Montessori and Movement

Montessori and movement go hand in hand, and we know that movement is linked to freedom and respect, which are core Montessori principles. Movement allows freedom to choose activities, to socialise, to take in information and express ourselves. Children in a Montessori environment do not need permission to move as in a traditional classroom setting, as it is incorporated into the purposeful activities that children choose from.

The benefits of exercise, incidental and intentional are well documented. Maria Montessori observed the link between movement and cognitive function and her findings have been scientifically verified; movement optimises learning significantly, particularly when it is combined with language.

An example of perhaps an unexpected Montessori activity incorporating movement and language, is when a child learns about the verb during a grammar lesson. The child, often accompanied by a friend, reads a verb word card at a floor mat. They then perform the action, demonstrating their comprehension through movement of their body. Saying the word and moving create a rich learning experience that brings language to life.

Movement increases focus and concentration in children as it provides the opportunity for children to understand a concept deeply. Abstract concepts such as land and water forms can be viewed in a book e.g. island, lake, isthmus, strait etc. However, Montessori has a model of these that the children can pour water into, which allows them to see where the land and water settles in an archipelago or a system of lakes. Children are hand wired to move, and static activities that aren't balanced with big, gross motor movement can mean that children will seek movement in other ways that are not related to the task at hand, breaking the concentrated state.

Moving is certainly a building block of a healthy 0-6 year old child. Not only is a child developing their muscles, but they are learning to coordinate and control their movement. This ability to inhibit and control movement is a learnt skill. There is an activity called 'walking on the line' that is part of 'Practical Life' which is devoted to control of will, and coordination of movement. Children walk heel to toe around an ellipse, sometimes to walking pace music to practice these skills. Children can find this work calming and almost meditative. The ellipse is purposefully chosen as a child needs to continually maintain balance to walk around it, unlike other shapes. Coordination and control of movement can only be honed through practice, and the Montessori curriculum is designed to allow this practice, supporting the optimal development of the child.

A key component of communication in later learning is writing. The child requires control of the hand to write. The ability to write is really built on the foundations of Practical Life activities that

have supported coordination of movement and refined fine motor control.

As touched on at the beginning of this article, movement is associated with socialising. When children can move freely around the learning environment, spontaneous interaction occurs. Stopping to chat with a peer on the way back to the shelf to return your activity, having your eye caught by someone else’s interesting work or excusing yourself to walk by, are all opportunities to interact and talk.

Movement allows a child to seek what interests them. For the child of 0-6 their choices are mostly unconscious, driven by what is known as ‘sensitive periods’. These are windows of time where a child shows intense interest in a particular activity, which supports their growth and development. One of these sensitive periods is ‘movement’. How many times have parents hoped their child could sit still! There is a reason that this is so difficult! Whereas, the child of 4 years and older,

consciously chooses activities. This too can have challenges as they are learning to make productive choices.

Movement in Montessori environments is a significant reason for children’s productivity, learning and calmness. We don’t need special ‘movement breaks’ in our program, because it is interwoven seamlessly into all that the children do.