Come See WhereYoung Minds Blossom

The Absorbent Mind: What Makes the Early Years So Important

Dr. Maria Montessori wrote, “The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth” (The Absorbent Mind, p. 4). She considered the period of childhood to be an entity in itself, not just a preparation for adulthood—a truth that becomes visible in the fundamental differences between a child and an adult, especially in the way the child learns. The child has what Dr. Montessori called an absorbent mind. During the first six years of life, the child unconsciously soaks up information from the environment at a rapid rate. This learning process is unique to the young child. In the first phase, from birth to three, conscious learning has not yet emerged. Language, for example, is acquired without effort, spontaneously, literally sinking in. The same principle, though less obvious, applies to the child’s absorption of social and cultural norms. In the second phase, from three to six, conscious learning begins to appear while the mind is still absorbent. The child starts to ask questions of the “why” and “how” kind, and new skills are rapidly and easily acquired without much effort or stress. Dr. Montessori believed the impressions made on the mind early in life have a profound impact on future development. The years between three and six are the prime time for laying an academic foundation and, most importantly, for learning social and cultural existence. Montessori uses these tender, ripe years to teach good values and morals and to prepare each child to take their place in society.