Montessori is a great place for the development of child. But the pertinent question is what the right time to start the Montessori training is? The answer is from the beginning- ‘Infant Montessori’. You need not send your child to the Montessori; the training can be done at home as well. The fundamental need of a baby is to be loved.
From their birth to 12 months, the babies explore their gross motor skills. They begin to kick, stretch, and use little fingers to pick up interesting objects. According to Montessori thought, the main responsibility of parents is to see that their baby is not being restrained by clothing or furnishings.
The baby’s perception of sound, touch, taste, and smell is fresh, new, and acute. As babies grow and begin to take interest in a wider range of things beyond their parents, less is more. A few chosen toys and a soft blanket will be enough for the small babies to explore.
Even before their birth, many babies react to the sounds they perceive going on in the outside world. The Montessori parents take care to sing, talk, and read to children before their arrival. After birth, babies find themselves in a world of sounds and often their greatest interest is in the sounds of human speech coming from their parents.
Babies begin to feel a sense of security by making sense of all the things they perceive in their surroundings be it people or furnishings. Their own place in the scheme of things feels safe when they wake up from nap and discover that everything is in its rightful location. Even adding a new picture to the baby’s wall can cause him to feel unsettled and confused. Optional changes in the environment should be made with care.
These sensitive periods happen up to age of 5 years. A lot of development happens during the first years of child and parents must be careful of offering them a suitable environment.
