Sensitive Periods
What are three characteristics of sensitive periods?
Unconscious
Universal
Transitory and periodic
Devoted to a particular acquisition
Overlapping and coincident
Found only during development
Only in the first plane
Observable
At what age have children typically acquired the basic structure of their native language?
3 Years
What is the most important thing to do to serve the child’s sensitive period for order?
Keep the environment clean and organized, and make sure routines and expectations are consistent
Should you correct sensorial mistakes? If so, how?
No, sensorial mistakes should not be corrected.
What two types of movement are children developing in this sensitive period?
Gross motor movements and fine motor movements.
What are two observable manifestations of sensitive periods?
Joyful work
Long periods of concentration
Drawn to activities that serve the sensitive period
Child is frustrated
Around what age do children start smiling in response to social interactions?
3 Months
When is the peak of the sensitive period for order?
2 ½ years old
When should you give the child the language to describe sensorial qualities?
After experience with that sensorial quality.
How do children refine their movement?
Repetition
What does the child experience instead of sensitive periods in the 2nd and 3rd planes of development?
Sensitivities
Around what age do babies start to watch the movement of others’ mouths?
4 Months
When does the sensitive period for order start to fade?
4 to 5 years old
What is the sensitive period for the refinement of senses, helping the child develop?
Their intellect.
How should you allow children freedom of movement?
Have children wear unrestrictive clothing, and allow them to access any part of the environment
Who did Maria Montessori incorrectly cite as having discovered sensitive periods?
Hugo De Vries
Should you correct children’s mistakes when talking? And if so, how?
Do not directly correct the child’s mistakes, but rather repeat what the child said with correct grammar and pronunciation.
What is the first thing the child develops during the sensitive period for order?
The way they orient themselves to the world.
What are three things you need to provide the child to serve the sensitive period for the refinement of the senses?
Opportunities for sensorial experiences
The key sensorial experiences
Encourage sensorial exploration
Experience before language
Precise terminology when describing sensory experiences
Why is how you, as adults, move in the environment important?
The child looks to adults and older children to understand how to move.
What is the definition of sensitive periods?
An optimum period of time during which the child is sensitive to certain environmental stimuli or impressions that are essential to its overall development.
When is the sensitive period for language thought to start?
In utero
What is developed during the sensitive period for order that helps children adapt to new environments?
The ability to find psychological order.
What are children doing with all of the information they are taking in through their senses?
Cataloguing and classifying it.
What kind of materials should you have to serve children's sensitive period for movement?
Materials that offer opportunities for purposeful work, which help the child refine their large motor movements and control of their hand.