Be sure to read the sections for Parents and/or Teachers that apply to your situation as well.
Most of the resources on our site and in our store focus primarily on supporting dynamic learning through the Montessori curriculum for children ages 3 to 6. This was the age group that most of Montessori’s famous experimental research included. Though these ideas will be useful to anyone who parents or works with children, the practical, specific suggestions and materials for the environment for this age group will be covered thoroughly. Montessori believed, and current research supports the idea, that the most important years of a child’s life were from birth to age 6. Because of this understanding, even Montessori teachers planning to work with older children still study this essential learning period extensively.
This is the period of the absorbent mind in which children can take in information and build skill sets with an effortless speed that they will never again match. The example almost everyone has observed first hand is oral language learning. Most of us have heard a child speaking flawless Spanish or Chinese or French to parent, in an accent almost identical to the parent, and then turn around and speak flawless English to someone else with no noticeable accent at all. Frequently that same parent will then speak English that is correct and easy to understand but with a very distinct accent. Sometimes, if the first language of the adult did not include some sounds we have in English, the adult will find it all but impossible to make those sounds correctly. We may know people who speak a second language flawlessly that they learned in adulthood, but they are the exception rather than the rule. The window to effortlessly absorb a language, including all it’s sounds and nuances of tone and sequences, closes around age 6.
This is not the only skill or knowledge topic that is easiest to learn before age 6. The keys to making the most of this are to recognize the importance of this time and to prepare an environment that includes child-friendly materials for absorbing the abilities and information most appropriate to this exciting window of opportunity. This understanding is the basis of what is included, and not included, in the Montessori curriculum for this age group. All the articles, blog posts, and products on our site can help you make most effective use of this important time.