The complex processes in child’s learning from infancy do not follow the path of the adult’s mind. In the small child there is an unconscious mental stage, which is called the absorbent mind. The principle of absorbent mind aims to reveal the child’s mental potential.
The absorbent mind describes the ability to absorb all aspects of the environment, without the need for a conscious and intense effort. This ability is unique, but temporary; it is not made by conscious effort, it is established according to the guidance of internal sensitivities called as “sensitive periods” and these sensitivities last only for a certain time.
When it comes to children, there is a different intelligence than adults plays the role, and there is a different functioning in the subconscious. Maria Montessori explains this with the example of language acquisition. When children learn a language, they do not learn like the way adults learn through their conscious mental efforts. In the unconscious activity phase, the language is permanently engraved in the mind and becomes a characteristic. Any language that a person wants to add to his / her mother tongue is not a characteristic.
The child uses the absorbent mind to build itself. This activity, which he/she performed unconsciously between the ages of 0 and 3, continues consciously between 3-6 years of age. 0-6 years of age has a great importance when it comes to learning capacity. The child absorbs all the information around him and creates his character, builds good habits in a good environment, builds bad habits in a bad environment. Therefore, attention should be paid to the things that the child is exposed to during this period.