CHILD'S BRAIN IS A SPONGE
- Liz Dimor
- Nov 2, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 20, 2019
FOR THE FIRST 6 YEARS, YOUR CHILD ABSORBS EVERYTHING.
Approximately from birth until the age of six, your child’s brain works very differently than an adult brain. Throughout these first few years of life, the child’s brain is mind is like a sponge, soaking up huge amounts of information from their environment. They are absorbing everything around them, effortlessly, continuously, and indiscriminately based on Maria Montessori in her book “the absorbent mind.”
“…IF WE COMPARE OUR ABILITY AS ADULTS TO THAT OF THE CHILD, IT WOULD REQUIRE US SIXTY YEARS OF HARD WORK TO ACHIEVE WHAT A CHILD HAS ACHIEVED IN THESE FIRST THREE YEARS,” SAID DR. MONTOSORRI.
It’s sometimes hard to comprehend how much progress, development, knowledge, and accomplishment they go through in just a short years after birth.
The development that is taking place during your child’s first six years is enormously important. For home, page children develop 85% of their core brain structure by the time they are five years old. Your child will now build on this core foundation for the rest of her life.
THE TWO STAGES OF THE ABSORBENT
THE CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS STAGE
The unconscious stage is happening from birth to age three, your child absorbs information unconsciously or unknowingly. They learn how to sit, stand, walk, use their hands, speak and so on, with no conscious effort on their part. They are developing their basic “faculties” or functions through mimicry- imitating what they see happing around them.
In these stages, they are building themselves into the person they will become in the future and working toward the next phase of their development, which is the conscious stage.
This stage will happen between the ages of three to (approximately) six.
They still have a sponge-like mind that absorbs information easily, but now they are consciously seeking specific information as they expand their newly developed faculties and abilities.
During the conscious stage, your child is predisposed toward learning things like order, sequencing, early math, music, and letter shapes/sounds. These are the building blocks for math, reading, and writing skills to come. They will also continue to refine their control of movement, balance, and basic physical mechanisms during this phase.
THE ABSORBENT MIND IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT IDEAS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. THE ABSORBENT MIND MAKES OUR ADULT LIVES POSSIBLE. ~MARY ELLEN MAUNZ
BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION
These first few years of the child’s life will share the architecture of their brain and build the connection that will allow them to develop important life long skills like problem-solving, communication, self-control and relationship building.
Your young child’s absorbent mind has an extraordinary capacity to absorb information from the environment. Studies have shown that certain parts of the brain will not develop without stimulation during these early, formative years.
Development is sequential and early experiences matter!. These early foundations are necessary in order to move on to more complex concepts.
~Maria Montessori, “The Absorbent Mind”
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