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Montessori Minute ~ Concentration & Normalization

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Maria Montessori spent decades promoting the cause of the young child and defining the field of child development for future generations. She said:

“Normalization is the single most important result of our work.”

“The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy.”

Coming from a true genius, these are important statements. But what is Normalization; why is concentration so important, and how can exploring these concepts help parents working with their children at home?

In early childhood we develop a sense of self; and then self-control. Young children learn who they are by acquiring a set of experiences that are theirs. Then they learn how to act purposefully, control their bodies, and follow the accepted rules for behavior in the time and culture of their birth.

imageNeuroscience has shown that we are constantly bombarded with literally millions of sensory bits of information. Amazingly, the way we experience the world is actually what is left after we discard most of them. The early years of life are when we learn to focus on the sensory stimuli and behaviors that make us members of our society.

Concentration and focusing attention are essential in this process. Attention is a powerful force. It focuses the human will and concentrates mental energy like a laser. Until a child learns to focus her attention, her mind is a fluctuating field of sensory inputs, emotions, random thoughts, desires, impulses, and dreams. Attention is the force that, when brought under the control of will, allows all that activity to organize itself.

As with almost everything else, the first six years of life are the most powerful time for developing concentration and attention. Whatever is done during these years becomes fundamental to a child’s brain and personality. After that it’s icing on the cake.

imageMontessori put her observations of children into practice by giving them special materials she designed, like the Knobbed Cylinders, Pink Tower, Red Rods, Brown Stair, and other Sensorial materials. Almost immediately, she knew she had hit on something important. Very young children started working with these materials with a level of concentration and extended attention span that had not been seen in children before. Two year olds used the materials with total concentration for extended periods, even when Montessori purposely created distractions in the environment.
Photo: The Education of Ours

Montessori believed that children are born with a strong inner drive to learn; and an internal guidance system that leads them to the experiences they need to fully develop. Since the children took to her materials so readily, she assumed the materials were filling a developmental need. She kept creating more; and then designed the Prepared Environment to hold them all and give children a special place to use them. The rest is history.

You can follow Montessori’s lead at home and help your child develop concentration and attention. Since young children are designed to need concrete, hands-on experiences, this means providing materials and activities appropriate to your child’s age and interests. Here is a good guideline:

Provide different materials and experiences, always looking for those that attract and hold your child’s attention.

Let your child use these as often as he likes, with opportunities for uninterrupted repetition.

When your child masters an activity or skill, provide something a bit more challenging or complex.

When your child gradually learns to focus attention and concentrate, you should see positive changes in her behavior. Young children who learn to concentrate become happier and more satisfied with life. This is what Montessori called Normalization. She identified these characteristics of a normalized child:

Love of work

Concentration

Self-discipline

Sociability.

imageEarly learning materials and life experiences that attract and hold your child’s attention are the key to Normalization. Watch for what your child really gets into and make it available. When your child’s interests change, and they will, go with the flow. This is where low shelves that display a variety of materials can be valuable. They allow a child to choose based on his interests on any given day. It will become apparent when a material has outlived its usefulness and you can switch it out for something your child is currently into.

With enough opportunities to learn to concentrate with focused attention, your child’s ability to learn anything will soar. This is why children in Montessori schools typically learn to read, write, use numbers, and understand scientific concepts early on. A child who learns to concentrate is not only happier; he is much better prepared for life.  Photo: The Education of Ours

For more on these topics, check out these resources:

  • michaelolaf.net
  • The Seven Characteristics of a Normalized Child
  • Blog post at Montessori Print Shop
  • Blog post at Montessori for Everyone

John Bowman is the author of Montessori At Home! and Help Your Preschooler Build a Better Brain.
Email:
[email protected].

© 2012 John Bowman, Montessori At Home!


My thanks to John for writing this extensive article for us here at 1+1+1=1! I invite you to ask him any questions you may have in the comments below and he can hopefully answer them for you. If you have an article you hope he will write for us in the future, please let us know in the comments also! Be sure to let him know if this article was helpful-we all love encouragement, right?

 

You can also visit his new amazing website to read even more!


Did you miss earlier Montessori Minute Posts?

