What is the sensitive periods of human development

Sensitive periods, also called"sensitive" are such intervals of time when especially favorable conditions are created for the formation of certain skills and abilities, behaviors and psychological properties in a person. Parents of young children should be aware of their offensive, prepare for them, so that the child, as convenient as possible for him, absorbs the knowledge gained.

The main periods of development and perception of the world

Famous Italian educator and educator MariaMontessori, long watching the growing children, created an author's method of early development. In it, she singled out several periods for the effective development of certain aspects of the psyche. The author of the methodology comes to the conclusion that man has such conditions only once in his life. If he does not have time to master knowledge in certain sensitive periods, he will never be so receptive to them. She describes the approximate time frame for each of them, but every parent should monitor their child, because you can never say for sure how long this time will last.

You should prepare for the training of the baby.Knowledge of the existence of such periods and about the individual characteristics of your child will help loving parents to make an optimal plan of study. Here are the main sensitive periods allocated by Montessori:

• development of speech - from birth to 6 years;
• Perception of order - from birth to 3 years;
• sensory development - from birth to 5.5 years;
• perception of small objects - from 1.5 to 6.5 years;
• development of movements and actions - from 1 to 4 years;
• the development of social skills - from 2.5 to 6 years.

Sensitive periods of development of physical qualities

As already mentioned, every child is individual in his development. Any sensitive periods can occur unnoticed, and you need to be ready for any of them.

It is worth paying special attention to the development ofphysical qualities of the child, because motor activity is important throughout life. Vigorous movements lead to the saturation of blood with oxygen. The latter, in turn, nourishes the brain cells responsible for mental functions. At first the child begins to be interested in individual movements, repeats them for the parents, then he is attracted by the process of several actions, when it is necessary to keep balance or express feelings by gestures.

How to use critical and sensitive periods

The end time of any period when the childmastered certain knowledge and skills, leads to a rethinking of the existing situation, to the definition of one's place in the social world. These moments are called "critical periods" when a person changes in personality traits in a very short period.

Of course, for the youngest children an example forImitation is the parents, Mom has a special influence. Therefore, you need to closely monitor their actions, any reactions to what is happening, because the child copies Mom's behavior. For older children, it is very important to visit groups or gardens where the training is conducted in accordance with Montessori's author's program: there are caring teachers behind every kid, all in moderation, there are any materials required for effective training in any of the sensitive periods.