How Do I Support My Child’s Development While They’re at Home?
It’s hard to escape the fact that your young child is going through rapid development. You may have read endless articles saying that you must support this development. But how do you even know when your child is going through a developmental period?
Our children don’t tell us what they need; we must observe their behavior. With the knowledge we gain from that observation, we can draw conclusions about how our children are developing. Dr. Maria Montessori laid out a framework for all the sensitive periods children go through, which helps caregivers know what to look for and how to support our children’s needs.
Sensitive Periods Open the Child to a New Skill
A sensitive period is a span of time during which a child is attuned to their environment in search of acquiring a specific skill or trait. After this trait has been acquired, this sensitivity disappears and they move on to acquiring a different skill.
This inner drive opens a world of possibility in the child’s environment and they choose what they need from the space to acquire this skill. When the sensitive period is open,
“It is like a light that shines on some objects but not on others, making of them his whole world.”
– Dr. Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood
How to Know Your Child Is in a Sensitive Period
The repetition of a specific activity is an indicator that your child is in a sensitive period of development. They can’t help but crave the information they are seeking.
For instance, a child in the sensitive period for writing will write on anything with any writing utensil. And a child in the sensitive period for language will ask you to name everything in their environment, will want to read more stories, and will talk a lot. This is because they are acquiring language and have an ear to absorb all that they are hearing.
What You Can Do to Support Their Needs
When we as adults observe children in these sensitive periods, we can provide more opportunities for them to practice that skill in our homes.
When the environment supplies the activities a child is already drawn to, they will have more chances to build their skills. So if you see your child repeating activities, supply toys that meet those needs.
For example, a child in the sensitive period for order will spend a long time lining up items all over the house. They may line up shoes and toys in neat rows everywhere. During this organizing, if the child is uninterrupted, they will finish and move on to another activity. When you observe this behavior you can add a toy like building blocks to their environment so they can practice lining and ordering like items during this sensitive period.
Sensitive Periods
Dr. Montessori outlined 12 sensitive periods from birth to age 6. These periods overlap and continue for many years in some cases. She discussed a general timeline for the ages most children are most likely to experience the sensitive period.
Note that not all children are alike and your child may have an interest at a different time. The age suggestions allow for us to have a loose framework to support our observations.
Movement—birth-age 1*-age 4
Language—birth-age 6
Small objects—ages 1-4
Toileting—18 months-age 3
Order—18 months-age 4
Music—ages 2-6
Grace and courtesy—ages 2-6
Senses—ages 2-6
Writing—ages 3-4
Reading—ages 3-5
Math—ages 4-6
Spatial relation—ages 4-6
*the explosion of gross motor movement happens in the first year. Movement continues until age 4 and refines fine motor movement as well.
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