  • Introducing Montessori Minute
  • Where Do I Start?
  • Sensory Activities
  • Understanding Dr. Maria Montessori
  • A Preschoolers Guide to Home Improvement
  • The Three Part Lesson
  • What is Montessori?
  • Developing a Positive Self Image
  • Q & A with John Bowman {answers to questions left on the Sensory Activities post}

Check out our feature on Totally Tots, where Jodi is blogging her experiences while using Montessori At Home! with her young tots!

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Carisa Hinson
Homeschool writing class with Fern. Always a fabul Homeschool writing class with Fern. Always a fabulous teacher. Not distracting at all. 

#homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoolingmama #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolfun #homeschoolkids #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
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Yes, we still walk our cat in a stroller. Mabel ev Yes, we still walk our cat in a stroller. Mabel even posed for the picture. Our other cats go in the stroller sometimes too, Mabel is the frequent stroller-er.

#calicocats #fluffycalico #catsinstrollers
Swipe to see the books I read this year! Lots of m Swipe to see the books I read this year! Lots of middle grade books last summer (many reviews are on my blog, I linked them in the “2022 Books” highlight above). Did you read any of these? See my ratings on my goodreads profile! I will link in my stories, I am Carisa Hinson on goodreads.

#middlegradebooks #middleschoolbooks #mglit #middlegradebooksuggestions #readinginthemiddlegrades #2022goodreadschallenge #2022yearinbooks
It was a Christmas filled with many emotions. Joy, It was a Christmas filled with many emotions. Joy, happiness, excitement, surprise, sadness, longing, and a bit of emptiness. 

We celebrated with my parents on the 24th, and that was a very joyous celebration. We enjoyed church, gifts, food, and mostly one another. 

On the 25th we celebrated with my husband’s family and sadly we are missing our beloved Nana who went to be with Jesus a few weeks ago. We all did our best to honor her love for fun last night. We played games, we laughed, we ate well, but it was all mixed with a longing sadness, wishing we had her with us. 

The next to last photo is it Kyler and my father in law, who lost his very best friend. We just love him so much and pray for his continued healing as he grieves this horrible loss and emptiness. 

The final photo is of Nana’s grandkids each holding their collage of photos of them and their Nana. This gift brought some tears, but we can tell will be treasured by each of them. She was one of a kind, and so special to all six of them.
Paxton won the gift award this year. Swipe to see Paxton won the gift award this year. Swipe to see what he bought his little sis! She was SO surprised! He loves giving gifts and having a job the enables him to do surprises like this is a gift to him. Sweet moments. ❤️
Not posed. Our foster kitten Jolly posed herself i Not posed. Our foster kitten Jolly posed herself in the perfect spot! See more of her and her sister Holly here: @crazy_foster_kitten_lady Merry Christmas Eve! 

#hollyandjolly2022fosterkittens #orphankittens
#kittenseason2022 #fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove #kittenseason #tinybutmighty #fostercatsandkittens
Tree decorating night! Goodness I love my kids. Tree decorating night! Goodness I love my kids.
I know many of you don’t know many of the people I know many of you don’t know many of the people in this photo, but I know many of you pray. The beautiful woman on the far left of the couch is my bonus-momma, my husband’s mom. She has stopped all treatment for her cancer and is going home to be with Jesus soon. We prayed for her to feel well enough to be with us at Thanksgiving, and though she felt pretty crappy, she was there. 

If you know her, you know what I mean when I say this is one of the kindest, most joyful, selfless people I have ever known. The world won’t be the same without her. We are devastated and hurting. We pray for her peace, her comfort, her pain, and for God to relieve her of the suffering. 

Last night was a huge mixture of pure joy and devastating sadness. We celebrated and hugged, and laughed, and we cried. It’s just so hard. Thanks for praying for our family. ❤️
We decided to decorate with a polar bear this year We decided to decorate with a polar bear this year. ❤️ 

