Montessori Childrens House
of the west coast

Montessori 101: The Absorbent Mind

Posted on Friday, September 26, 2008

To help parents become more knowledgeable about the Montessori method, I will periodically include in the Friday Packet short essays on Montessori concepts. Hopefully these brief essays will give parents brief talking points when they are asked to explain the Montessori Method.  Today’s essay is about The Absorbent Mind:

A major component of the Montessori educational philosophy speaks to developmental periods in a child’s life and how those periods dictate how information coming into the brain, through the senses, is processed. As teachers and adults in the child’s life, the philosophy guides us in creating powerful learning environments for the child. From birth to six is what Montessori called the all around formative period of the Absorbent Mind.  It is the period in the child’s development that forms the foundation for later intellectual and psychological development. Montessori believed that it is of utmost importance for us to take full advantage of this unique “mind” so that we can most fully enrich the formation of the child’s mind and body.

The Absorbent mind is an unconscious, creative and non-selective process by which the brain takes in everything from the environment, takes it in like a sponge, forming neural pathways and connections.  The brain in the post-natal period is purposely not neurologically fixed so that each child can adapt to the needs dictated by his environment.  This not only allows for variation in behavior but also for change and creativity.  Infants are born into different environments, different cultures all over the world and the Absorbent Mind allows them to adapt to their “time, place and group”. It is a process from which the child grows and the culture that the child is born into is perpetuated.  It is a fundamental mechanism for survival.

The period of the Absorbent Mind is broken down into two sub periods:  the unconscious from birth to 3 and the conscious from 3 – 6 years.  In the period from 0-3 years the child is unconsciously absorbing what is around him and is more reactive than purposeful in his actions.  From 3-6 years the child begins to explore the outer environment through more purposeful movement and exercise.  This period is when the brain begins to order and classify experiences, bringing order to the myriad of sensations coming into the brain.  The child also begins to refine these experiences and to utilize them in a more purposeful way.  The period from 3-6 years is still an absorbent time.  Sensations are still being registered effortlessly, but the child is now beginning to act more consciously towards the world around him.

The Montessori primary classroom is precisely designed to fully take advantage of this formative period of the Absorbent Mind.  The environment is rich, reflects the dominant culture of the child and is stimulating to all the major senses.  Materials are designed to help the child classify and order information and grow cognitively, socially and emotionally.