The Sensitive Period for the Acquisition of Language

The sensitive periods represent critical points of a child’s development. The sensitive period for language occurs from birth to about age six. It is at this time that the child learns the primary language spoken in the home. He also has the ability to learn and fluently speak other languages.

Children are fascinated by sounds around them. In fact, the infant intently watches the human face, focusing on the mouth of the person speaking. As Montessori indicated, the infant needs to be in close proximity to people to study their interactions and conversations. Placing a child off in a distant room where he only hears bits and pieces of a conversation is a great disservice, as the child fails to hear complete sentences or thoughts.

The infant is delighted with the rhythm of the human voice and is fascinated with the sounds of the spoken word. Because the child is in the sensitive period of the absorbent mind, we need to focus our attention on taking full adantage of this developmental period in thet child’s life. I highly recommend that you borrow Maria Montessori’s The Absorbent Mind from your library to learn more about how you can help your infant benefit from this crucial sensitive period.

Take time to read aloud to your child. Sing songs, recite poetry and read stories. Although the child hears other noises and sounds, the child selectively only reproduces the human voice. During this sensitive period for learning language single sounds become fixed in the child’s subconscious. When learning English, he first absorbs consonants, and then syllables. Next, words are fixed; however, the child can’t readily comprehend the meaning of the words he is hearing. The ‘inner teacher’ within the child helps him to later grasp the meaning and grammar of the English language. We must remember that anguage acquisition has a natural timetable which can’t be accelerated by an adult’s prodding or interference.

Montessori was quick to illustrate that if an adult goes to a foreign country and attempts to learn a foreign language, he will find it most difficult. This is because the adult no longer possesses the sensitive period of language. So, what are some of the things you can do to help your child fully benefit from the sensitive period of language? Read Montessori’s
The Absorbent Mind and The Secret of Childhood books. These books will provide you with a solid foundation of what you need to know.

Montessori at Home: A Complete Guide to Teaching Your Preschooler at Home Using the Montessori Method and Modern Montessori at Home: A Creative Teaching Guide for Parents of Children Six through Nine Years of Age will also be helpful as these books provide complete language lesson planning information and provide instruction on how to set up the prepared environment.

Visit the Fall/Winter 1998 Newsletter to receive some free material for presenting lessons in French. Many of these lessons and templates can be used to present lessons in English, Spanish, Italian, and German as well.

Heidi
http://www.amonco.org

Practice ‘Walking the Line’ Montessori Style

Montessorians always set aside plenty of time to rehearse whatever will be presented to the child. Are you spending time practicing what you present? If not, you should. I remember how I would practice walking the line and was amazed with what I discovered.

Initially, I walked the line as the child would, putting one foot in front of the other, toe to heel, on a line made of masking tape or chalk. I imagined a young child outstretching his arms to help him balance as he proceeded walking the line.

I then walked carrying a pile of books on my head. I immediately noticed that I was more aware of my posture and balance in general. I had to walk with a slow, careful stride so as not to drop any of the books. I repeated the exercise a few times and noticed that with each successive try, I felt more relaxed and balanced.

Then, I attempted to walk to music. This initially proved to be a bit more difficult. As I concentrated on walking carefully, toe to heel, in time to the music, I was once again more aware of how I was balancing myself. Balancing the books on top of my head seemed cumbersome at first. After practicing a few times, my body acclimated, and I became more relaxed. This exercise, mentioned in detail in Montessori at Home: A Complete Guide to Teaching Your Preschooler at Home Using the Montessori Method is one of the exercises used to help children orient themselves in time and space and is a prequisitie to some of Maria Montessori’s language presentations.

Heidi

http://www.amonco.org