The actual applications of the Montessori method are based on the human tendencies that Maria Montessori studied in detail; dispositions to act, to share with the group, to be independent, to make decisions, to establish order, to self-control, to have ideas by experience, to use imagination, to work hard, to repeat, to pay attention, to effort and to perfect what is revealed.
Need for Movement
First of all, the child needs to move. He needs to act, to explore, to manage, and to accumulate impressions that he can sort out in the future. As it moves, messages go from the muscles to the nerves and from the nerves to the brain. The use of hands is also very important. His first room should not be so sterile, purified, and plain that his mind cannot find time to feed. He should not be forced to stay in the room for long hours. As soon as it begins to act on its own, it must be set free. A child whose movements are restricted until the age of three will not be ready to demonstrate appropriate and competent movements by the age of three. Children under the age of three should never watch television. It is an extremely passive, uncreative, and inefficient resource at a time when it thirsts for activity, organization, exploration, and the accumulation of sensory experiences.
The Need for Language Development
A baby examines the adults around him with great precision; they follow their mouths when they speak, sometimes even trying to touch their mouths. He then imitates sounds and expresses himself in baby language. And much later, he develops the language by himself, without any conscious training from anyone. Therefore, it is necessary not to keep the child in the room for hours. Montessori admired mothers who carried their babies wherever they went, such as the market or home visits. In this case, the child could hear everything spoken around him and listened with interest.
Children need not only a simple language that will meet their basic needs, but also a language that fully reflects all aspects of culture and tradition. It’s like singing the composer of a song, the breed of a bird. Long sentences attract children.
Adults living with children should especially lower their voices when talking to them; so the child will later respond to suggestions below the level of shouting.
The Need for Independence
If the child is ready to do something on his own, we should not do it for him by showing restraint and patience. For example, if she wants to dress herself, we should give her that time. If we want our child to be an independent and productive adult, we must refrain from doing so as soon as they learn to button up. If we do it, the child may become lazy, despair of learning to do it himself, and stray into the path of inferiority complex.
The Need for Love and Trust
Our children ask us to constantly reaffirm that we love them. A child measures our love by the amount and value of the time we want to give him. He asks us for ourselves, not gifts. He perceives our choices such as a career, a match, a job that takes all of our time, as a turning away from him.
Need for Discipline
A child should be taught to respect the rights of others just as their own rights are respected. If the child is treated with understanding, he or she will tend to show the same kindness to others. Montessori “A child is ready to narrate to an adult. But the child cannot obey if the adult demands that the child give up the impulses that enable him to develop.
Few rules should be set for young children and must be enforced consistently. We should not practice it by deceiving, lecturing or negotiating.
Need for Order
Montessori believes that a child’s inner order comes through the outer order and that this inner order is the prerequisite for intellectual development. When a child is born, the world is confused for him. He should learn to classify and classify all the objects he sees, their names and usage areas. We can help him by keeping his home environment as tidy as possible. We can do this not by constantly relocating things, but by giving him the opportunity to organize his belongings. The use of a toy basket gets you used to stacking things up, so toys should be arranged by assigning a place for each toy on low shelves. Toys should not be too much for the child to organize and own.
If all these needs of a child are met until they reach the age of three and they come to a suitable age for the Montessori classroom (2.5-3), it means they are ready for a large-scale education in the pre-prepared environment of the Montessori classroom.