The Importance of Uninterrupted Time

In my Montessori training I was introduced to the concept of a "work cycle." In short, Dr. Montessori taught the importance, backed by her own observation and study, of giving children a lengthy period of time, three hours to be precise, of uninterrupted work time. This period of time was determined by Dr. Montessori as the required amount of time for a child to progress into the most in depth concentration and intellectual exploration, which then results in the most significant progression and growth. Dr. Montessori taught that not only will this lengthy, uninterrupted time lead to the most intellectual growth, but equally important, at it's conclusion it leaves the child with a feeling of peace and calm satisfaction. In my own observations as a stay at home mother, I have often wondered if a "work cycle" is the same as a "play cycle?" Montessori did say that "play is the work of the child." I believe they are one in the same.

Dr. Montessori elaborated a bit on the work cycle when she observed reasons for such a lengthy work time, I too make these same observations with my own children. Montessori taught in the beginning of the work cycle a child will choose (or sometimes wander until something catches his attention) and work with an object for shorter periods of time. They play and work but it changes from one to the next as their shorter attention dictates. I see this almost every morning in our home. We have playtime in the morning as soon as breakfast is finished. My daughters will wander and start and change activities more frequently. It is at this time that they haven't found that activity that will carry them through the morning. Montessori then taught that as the work cycle continues, the child displays a false sense of fatigue. It is at this point the adult questions the cycle and often ends the cycle to change activities- therefore ending play/work time. Montessori taught that this false fatigue is instrumental in allowing the child to move to the most important work to come. Yes, this is the time when as a mother I wonder if they are actually going to find an activity they can stick with. Sometimes they ask for a snack (snack is whenever they want it during the morning allowing us to continue the cycle and not interrupting the most important time), and sometimes they just continue to move to the next activity. Montessori said it is after the false fatigue that the child will find the activity that he/she will delve into with great concentration and focus- almost like everything else was a warm up for the work/play to come.

This usually happens at the last third of our play time. It is at this point they have found the activity - the activity that they are so focused on, using so much creativity and attention that they are immersed in it. And finally, Dr. Montessori observed at the conclusion of the cycle the child is at peace with a calm satisfaction and content, as if rested. One of the reasons we don't run errands or have other planned interruptions in our morning is because I guard this time as a very important part of our day. If my children get the entire play/work time, uninterrupted, I know we will have a better day. I see the concentration, the peace, the focus, the creativity, the lengthening of their attention and in all, the important work that is done when I give them a long, uninterrupted time for play and work each day.

Montessori's 3 Levels of Obedience

Lately, I have been reflecting on the idea of obedience and I thought it might be helpful for me to review, and for those unfamiliar to learn, about Montessori's 3 levels of obedience. My thoughts about this all started a week ago when I passed a police car sitting on the side of the road waiting to pull over a speeding car. As I passed the police car, I started to think about my level of obedience in following the speed limit. Do I follow the speed limit out of fear of paying a fine, or because it is the law, or because it is the safe and right thing to do? If there were no tickets for speeding would I still obey the law- some of the time, most of the time or always? What motivates obedience in adults as well as children? For some it seems takes a external force, like a speeding ticket, while for others a higher level of obedience is achieved possessing an internal desire to do right. This past year, I have also found myself thinking about obedience and expectations with my two year old (soon to be 3) daughter. I find it to be a tough age in this respect- they appear so capable and yet they have not reached full capability of obedience. Knowing and reviewing the 3 levels of obedience has helped me become a little more patient and realistic in my expectations of obedience and my children. So here they are:



Montessori's 3 levels of Obedience:

Level One (First Stage of Development- I like the term "stage of development" because it is important to remember obedience is a developmental process which is learned through practice with time and built upon the previous stages)

"So what we call the first level of obedience is that in which the child can obey, but not always. It is a period in which obedience and disobedience seem to be combined."( The Absorbent Mind p. 237)

In the first level of obedience, generally a child under three, the child truly is unable to obey unless the requests happens to correspond with what they want to do. At this level, obedience is coming from an outside force not from within the child. At this stage the child will sometimes obey and sometimes will not.

