The house of joy in Penza

Many parents, of course, have heard aboutpedagogy, or the Montessori education system; In recent years, quite a few centers have appeared in Russia, working according to the methodology of Maria Montessori - an Italian doctor, teacher, philosopher and humanist. There are such centers in our city. Elena Shuvarin, a pedagogical psychologist and the head of the Development Center for Children and Parents “House of Joy”, tells about Maria Montessori and her method: “In my opinion, her views of the world, the nature of the child are the most valuable for us parents. Maria Montessori was one of the first to conclude that children are not like us adults, that they are different, they develop and live by different rules and laws that are sometimes incomprehensible to us. It was she who first draws attention to the absorbing mind of the child. " What does it mean? The child, unlike an adult, perceives the world entirely, and his mind works through the senses. That is why children need to touch everything, taste, see, hear, and move in space. Psychologists say that we, adults, would need 60 years of hard work to learn what the child learns in the first years of his life. “Montessori called her method a method of scientific pedagogy, believing that all theories and practical actions should be built on the fundamental knowledge of the child. The role of us, adults, in the upbringing of children is assistance in the child’s self-development; we adults are not the creators of our children. Everything connected with the process of cognition and development in a child is a natural process, we just need to create favorable conditions, ”explains Elena Shuvarin. She introduces us to the most important principle of Motesori pedagogy - “help me to do it myself”. Montessori believed that it was necessary to change the views of adults - teachers and parents - on the very nature of childhood. “So let us together comprehend and discover the unique world of the child and believe in the wise nature of childhood,” the head of the House of Joy center calls. Continuing to acquaint us with the basic principles and concepts of the pedagogy of Maria Montessori, Elena Shuvarina talks about the so-called sensitive periods in the development of the child. This scientific term is explained quite simply: sensitive periods are a time when a child is especially susceptible to new things, when he learns very easily and masters skills without much effort, does everything with interest and pleasure. “These favorable periods in the life of a child last for quite a short time and go forever. Therefore, it is important for us, the parents, to know about them and to use the moment, ”emphasizes Elena Shuvarin. Maria Montessori identified the following sensitive periods in the development of the child. The first is the period of speech development: from 0 to 6 years. During this period, the child literally absorbs the wealth of the native language and learns the grammatical side of speech without knowing any rules. The second is the period of development of the sense of order, it lasts from birth to 3.5 years. Our consultant explains: “It is very important for the child to maintain order in the three areas of his life: indoors, in the environment. Maria Montessori said that external order gives rise to internal order — in thought, in action. ” The next sensitive period lasts from birth to the age of five, and this is the period of development of independence, the famous “I myself!” This is a very important time: if you constantly intercept the child’s initiative, he will grow up to be a submissive performer and will not be able to become independent in his judgments and actions. From 1.5 to two years there comes a favorable period for the perception of small objects, so our children during this period love to play with small objects, and of course, we must help them meet this need. The age from zero to four years is a favorable period for the development of active movements; from two to six years - the period of development of social skills: the child learns to communicate with other children and adults. The period of sensory development lasts from birth to 5.5 years. Elena Shuvarina so emphasizes the importance of this moment: “As Maria Montessori used to say, sensory perception is the basis of the child’s intellectual activity!” There are two more periods in the life of a child: spontaneous natural writing and reading. And do not be surprised if your child starts writing before he reads: according to Montessori's observations, these skills begin to arise in that order: writing in 4–4.5 years, and reading in 4.5–6 years. We, adults, can in no way influence the time of onset of sensitive periods in the development of a child. But we can and must create a favorable environment for such development. All we need is to be closer to our children, and then they themselves will tell us which of the favorable periods they are in. In addition to the theoretical foundations of Montessori pedagogy, Elena Shuvarin willingly shares one of the exercises with us. This exercise is designed to help in recognizing the sounds and refinement of the child's hearing - this is the term Maria Montessori herself used. It is called "Guess what sounds." Let's go together to a developing lesson in the “House of Joy.” “It is so easy and interesting to play with the children in the recognition of sounds. It will bring a lot of joy and pleasure to you and your children, ”Elena says with a smile. More good advice from Elena Shuvarina on the website of the Development Center for children and parents