Sensitive Periods: Language

Sensitive periods are special points of development in early childhood when children have a natural burst in certain areas of development. These sensitive periods occur in the first plane of development, which is from birth to around age 6. The four sensitive periods include order, language, coordination of movement, and sensory perception. Read more about sensitive periods and the sensitive period for order here.

Today, we are going to talk about the sensitive period for language, which occurs from birth to around age 6. Children in their sensitive period for language have an unlimited capacity for language. In the classroom environment, this is supported by providing a language rich experience, from the way the guide speaks to a child to the vocabulary given in lessons like the geometry cabinet.

Parents can support their child’s sensitive period for language at home. Offering a language rich environment at home is one of the simplest, most inexpensive ways to support your child’s language development. Here are some ways to support your child’s sensitive period for language:

• Leave the baby talk behind. From birth, use real words with your child. I know how tempting it can be to morph in to a baby voice at the sight of a newborn! But refrain! Use real words in a regular tone when speaking to your child, no matter how young they are.

• Read! There is so much evidence based research on the benefits of reading with young children. Once they can can talk, enrich your reading time even further by letting them tell the story from the pictures.

• Get outside of your home! Go on nature walks, visit museums, and try new restaurants together. Describe what you see, feel, taste and smell using rich, descriptive language. Don’t ever assume a word is too big or complex to be used with your child!

• Do not draw parallels between the way a person speaks and their level of intelligence. Children in their sensitive period for language will pick these cues up from the adults around them quickly. Expose your child to many languages and many different ways of speaking, from poetry and stories from different cultures to different genres of music. Remember, the sensitive period for language is not the sensitive period for English.

Sensitive Periods: Order

“It is through this lovely flame that burns without consuming that the work of creating the mental world of man takes place.” (Dr. Montessori, referring to sensitive periods in The Secret of Childhood). Sensitive periods of early childhood influence so much of Montessori practice. Materials were designed based on these sensitive periods. Montessori environments are designed to support these sensitive periods. A sensitive period can be thought of as an explosion of growth in a particular area of development. The sensitive periods are exclusive to the first plane of development, which occurs from birth to around age 6. Each sensitive period leads a child to develop specific skills and characteristics. Sensitive periods are temporary, only lasting for a short span of time in early childhood. There are four sensitive periods of early childhood: order, language, sensory perception and movement. (Note: several articles lay out more than four sensitive periods. Sensitive periods are universal to humans. Some list reading and writing as separate sensitive periods in addition to language, but not all humans will read and write and historically, not all humans have read and written. All humans, will however, experience a sensitive period for language. Sensitive periods reach beyond culture and time. Some list socialization as a sensitive period, but social development depends upon the child’s unique environment. See chapter 22 of The Absorbent Mind for more information on social development.)

The sensitive period for order occurs from birth to age 4-5. This idea of order is more than just a place for everything and everything in it’s place. This order is the mental organization that support the development of the child’s intelligence. This sensitive period for order gives the child a way of organizing all that they are absorbing and helps them create classifications for everything they are learning. 

A child in their sensitive period for order may seem like a rigid tyrant with a mantra of ‘my way or the highway.’ Often, we mistake this need for order with misbehavior or inflexibility. If your child has a specific chair they use for dinner each night and suddenly, that chair is unavailable, the child may protest with a tantrum about their chair. If an adult did this, it would surely be a sign of inflexibility. But for a child, something truly feels out of order. They are experiencing the same feeling you might have if, for example, you walked outside in the morning and your car wasn’t in your driveway. Something isn’t right! This may sound extreme, but this is kind of how a child feels when something from their routine is suddenly out of order. Understanding this can help us respond with compassion and patience.

One way to support your child’s sensitive period for order is by giving them a heads up to any changes in routine. This could be something as simple as: “Your water bottle is broken. I bought you a new one. It’s blue.” As a parent and a teacher, I often find myself assuming my child doesn’t need to know about minor changes and then getting frustrated when they freak out that they can’t have their purple water bottle. 

A well prepared environment also supports your child’s sensitive period for order. A simple place to start is by simplifying and organizing toys. Place activities and toys in their own basket. Encourage children to put one activity away before beginning a new one. This helps children maintain their sense of order and prevents them (and you!) from becoming overwhelmed.

Recognizing your child’s sensitive period for order can ease frustrations and limit conflicts. When we understand the development happening within our child, we can support them with understanding and empathy.

Montessori Language: Oral Language Games

Montessori offers a language rich environment, whether in a home or school setting. Spoken language is in every corner of the prepared environment, from the first moment the child interacts with the adult. Montessori adults need a few tricks in their pocket to support oral language in rich, intentional ways. Here are a few of my favorite spoken language games.

I Spy is one of the first language games played in Montessori environments. It is sometimes referred to as the sound game. The premise is simple: collect an assortment of objects, from a basket of objects or from around the environment. Name each object with the child. Then, work on segmenting the word. Start with the initial sound. “I Spy something that starts with ‘b’.” (Use the letter sound, not the letter name). If your child is just starting out, you can even hold the object you are referring to. The goal is to get your child to make the connection between the sound and the object that corresponds with the sound, even with assistance. Once they get the hang of initial sounds, work on ending sounds. “I spy something that ENDS with ‘s’. “ Continue this pattern of activity with the middle sound and then with all sounds (I’m thinking of an object with the sounds c-a-t). I Spy games support phonemic awareness, which is so important to literacy development.

Classification is a spoken language game that can be played anywhere. Say: “Let’s play classification. We are going to name types of fruit. Go!” This game is so engaging and I can’t tell you how many times we have passed the time at a restaurant with classification. And the classifications are endless…breakfast foods, colors, types of flower…we could go on forever! This game supports vocabulary development and the child’s sensitive period for order. Remember, children are classifying everything they encounter.

Songs and Poems are another key component to the Montessori language curriculum. Nursery rhymes and simple poems can be weaved throughout your entire day. Sing in the car, while you’re on a walk or while you cook dinner. Songs and poems that seem uninteresting to adults are so engaging to little children. Feel silly about your singing voice? Don’t. Your child will think you are the next American Idol.