Sensorial

Young children learn about the world around them through their senses. The information taken in at this stage (birth to age 6) serves as the foundation for the development of the intellect. Therefore, he needs to make some order of all this information. It is more important for the child to understand what he is taking in, than it is for him to take in more and more information. The more he is able to classify that information, or file it into categories, the stronger the foundation will be. At about 2 1/2 - 3, the child enters the Sensitive Period for refinement of the senses. This means that the child is very aware of and very interested in specific qualities of objects in his environment. The Montessori Sensorial Materials help the child become conscious of the most subtle differences of color, sound, shape, texture, etc. The main purpose of the Sensorial Materials is to help the child refine his senses so that he is able to perceive the world around him with far greater accuracy and to be able to clarify and classify all impressions taken in.