Sensitive Period for Order

Montessori said that the sensitive period for order begins at birth, peaks during early toddlerhood, and generally lasts until around age five. Characterized by an inner need for consistency and repetition, the child in this sensitive period craves routines and predictability. Included in this is the child's physical environment where everything has its place.

 When the child's environment becomes disordered, chaos ensues. Due to the underdeveloped verbal skills necessary for expressing frustration, the child strikes out at the disorder. Many temper tantrums can be avoided by having consistent, predictable schedules and ground rules.

 It is easy to dismiss the importance of order with young children because order on this small scale is not always that important to us. However, drastic changes in our environment can elicit similar feelings of stress. So, imagine a young child whose world gets turned upside down. Without the understanding or verbal ability, such disruption must feel like an amazing personal affront.

 During the early years, children depend on external order to assist them in developing mental order. Toddlerhood is not the best time to move or rearrange your house. If you do, be aware your child may need a little extra comforting to get familiar with new surroundings.

 The Montessori environment meets the child's need for order by making sure materials are stored in the same place every day. We make sure each work is complete and repairs are made as needed. Lessons are presented in the same sequence and each activity ends with the child returning the work to the shelf. This physical sense of order sets the foundation for higher-level thinking skills such as classification, as well as helping the child order his own space and time.

 As the child grows, the need for physical order diminishes and makes way for mental order. You can observe this if you walk by a teenager's room. Mounds of clothes, shoes, and other things lying on the floor. It makes parents wonder where their little one who used to line up his toys so perfectly has gone. But for now, enjoy your toddlers and their sensitive period of order!

-Ms. Cristina, Toddler Teacher