Our 3 -6 year classroom
The absorbent mind
explore, touch, experiment, observe - repeat, repeat, repeat
As our children transition from toddlers to at around age 3, there is a big shift in the child. Maria Montessori found that 3-year-olds shift away from unconsciously absorbing everything in their environment to consciously absorbing it. In The Absorbent Mind, Maria Montessori tells us,
"thus it happens that at the age of three, life seems to begin again; for now consciousness shines forth in all its fullness and glory."
"the child's intelligence no longer develops merely by existing: it needs a world of things which provide him with motives for his activity."
In other words, children from ages 3 to 6 still have the power to absorb information from their environment, but they do it through the active exploration of their surroundings and the materials placed within them.
They do it through touch, manipulation, and exploration! Then, they repeat, repeat, repeat to perfect their actions and learn all they can about their interests.
