In the First Plane of Development, “From Unconscious Creator to Conscious Worker”

The most important period of life, which Dr. Montessori refers to as the Unconscious Creator of the first sub-plane, from birth to around 3 years of age, the child creates the person he is to become, without being conscious of learning. What happens during these early years remain forever, apart remembering little of this time.

He has a “type of mentality that is unapproachable by the adult, who can exercise no influence on it.” (Montessori, Education for a New World, “Periods and the Nature of the Absorbent Mind,” p.14, Kalakshetra, 6th edition). The baby independently develops the language, movement and sensory perceptions, by intently examining human behaviour and sounds of speech. The babies undergo different kind of experiences with the help of their senses, before their have words to describe these experiences. This is the creative period of the first plane.

At the edge of 3 years to 6 years, Dr. Montessori referred this child as the Conscious Work in the period of crystallisation . This is when the child consciously and freely interact with his environment, and initiate to develop self-mastery and self-control, by putting to use the abilities constructed unconsciously as a Unconscious Creator. He becomes careful, joyful, purposeful, busy worker, using his instrument of his mind- the hand, perfecting and enriching the nature gifted capabilities in his first years of life.

This miraculous type of mind, which the child possesses from birth to 6 years, is vastly different from our own, and is called the “Absorbent Mind” for the power of absorbing sensory information and experiences from the environment effortlessly as a whole. We, adults only needs to think how difficult it is to learn a foreign language during this time to realise that we no longer posses an Absorbent Mind. The nature gifted Sensitive Periods are so essential for his self construction, while the Absorbent Mind is active. These Sensitive Periods are open windows for the child, where he will be attracted by his constructive energies and drawn towards certain aspects of development during that particular time. Once the Window is closed, these aspects of development will not be fully developed. Very Young Children, simply by just living joyously could learn and orient themselves in vey complex systems, without any teaching.

We should aid the unfolding first years of life, by providing a calm, peaceful and explorative environment where the baby feels loved, secured and safe in the small circle of family and close friends, in order to develop trusting relationships with his first society. As the nature guide him to explore direct experiences, babies should be in contact with the present and normal routine of life. The babies should not be wrapped, where he will loose his freedom to move his hands to explore. He needs a rich environment, where he could absorb a lot through his senses. He needs opportunities to communicate and exposure for good language.

Think of a baby sitting in the grass...he is feeling the cool, damp grass, perhaps a breeze dusting his skin, seeing the bright green color, listening to the sounds around him, probably grabbing a handful of grass. Perhaps his mother smiles and says, “Yes, that’s grass,”. The baby is receiving sensory input from the environment and coordinating his desire and muscles to grab that grass. This sounds simple and ordinary but it is essential for his development. Dr. Montessori says, “The ego, organizing and co-ordinating, is bringing his inner psyche and his organs for expression into unity by means of continual integrative experiences. It is, therefore, important that the child himself, acting spontaneously, should choose and execute his acts.” (Montessori, The Secret of Childhood, “The Hand and the Brain,” p.81, Orient Longman, 2006)

At around 2.5 to 3 years, the young child is ready to expand her environment. This is the time when the child enters the Children’s House and continues her work in the company of new adults and children with whom the child will form trusting relationships. The family continues to be of primary importance, but now the child can continue to work and achieve independence within a larger social context. This new environment is designed especially for this work; everything is proportionate to the size and intelligence of the children. (Montessori, “Four Planes of Education”, p.2, reprinted in 2004)