), figurines made of wood, plastic, metal, pieces of paper (from cigarette to emery), etc., and then we determine by touch that found in the bag.

Sensitive Period of Perception of Small Objects: 1.5 to 5.5 years

Adults are horrified when small children manipulate peas or small buttons. Especially when they are trying to figure out if the designated objects will fit in the ear or nose. Of course, such games should only be played under adult supervision.

But this is a completely natural interest, stimulating the development of fine motor skills of the fingers, in the benefits of which there is no doubt. Therefore, take care to make the handling of small objects safe. For example, buttons can be strung on a strong thread - you get original beads that will keep your baby busy for a long time. Together with you, he can take a long time to disassemble and re-assemble the constructor with small details. This activity helps to solve the problem of the whole and the part for the crumbs.

M. Montessori even advised to create special collections of small objects.

Sensitive period of movement and action: 1 to 4 years

An extremely important activity for the baby. Through movement, the blood is saturated with oxygen, and the oxygen-rich blood supplies the brain cells that are involved in the development of all mental functions. And therefore, any classroom-lesson system, long-term classes at desks for children of this age is simply a crime against their nature.

Every year the child improves the coordination of his movements, learns new actions and learns to feel his body more and more accurately. Help him with this! Running, jumping on one leg, climbing stairs and balancing on a balance beam are just as important as learning to write and count.

Sensitive developmental period of social skills: 2.5 to 6 years

At this age, the baby learns cultural forms of communication - what will later be called etiquette.

Until the age of six, the foundations of social behavior are laid, the child absorbs, like a sponge, examples of both rude and polite ways of communicating with the world. Here the imitative ability is mainly at work. So try to behave yourself the way you think your child should behave.

Inessa Smyk

Based on the book by M. Montessori "Help me do it myself", M., 2000

M. Montessori argued that never again does a child manage to learn something so quickly, fully and joyfully, except in the corresponding sensitive period.

Sensitive period- this is such a period in the life of every child when he learns something very easily, masters skills without much effort. He does everything with pleasure and interest. Sensitive periods last for a certain, rather short time, and are irretrievable. Therefore, in no case can you skip these periods. After all, it will be almost impossible to make up for lost time.

Adults need to know that if children have to do something under duress, that is, not during sensitive periods, then the training turns out to be useless, the psyche and health of the child suffers.

Adults have no influence on the timing and duration of sensitive periods. Adults can create favorable conditions for the implementation of the inner "life impulses" of children. The Montessori environment is created in such a way that, while practicing in it, the child will not be able to miss a single sensitive period, because everything necessary for their satisfaction exists in the environment. Sensitive periods manifest and last for each child their own time. Therefore, the frontal approach to teaching is ineffective and harmful to health. In a Montessori environment, each child works in accordance with his own internal plan of physiological and psychological development.

Sensitive period of speech development

(from birth to 6 years old)

In the first six years of life, the child easily masters the grammatical structure of speech without learning any grammatical rules. Through language, children learn to express their thoughts and desires. During this period, the guys are interested in letters, learn to write and read. Of great importance is the speech that surrounds children, the books that parents read to them. During this period, all the richness of the native language is absorbed. Therefore, do not talk to children in simplistic baby talk.

Perhaps, the lower limit of this sensitive period can be moved to an earlier stage of the development of children. Modern scientists have proven that it is important to talk to a child even before his birth, when he is in the womb.

The sensitive period in the development of a sense of order

(from birth to 3.5 years)

The child needs order. When there is order around, he is calm. Order around the child, therefore, order inside the child. Order in time, order in space and order in relationships with others. The child lives and absorbs this order.

What is order in time?

- This is a daily routine in which there is a certain time for eating, walking, playing with adults and peers, as well as free work time, when the baby works by himself (this is the time to build himself).

What is order in space?

- This means that each thing has its own place. It is imperative to organize a special environment for the child, at least a corner. Put a small table, high chair, hang a shelf on which the child's books, paper, pencils, plasticine and other necessary accessories will be available. Set aside a place for toys, let them be few, but each has its own place. It would be nice to have a locker for clothes or at least a shelf so that the baby can use it on his own.

What is order in relationships?

- This means that parents are constant and consistent in their requirements for the child. These requirements must be fulfilled by adults themselves.

Children are very sensitive to changes in order. They perceive things not in isolation, but in interconnection with each other, so it is better not to move until the age of three, not to make repairs in the apartment, as this can disrupt the child's idea of ​​order in the world.

