The absorbent mind
Early childhood education has come to accept today what Montessori discovered so long ago: the child under six has a genius capacity for mental absorption. The 'absorbent mind' will never repeat its miraculous ability to absorb the native tongue, to perfect movement, or to internalize order. Never will these sensitivities be more alive than in the preschool years. The entering child is gentle and vulnerable with a need for love, protection, friends and intellectual stimulation. These are serious needs. To serve children directly is not what they need; to give help is sometimes an obstruction. Therefore, the Montessori prepared environment allows children to act freely on their own initiative, meeting needs through individual, spontaneous activity.
The children learn to work quietly and intently on their own tasks. The use the materials with a sense of perfection and order seldom found even in adults. They are building concentration and self-discipline.
Because the materials are scientifically selected, children are able to learn skills that were previously reserved for development at a later age. Reading and writing are treated as an extension of spoken language. Young children have a singular mathmatical interest, and therefore, with the use of concrete materials, they can be exposed to all four mathmatical functions with large numbers before they are six. And because these children are characterized by 'absorbent minds', the work seems untiring and effortless.