Becoming Conscious

“‘At three the child is already a man.’ Yet he is still far from having exhausted this strange power that he possesses of absorption from his surroundings.”

—Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

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I must admit, the first time I saw the phrase “spiritual embryo” in Maria Montessori’s writing—before I had much experience with the methodology—I thought that she must have gone off the deep end. 

However, I learned more, and in fact, her theory on child development was visionary; her work inspired, and arguably laid the groundwork for, the likes of Jean Piaget. And the term “spiritual embryo” is actually quite fitting.

In her theory, the first “plane of development” comprises the first six years of life, which she refers to as the period of the “absorbent mind.” This notion of children as sponges has seeped its way into cultural wisdom, probably in part because it is common to hear a young child parrot a phrase they had heard an adult say. However, I would argue that we still don’t fully appreciate the extent to which the child is absorbing their environment, nor have we fully figured out how to leverage this unique period to enable people to reach their full potential. But more on this another day.

Montessori breaks down the first plane of development further. The “spiritual embryo” phase refers to the first 3 years of life when, even after a child is born, they are still not yet fully formed; the child’s character is still in an embryonic stage. She considers this to be a period of unconscious absorption of the environment, wherein the child soaks up her surroundings unknowingly. 

Then, centered around the 3rd birthday the child transitions to the latter half of the first plane, which Montessori described as a period of conscious absorption of the environment. During this period, the child actively seeks out the desired experiences.

Many old two-year-olds students began the year much more “toddler-like” in their way of engaging with the world. They meander from activity to activity, leaving in their wake the materials they handled, they take things at face value, and they don’t always respond when spoken to.

Over the course of the year, these youngest students gradually become proactive agents in creating their own experiences as their development unfolds. They cross a bridge, if you will, from a place of passive interaction to one of cognizance and exploration.

One of the reasons I work in early childhood education is to be able to witness in real time such major yet fundamental milestones in cognitive development. It is fascinating to see my students begin to actively wield their own agency for the first time. It’s not dissimilar to a newborn giraffe taking its first steps–clumsy but intentioned. 

What is salient for us in the classroom, however, is that we have the pleasure of seeing it happen to so many in such a short period of time. Over the course of the year, as the two-year-olds become three-year-olds, their growing awareness of their own agency is like a light that just keeps getting brighter.

I’m sure you see it at home, too. Your young ones become more capable, more responsible, more grounded in reality, able to engage in give-and-take conversations, more proactive and articulate about what they desire, even when what they desire is not right in front of them (e.g., we had out-of-the-blue requests for bagpipe music one day because the students saw a gentleman playing the bagpipes days earlier.) It seems to happen slowly, then all of a sudden.

So what do we do with this information? 

First, I would reiterate that this is a unique period in their lives. I encourage you to enjoy it while it lasts, because it is fleeting. Share in their wonder at even the most mundane. When they share (what seem to be) redundant facts with you (e.g., “Hey, Mr. Matte. I’m eating pizza.”), use these as opportunities to dialogue, to have them think more deeply about what’s going on, and to expand their vocabulary. (“Mmm. What’s on that pizza?”) 

Additionally, as long as it’s practicable, let them figure things out for themselves. I repeat: let them do the things. Maybe it’s spinning open a window, pulling the shades back, loading the laundry, pushing in the chairs, laying out the place mats… whatever it is. If they can mostly handle it without adult intervention, let them. They want to play a part. (Even if it requires a little adult support to get it going, do so and then hand it off.) Fair warning: these tasks will take time, and they won’t be done perfectly. However, view it as practice, because that’s what it is. 

Let them discover how capable they are. Get them in the habit of depending on themselves. This will pay large dividends in the future. 

Remember too that they are doing these activities for the first time. To them these tasks are novel, and need to be figured out—in fact they want to figure them out. Why rob them of that? Resist the urge to immediately jump in and resolve the issue. When they struggle through these activities, which we view as mundane, they build independence, confidence, and persistence. The right amount of struggle is a good thing, it yields growth and learning. This applies to humans of all ages.

As Dr. Montessori observed, it is not the adult who makes the child, but “the child who makes the man, and no man exists who was not made by the child he once was” (Maria Montessori, Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook). 

We are not born with all of the inputs needed for development—instead, we are born primed to adapt to our environment by absorbing information from it. First, we do so unconsciously, and later, we begin to proactively seek out the experiences we desire. 

Children are in the process of making themselves. Fuel it with high-quality interactions, opportunities for independence, and the time and space they need for their development to unfold.