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Beehive Montessori

Four planes of development

What are the characteristics of the child in the second plane?

Dr. Montessori believed that at every stage the adult must assist the psychological development of children in this plane of development. If we are to help children grow psychologically, we must understand the developmentally appropriate behaviour in all planes of development.

 At six, there is a great transformation in the child, like a new birth. There is a great change in their behaviour. The child wants to explore society and the world, to learn what is right and wrong, to think about meaningful roles in society. In the first plane of development, children ages 0-6, work to develop their individual personalities. In the second plane, ages 6-12, children develop more abstract thinking, creating their own intelligence and developing a reasoning mind. Elementary children become more social as they learn about justice, fairness, and moral order. The second plane child is also described as having a reasoning mind, wanting to know the how and why of everything.

  • The child’s limbs elongate, and the child loses their first set of teeth.
  • Montessori called it the Intellectual period. They are testing boundaries both at home and at school. These behaviours while frustrating for adults, are a crucial part of self-construction in children as they attempt to solidify in their own minds what is morally right or wrong. We need to give them freedom within limits, for them to gain experiences in life they need to enjoy freedom with responsibility.
  • Learning how to interact with others is a crucial skill needed both personally and professionally in adulthood and should be valued and nurtured just as equally as academic development. They develop building social relationship and empathy towards others.
  • We need to help them understand that they are responsible for their own happiness and success. Gain awareness of their feelings and how to communicate the same to others.
  • They like to work or play in groups and resolve conflicts and learn from their mistakes. The child’s cosmic task is to construct themselves. We, the adults must create the environment that suits their developmental needs. We need to enjoy and celebrate their development. We need to take responsibility of bringing up a happy child with values who will later on grow up to be a happy and responsible adult.
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