Montessori writes: "Even after 3 , the little child, must have developed certain qualities before he is able to obey. He cannot, all of a sudden, act in conformity with another person's will, nor can he grasp, from one day to the next, the reason for doing what we require of him." (The Absorbent Mind 258)

"How often a beginner in music plays a piece beautifully the first time, but if asked to repeat it the next day he fails miserably. It is not that the will is absent, but that the skill and sureness of the accomplished artist have not yet been formed." (The Absorbent Mind, 260)

Level Two (Second Stage of Development)

"The second level is when the child can always obey, or rather, when there are no longer any obstacles deriving from his lack of control. His powers are now consolidated and can be directed not only by his own will, but by the will of another." (The Absorbent Mind, 260)

At the second level, a child is blindly obeying without thought or question still the result of an outside source not from within. The child can understand another persons wishes and express it in his own behavior. Many times an adult will confuse this for the highest level of obedience but since the child has not yet discovered joy in obedience it is not.

Level Three (Third Stage of Development)

"He responds promptly and with enthusiasm and as he perfects himself in the exercise, he finds happiness in being able to obey. (The Discovery of the Child, 317)

The highest level of obedience. At this level the child has internalized obedience. Montessori calls it "Joyful Obedience" because when the child is asked and when the child can see value in the request the child carries out the request. This highest level of obedience allows the child to make appropriate behavioral choices even when an adult is not present. At this point the child has developed a degree of self respect which enables him to respect the rights of others and their needs, and his own self.

Practical Life : Mealtime

"Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence." Maria Montessori
One of the most important lessons I learned from my study of Montessori education is to encourage a child's independence. The need for a child to attempt a task, to "do it myself" is what enables them to progress, learn, develop confidence and continue to gain greater independence. Two ways an adult can encourage independence is through creating an environment allowing the child to try and practice growing skills and through maintaining an atmosphere of patience, observation, respect and encouragement. I use the word "need" when referring to independence because, for the child, it really is. A child's desire to attempt new tasks, practice familiar ones, and imitate what they see others doing comes from deep within.


Hen and Nest salt dips found on Ebay

With a two and four year old in our home we are in the midst of increasing independence on many levels. For the most part we do well using our home environment and following the needs and desires of growing independence. Once and awhile we will have a bump in the road and that is when we readjust. Most recently, it was needing to independently put salt on food at the dinner table. Small as it may be, it was a step towards independence that both daughters were wanting. The use of the salt shaker didn't allow for complete independence so we tried something else.


A small adjustment of using salt from a small bowl (and later from two cute salt dips) was successful.




A pinch of salt is used and sprinkled over the food. Other than a careful eye on the our youngest taking just one, both children have gained the independence they needed. I, too, have also started getting the salt this way, to continue to model and encourage their feeling of confidence.

Children and Imitation

Imitation plays a large role in the life of a child. As I finished reading Sharifa Oppenheimer's book "Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children" I really came to appreciate this role and be more aware of it. Oppenheimer writes "The young child does not watch us carefully and then in a studied way choose to imitate, for instance, the tone of our voice as we talk to the cat. Rather, the young child, who is so new to life, simply lives into our actions and makes them her own. We, her parents, are the template of what it is to be human..." Maria Montessori also spoke of the way in which a young child absorbs the environment. She taught that the young child absorbs impressions from the environment thus creating themselves. Dr. Montessori said, "the child takes in his whole environment, not with his mind but with his life." When we consider this statement it really can help us reflect on the physical environment and the emotional environment our child is absorbing.




Imitation also plays a role in cognitive learning. Even we, as adults, use imitation when put in a new or different situation. Because imitation comes naturally to the child it is used in the Montessori classroom as a way to present new materials. A child learning how to use a new material, first sits at the side of the teacher and watches her use the material start to finish- how to remove it from the shelf, carry it, use it, prepare it for the next person, and return it to the shelf. The power of imitation is used successfully in this way for learning.

One final way we as parents can use imitation as an aid is found when Oppenheimer writes "A simple rule is this: if we want the child to do something, then we must do it ourselves, in order to offer him someone to imitate." So, next time we want our children to clean up the toys, brush their teeth or spend more time outside, we can be more successful if we offer ourselves to imitate.