#🐶baxter❤️ #pitmix #pitmixes #sleepydogs #marshmellie🐶 #greatpyrenees  #greatpyreneesofinstagram  #greatpyr  #greatpyreneeslovers #greatpyreneesfamily #doggo #rescuedog #adoptdontshop #doglife #pyreneesofinstagram #dogsofinsta #doglover #instadog #gentlegiant
Webby and the lizard. Swipe for the video version Webby and the lizard. Swipe for  the video version. 🐱 🦎
I love my Christmas birds. We love having the deco I love my Christmas birds. We love having the decorations complete before Thanksgiving so we can relax and enjoy our home with our favorite decor of the year! I got started today, not close to done, but enjoying my adorable birds. A lot. Do you decorate early?
Mabel has turned out to be the most entertaining c Mabel has turned out to be the most entertaining cat we have ever had. She is sweet and sassy, mischievous and marvelous. Equal parts of each. She annoys all of our other animals just like a little sister should and keeps the humans on our toes too. She LOVES Lili, and is still BFF with Pebbles (Lili’s cat). So glad we decided to add this rambunctious ball of fluff to our crew!
Fun night celebrating my momma’s birthday and tr Fun night celebrating my momma’s birthday and trick or treating in her neighborhood with Lili and her friends! The gum ball machine costume made it back for another year!
My amazing bonus-momma, my husband’s momma, is f My amazing bonus-momma, my husband’s momma, is feeling good today so we met for lunch. She hasn’t had many good days lately so we take the moments when they come!

She has cancer and chemo is making her sick, it’s been a long hard road as any of you who have dealt with there horrible C word know. We don’t know what the future holds, so we cling to today! I loved sitting by her and laughing together. I am so blessed to have her as my mother in law! ❤️

Sadly since it was last minute, my boys couldn’t make it to lunch.
Every year they drive up to the mountains for the Every year they drive up to the mountains for the day and just spend time together. It’s their thing and I love it. Today they hiked, that’s Lili laying on the rock! She’s not much of a hiker but she loves the mountains, the leaves and her Daddy!
Goodness they are cute. Love them so much! 🧡🧡🧡
Totally thought I would hate it. It’s not that b Totally thought I would hate it. It’s not that bad. Reading it for chemistry this year, and I have to admit I am learning a LOT, and it is interesting! 

We are using @guesthollow Chemistry in the Kitchen, this is one of the many books we are reading and will read.

#homeschoolchemistry #napoleonsbuttons #guesthollowchemistry #homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
#homeschoolteacher #homeschoollookslikethis #homeeducation #homeeducator #howwehomeschool #homeed #homeschoollifestyle #thisishomeschool
#homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschoolersofinstagram #homeschooled #homeschoolcollective #homeschoolideas #homeschoolinspiration #homeschooladventures #homeschoolhighschool
Beautiful Fern on my beautiful new fall cat blanke Beautiful Fern on my beautiful new fall cat blanket. 🧡🧡🧡 

Thanks to my momma for the new blanket!
Link in profile to see answers and share your answ Link in profile to see answers and share your answer on my Facebook page! Not on FB? Share in a comment below! 

I have been homeschooling for a long time, one of my kids is graduated, one is a junior, and the other is in 8th - homeschooled the entire time. I am still a curious homeschooler and love to know what is working or hasn't worked for others. I have a series of these posts planned and hope that many of you will share!

First up - MATH! What curriculum are you using? Do you like it? Did you switch from something else? Any thoughts you're willing to share - good or bad! 

If you have a blog or Youtube and want to link to a specific post/video about math, feel free! 

#homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoolingmama #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolfun #homeschoolkids #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
#homeschoolteacher #homeschoollookslikethis #homeeducation #homeeducator #howwehomeschool #homeed #homeschoollifestyle #thisishomeschool
#homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschoolersofinstagram #homeschooled #homeschoolcollective #homeschoolideas #homeschoolinspiration #homeschooladventures #homeschoolmath
Remember them? We don’t see much of my oldest no Remember them? We don’t see much of my oldest now since he’s been living on his own (renting a house with friends), but we love when we do! That’s his dog, Melody, who is temp. living with us due to not getting along with a roommates dog. She’s smiling in this pic because he came over to visit her and she ADORES him. 

Paxton is 20 and doing great, I know many of you have watched him grow up on my blog! He works for a robotics company that contracts with Amazon, so he runs the robotics portion of an Amazon warehouse (did I explain that kinda right @paxtoroni ?) he’s VERY into cars, and has been for years, this is his car account in case you’re into cars too: @paxgt 😬 I don’t love cars but I LOVE him.

#marshmellie🐶
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