Sensitive period of development of independence

(from birth to 5 years)

This is how nature created that from the very birth the child grows, and his development leads to independence. At seven months, the child can pull the hat off the head by himself. This is a manifestation of independence. At eight months, he takes pieces of bread and eats them. At nine months, he drinks from a glass without spilling if the glass is held, and in a year the baby already holds the glass himself when he drinks. At 1 year 1 month - brings a spoon to his mouth while it gets dirty, and at 1 year 9 months he eats the contents of the plate, getting a little dirty. By the age of three, the child dresses independently. This all happens if the parents do not interfere with the manifestation of independence in the baby, that is, they do not do for him what he could have done himself. It is important not to miss this time of natural striving for independence. Otherwise, the student of Maria Montessori, Eric Erickson, believed, if up to five years old parents seize the initiative from children, do not stimulate his activity, then a person will not become enterprising, independent in judging, creativity, but will be a passive performer.

Sensitive period of development of movements and actions

(from birth to 4 years old)

Thank God, modern mothers already do not tightly swaddle their newborns, but they still often prohibit already grown babies from running and jumping, not allowing them to throw out their energy, trying to make them sit down for quiet intellectual pursuits. Dear parents, did you know that the brain does not develop separately from the body. Mental development goes hand in hand with physical and sensory development. Maria Montessori said that every movement of a child is another fold in the cerebral cortex. This means that if children are not given the opportunity to move, then the oxygen, which is necessary for development, does not enter the brain. In addition, the ban on movement threatens diseases of the joints and the musculoskeletal system, as well as psychological stiffness. The wise Maria Montessori has created a special environment in which children can move freely while working. Moreover, in this environment there is a special "noisy room" in which you can throw out all the accumulated excess energy, as well as pump up muscles on simulators, and develop dexterity of movements.

Maria Montessori believed that the task of upbringing is not to confuse good with the immobility of the child and evil with his activity, which is the fault of outdated ideas of discipline.

The lower limit of this sensitive period can be pushed back to an earlier period, from the moment the baby began to move in the mother's belly. For example, in the book of M.L. Lazarev, Doctor of Medical Sciences, "Mamalysh - or birth before birth", games are described that can be played with a baby when he is not yet born.

Sensitive Period of Sensory Development

(from birth to 5 years)

Maria Montessori believed that sensory education is the basis of thinking: "There is nothing in the mind that would not have been in the senses before." She has developed a set of developing sensory materials with which children can develop their abilities: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, as well as stereognostic sense - the pinnacle of sensory development. The Montessori system creates conditions for the development of sensory standards. Sensory education serves as the basis for studying mathematics, expanding vocabulary, mastering writing. Aesthetic development is closely related to sensory development. The more subtly developed a person's feelings, the more developed his aesthetic sense. People with undeveloped senses look for coarse and strong stimuli for pleasure. Sensory education develops the ability to perceive the subtlest nuances of the world around, helps to focus on details and thus gather material for the imagination. Maria Montessori believed that imagination cannot have any other base than sensory.

Thanks to the discoveries of modern scientists, the boundaries of this season can be pushed back into prenatal childhood. M. Lazarev in his book "Mamalysh - or birth before birth" describes prenatal games when the child's sensory feelings are activated. The unborn baby reacts to stroking, feels sounds, remembers sound images.

The sensitive period of perception of small objects

(from 1.5 to 2.5 years old)

The child needs to manipulate small objects to refine fine motor skills. If children are shown what can be done with mosaics and beads, buttons and grains, then they will not use them for other purposes. We begin to string with large beads, then use small beads. First we sort the chestnuts and walnuts, working with both hands, gradually moving on to small grains. At 9 months old, the baby grabs a crumb of bread with outstretched thumb and forefinger. At 9.5 months, the index finger already flexes when gripping small objects. At 10.5 months, the child turns the pages in the picture book. At 1 year old - turns the bottle cap and string rings on the pyramid. At 2 years old, a child skillfully draws a round spiral; at 2.4 years old, he makes cuts on a paper strip held by an adult with scissors. At 2.6 years old - imitates writing movements, at 2, 7 - forms a plasticine roller, at 2.9 - draws a closed circle.

Sensitive period of development of social skills

(from 2 to 6 years old)

Without communication with peers, children will be deprived of the opportunity to learn from their own experience and build their relationships with other people. In addition, they will "inhibit" mental development. It is in the children's team that children learn to communicate, absorb the rules of behavior in society. It is no coincidence that in the environment - Montessori all materials are only in the singular. This enables children to learn to negotiate, be able to wait, be able to ask and refuse, be able to thank and agree to cooperate.

The latest research shows that the boundaries of this sensitive period can be pushed back. The first impulse of a child in the womb is the beginning of personality. This means that the baby has declared himself and is ready to communicate. “The child needs to answer, he needs to be supported, to enjoy his activity with him. Dialogue develops the child's brain ”, - writes ML Lazarev in the book“ Mamalysh or birth before birth ”.

Larisa Shumilova