What are the three stages of child development acc to maria montessori?

Answer 1

1. Stage -- 1: Absorbent Mind

a. Unconscious Absorbent Mind (0-3 years). The child can not be dictated in this period nor can be directly influenced by the adults. The child learns unconsciously from his environment by using his senses of seeing and hearing. No formal schooling is suggested in this period however provision of a suitable environment greatly helps a child in making good early impressions of the world around him.

b. Conscious Absorbent Mind (3-6 years). Child becomes receptive to adult influence. The child starts building personality basing on the impressions stored during first three years of his life. The sense of touch gets coordinated with the mind. Hands become a prime tool of learning. This is also a time of social development. The child wants to have company of other children and can be separated from mother for short periods of time.

2. Stage -- 2: Later Childhood (6-12 years)

a. Growth becomes stable and child is calm and happy.

b. The child becomes self-conscious.

c. Reasoning faculty starts to develop. His reasoning is still fragile and therefore should not be put in complicated situations.

d. Child becomes aware of right and wrong from moral point of view.

e. Sense of smell and taste develops. The child starts using all his five senses to learn.

3. Stage -- 3: Transformation (12-18 years)

a. Puberty (12-15 years). The advent of puberty indicates the end of childhood. Marked physical changes take place and the child becomes very sensitive of his self. All the confidence and joyfulness of the childhood is suddenly lost. At this stage, the child needs full emotional support of parents and teachers.

b. Adolescence (15-18 years). This period is marked with an attitude of rebellion, discouragement, hesitation, and doubts. There is an unexpected decrease in intellectual capacity as compared to an extrovert of 6-12 years. The creativeness takes charge. The child now transforming into adulthood wants to explore the world. Sensitive to criticism and hates to be ridiculed. Parents and teachers need to accommodate mistakes and encourage new ideas.