Hellobee

Montessori educators often talk about “Sensitive periods.”  These are times in which children are primed to learn.  As parents, it is important to recognize when sensitive periods are happening because they represent opportunities that we can use to guide our children’s development while respecting their needs.  During sensitive periods, children become intrigued (almost obsessive) with certain things.

Types of sensitive periods (this list is not exhaustive and times may vary by child):

• Movement (birth to age 1)
• Language (birth to age 6)
• Small objects (age 1 to 4)
• Order (age 2-4)
• Music (age 2-6)
• Politeness (age 2-6)
• Refinement of the senses (age 2-6)
• Writing (age 3-4)
• Reading (age 3-5)
• Spatial relationships (age 4-6)
• Mathematics (age 4-6)

As an example, in the first few years of life, children are in a sensitive period for language.  Since that is the case, we can capitalize on this time to teach a second language.  When children learn a language during this sensitive period, they learn it effortlessly and are less likely to speak it with an accent.  But after the sensitive period for language is over, learning a new language is far more difficult.  Therefore, if we provide the right environmental stimuli during that time, the child can make the most of the sensitive period.

How do we know our children are in a sensitive period?  This is where Maria Montessori’s meticulous observation of children comes in.  I’ll give you an example from our life.  Sensitive periods tend to follow some pattern, so using language as an example, it typically runs between birth and age 6, while the sensitive period for reading usually begins to emerge at age 3 and extends through age 5-6.  If you think of a sensitive period as a “compulsion” you can get a good sense of what your child is interested in.  For LJ, she’s been in an intense sensitive period for language for most of her life.  She focused on words intensely, day in and day out.  Rather than getting bored by language, she was playing with it, riffing off different sounds, exploring homonyms, puns, the sounds of letters and how words go together.  Once she started babbling, she focused deeply on it until she mastered her first word (7 months).  She relentlessly pursued more words, sentences, the alphabet and phonics.  I couldn’t have stopped her if I tried!  Soon she was attempting to master her second language and trying to spell.

I got really excited about her interest in the written word because she was on track to start mastering reading at a very early age.  At the time, I equated the sensitive period for language with the one for reading (which typically doesn’t start until age 3), though these are very different. It’s hard to admit in hindsight (so please be gentle with me), but I became very focused on fostering reading in Little Jacks. I wanted her to be able to read at an earlier age than I did.  This was a totally personal goal and should have been a huge red flag!

If I was paying attention to the sensitive periods,  I should have been able to tell that she was getting bored or frustrated with reading between the ages of 2.5 and 3. She would turn her attention to verbal conversations while we were reading together or would purposely sabotage the word we were reading.  The first time she did that should have been a clue that she wasn’t ready for the reading sensitive period, but instead I thought, “She’s so close. She’ll feel really good when she masters this word.”  Needless to say, my urging was shutting her down more. She wasn’t in a sensitive period for reading yet.  She was trying to tell me that she was still really interested in language acquisition.  After longer than it should have taken me, I finally backed off.

Little Jacks only recently started expressing interest in a sensitive period for reading, but I’m waiting for HER to push ME into doing it again.  It is very easy for parents to get pushy about sensitive periods (especially in an area where you know your child’s strengths lie), but doing so can be disrespectful to the child.  I don’t want my child to resent me for rushing her sensitive period just so that I can say that she was reading at 2.5.  I’d much rather have the joy of discovery that can only come from a child exploring a sensitive period in his or her own time.  If you are observing closely, you’ll notice that your child’s interests wax and wane, with times of strong interest in one area that may completely change over a short period of time. For example, Jack Jack has been focusing on both movement and language, but you can tell when she is having a particular focus on movement (she became obsessed with dancing) or with language (asks me to go around the house pointing at and naming things).

When you let your child demonstrate her interests and enter sensitive periods at her own pace, and you provide an environment that fosters but doesn’t push the interest, you have a recipe for a happy and very fulfilled child!

A good indication that LJ was ready to start reading again was that she recently picked up some mail and insisted on carrying it around the yard and reading it.  I’m taking her lead this time.  It’s all about the sensitive period!

What is your child’s current sensitive period?