HANDS - INSTRUMENTS OF INTELLIGENCE

Recent research in neuroscience tells that the development of the hands is a key input into the development of the growing child.

In Montessori, we are deeply concerned with the development of the hands as “instruments of the intelligence”. Thus, as with everything else in Montessori, geography too is offered to children to explore with their hands first.

Using their hands, children explore a globe with land areas covered in sandpaper, and get a rich sensorial experience of the extent to which the Earth is actually covered with water. So much better than being told to memorize a factoid!

Soon, children begin working with puzzles that represent world maps and different continents — they begin by putting the puzzle together, and soon graduate to knowing the names of these countries. It is not unusual to see children as young as five, point out a country on the map that an adult may not be aware of. [Quiz: Can you spot Mali on a map? Or Kazakhstan?]

Along the way, children create their own world maps, read more about states or countries they may have visited, and make fact sheets or booklets on geography-related topics of their own choosing. What a rich way to be exposed to our world!

Learning new words during Elementary years

In the elementary years, when children are reading fluently, it is quite common that they come across words that are new to them. In some cases, the meaning can be deciphered from the context (a fantastic cognitive exercise!); in others, a set of dictionaries come in very handy. Along with helping children understand the meaning of new words, the presence of the dictionary ensures that they can become fully independent in their reading, without resorting to asking the adult each time.

Further, this is the age when etymology (the study of word origins) becomes fascinating to children. Along with the usual dictionaries, we highly recommend having a book of word origins handy. Etymology and word study provides an excellent basis for learning to spell, and contributes to understanding the history of different cultures. Imagine the amount of history and geography one can learn from stories of how words, people and places were named!

Art is more than Drawing

Art is a way of approaching life, of moving and speaking, of decorating home and school and oneself, of selecting toys and books, It cannot be separated from other elements of life. We cannot "teach" a child to be an artist, but as Dr. Montessori says, we can help him develop:

An eye that sees

A hand that obeys

A soul that feels

It is important that we do not provide adult-made models, coloring books or sheets, or prepared "color-in" papers. Never show a child how to draw or paint something - like a flower or a house; the child will often simply repeat and repeat what you have shown. Famous artists like Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso worked for many years to achieve the originality, spontaneity, and childlike qualities that our children all possess naturally.

The best we can do for our children is to prepare a beautiful environment, provide the best materials, and get out of the way!