"Thank you so much for this information. The Montessori principles give my child such a sense of her own value and inner respect."
- Heather Crandell
By Tamara Sheesley Balis
We must wake up to the great reality that children have a psychic life whose delicate manifestations escape notice and whose pattern of activity can be unconsciously disrupted by adults.
- Dr. Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood
The child comes into the world with what Dr. Montessori referred to as “an absorbent mind”. What ever the child is exposed to, whatever the infant hears, sees and feels - these are all uploaded directly into the brain. The infant is forming a map of how the world feels looks and works. The foundation of the brain, body and spirit come directly from parents’ interaction with infants and the infants’ environment.
Dr. Montessori refines this phrase to the ‘unconscious absorbent mind’ for the infant. Likewise this ‘absorbent mind’ grows from unconsciousness to consciousness – layer by layer- mirroring brain and body growth. After the first few weeks of life, the work of the caretaker begins to rapidly increase in it’s pace to match the often awesome growth and abilities that manifest in early life.
The unconscious absorbent mind will greatly benefit from a prepared environment. What does that mean? The prepared environment is which is designed specifically for the infant, is orderly and gives freedom for movement. Today we will explore the importance of order in the infant’s environment.
A Sense of Order
The infant thrives in an environment with a sense of order that is not only neatly kept, but consistent day to day. Order in the environment supports peace and confidence in the newly born. Remember, this newly born person was recently traumatized and removed from a perfect home, and they need to experience over and over again that they are safe and well cared for.
So the prepared environment needs to be a calm, uncluttered and inviting space. Keep in mind this is the opposite of what many parents design for the infant. Many nurseries are covered in cartoon figures and loud and clashing colors. No adult would feel safe or relaxed in such a space, and it is strange to suppose that an infant would. These crowded and loudly colored environments presuppose that the infant is an empty vessel that needs to be filled with colors and toys and cartoon characters as soon as possible. The opposite though is true – the infant is wide open to every element in the environment. Soft colors and simple decors allow the infant to easily extend and fix their senses on objects without being overwhelmed.
One great way to get a sense of your child’s space is to get down on the floor – and really look and feel the experience of the infant. How does the world present to the infant? Do this often, as your infant’s abilities to focus and move will also change often. Are there objects on a scale with the infant, like easy to see objects on low shelves or framed pictures at eye level?
Ideally, caretakers can create designated areas in each part of the house where the infant will be spending time. Low shelves in each designated area allow the child to recognize and grow curious over time about the objects on those shelves. Once the child begins to crawl, they will be highly motivated by the objects they’ve seen on those shelves, which deeply reinforces senses of accomplishment and self-esteem.
Parents need to make sure that each object in the environment has its own special place, and that each time the infant is finished exploring, the objects are put back in place. For example, if we have a small, soft ball as the centerpiece of a low shelf, while we have it out we want to keep it’s place consistent as the centerpiece of a low shelf. Moreover, we advise to put the ball in a basket in the center of the low shelf. So, not only does everything have its place, every place has placeholder. In other words, when we take the ball from basket on the shelf to introduce to the infant, we put the basket back in the centerpiece of the shelf waiting for the ball to return.
Consider that your infant’s drive to observe, move, and learn is really the outer completion of their inner organic growth. But if one recognizes the power of the unconscious absorbent mind order becomes an essential piece of everyday living.
Tamara Sheesley Balis has been an educator for 15 years, and is Head of School at Amherst Montessori School in Massachusetts. Tamara is the producer of Bringing Out the Brilliance in Your Infant: Montessori at Home.
Books & Websites
A Few Of Our Favorite Books
How to Talk So Kids will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk
By Adele Faber
Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three
By Paula Polk Lillard & Lynn Lillard Jessen
Nurturing Good Children Now
by Ron Taffel with Melinda Balu
Parenting with Love and Logic
By Foster W Cline & Jim Fay
Positive Pushing: How to Raise a Successful and Happy Child
By Jim Taylor
Achievement-Oriented Society
by William Crain
Seven Times Smarter: 50 Activities, Games, and Projects to Develop the Seven Intelligences of Your Child
By Laurel Schmidt
You can download these wonderful catalogs from this website – or order them through the mail. We recommend ordering them, as the top ½ of the page is Montessori philosophy and is quite informative and inspiring.
This website has beautiful and thoughtful toys, and has been put together by a Montessori teacher. The prices are good – and we found things here we haven’t been able to find anywhere else. (Ages infant – Elementary)
Little Red Robin provides beautiful and natural products for the young child at the best prices online! Run by a Montessori educator, Little Red Robin carries educational materials and toys that are developmentally appropriate for the young child. This website also provides informational articles about implementing Montessori practices at home. (ages infant – toddler)
This
is the website for Mothering magazine and has a strong discussion board
with many thoughtful people sharing ideas on Montessori in the home.
The link is: http://www.mothering.com/discussions
/showthread.php?t=484947&goto=newpost
You must become a member before you can post on the Mothering.com website.
