Sensitive periods, also called "sensitive", are such periods of time when especially favorable conditions are created for the formation of certain skills and abilities, behaviors and psychological properties in a person. Parents of young children should be aware of their onset, prepare for them so that the child absorbs the knowledge gained in the most convenient conditions for him.
Main periods of development and perception of the world
The famous Italian educator and teacher Maria Montessori, who has been watching growing children for a long time, created her own method of early development. In it, she singled out several periods for the effective development of certain aspects of the psyche. The author of the technique comes to the conclusion that a person has such conditions only once in a lifetime. If he does not have time to acquire knowledge in certain sensitive periods, then he will never be so receptive to them. She gives approximate dates for each of them, but every parent should keep an eye on their child, because you can never say for sure how long this period of time will last.
You should prepare for the training of the baby. Knowing about the existence of such periods and about the individual characteristics of your child will help loving parents to optimally draw up a lesson plan. Here are the main sensitive periods identified by Montessori:
- speech development - from birth to 6 years;
- perception of order - from birth to 3 years;
- sensory development - from birth to 5.5 years;
- perception of small objects - from 1.5 to 6.5 years;
- development of movements and actions - from 1 to 4 years;
- development of social skills - from 2.5 to 6 years.
Sensitive periods of development of physical qualities
As already mentioned, each child is individual in his development. Any sensitive periods can come unnoticed, and you need to be ready for any of them.
It is worth paying special attention to the development of the child's physical qualities, because physical activity is important throughout life. Vigorous movements lead to blood saturation with oxygen. The latter, in turn, nourishes the brain cells responsible for mental functions. First, the child begins to be interested in individual movements, repeats them after the parents, then he is attracted to the process of several actions when you need to keep balance or express feelings with gestures.
How to use critical and sensitive periods
The end time of any period when the child has masteredcertain knowledge and skills, leads to a rethinking of the existing situation, to the definition of one's place in the social world. These moments are called "critical periods" when a person changes in personality traits in a very short period.
Of course, for the youngest children, the role model is the parents, the mother has a special influence. Therefore, you need to carefully control your actions, any reactions to what is happening, because the child copies his mother's behavior. For older children, it is very important to visit groups or kindergartens, where education is carried out in accordance with the author's Montessori program: there, each child is watched by caring teachers, everything is in moderation, there are any materials required for effective learning in any of the sensitive periods.
