The sensitive period of children (0-6 years old) that cannot be ignored

Children’s sensitive period cannot be ignored, and parents should seize the opportunity to enlighten their children!

As the saying goes, "You are older when you are 3 years old, and you are older when you are 7 years old." 3-6 years old is a critical period for children's physical and mental development. Children sometimes "utter surprising words" and say something that is difficult and inappropriate. Vocabulary expressions of their age groups; sometimes they are "unreasonable and stubborn", slippers must be placed neatly by the bed, with the toes facing inward; sometimes they are like a repeater, repeating "Mom, you love me" Don’t love me”. In fact, this is a sign that the child has entered a "sensitive period".

Children’s sensitive period usually occurs between the ages of 3 and 6. Children will burst out with amazing strength and enthusiasm to learn and explore external things, so the effect of receiving education is also the most obvious. The sensitive period is exactly the time when children perform various tasks. The golden period of ability development.

If parents can grasp the behavioral patterns of their children during the sensitive period, and provide scientific guidance to help their children correctly use the vitality given by nature, their children will definitely grow up healthier and stronger.

First of all, what is the sensitive period of children?

Children’s sensitive period is a concept first proposed by Italian doctor and educator Maria Montessori. It refers to children’s learning and development of certain things or skills within a specific age group. Periods showing particular sensitivity and ease of absorption.

During the sensitive and intensive period, children will have particularly enthusiastic hobbies and pursuits of specific things or behaviors, so children's learning ability is also particularly strong during this period. However, the sensitive period is short-lived, which requires us parents to understand the child's sensitive period, grasp the physical and psychological characteristics of the child at this stage, maximize the use of the child's sensitivity, and promote the child's physical and mental development.

So, how should parents deal with their children’s sensitive periods?

Children’s sensitive period is an important period when families and educational institutions provide appropriate learning environments and educational resources to guide children to actively participate in learning and development, because at this stage, children are not ready to learn and develop certain abilities and skills. Acquisition skills increase rapidly, and they are often able to absorb and master relevant knowledge and skills more easily.

1. Sensitive period of 3-4 years old (small class) (1) Language sensitive period

3-6 years old is a critical period for children's language development. Their ability to learn and master language is higher than other stages. Children begin to like to imitate what people around them say, and may even come up with idioms that adults find unbelievable from time to time.

Therefore, at this stage, parents can help their children expand their vocabulary and language expression skills by providing a rich language environment, such as reading story books, singing, communicating with their children, etc. In addition, adults should pay attention to their own words. Children are very good at imitating. Don't say "dirty words" that shouldn't be said in front of children.

(2) Sensitive period for order

Starting from about 2 and a half years old, children begin to have a very strong sense of order. Everything has a fixed placement, and even its orientation has very strict requirements. Used toys must be returned to their proper places and towels must be neatly placed. Parents who interfere to disrupt order can cause children to lose control of their emotions.

Therefore, parents should respect their children’s sense of order. If the placement of things is unreasonable, they need to patiently communicate with their children before moving them. For example, toys should not be placed in the aisle as they will affect traffic. After explanation, children can modify their order and gradually know what can and cannot be done, so that a reasonable sense of order can be established and improved.

(3) Stubborn Sensitive Period

Children of this age sometimes become stubborn and willful and refuse to listen no matter how their parents explain. For example, "I won't wear these red pants, I must wear blue ones", "I just didn't put the toys in the cabinet when they were still on the table, so I can't sleep" and so on. Sometimes children's wishes are "unreasonable" in the eyes of adults, but once children's wishes are rejected or interfered with, they will have a strong sense of uneasiness in their inner world and become irritable and cry loudly.

Therefore, it is recommended that parents meet their children’s requirements within a reasonable range, do not find it troublesome to save trouble and adhere to adult standards, and try to retain their children’s right to pursue “perfection” in their hearts. But if the child's requirements are really unsatisfactory, establish patience and communicate with the child so that they feel they can talk and express their emotions. Try to avoid strong orders and accusations.

For example, the blue pants have been washed and you have to wear them. Mom has to blow-dry them. It’s very hard and she’s very tired. Can you wear them again tomorrow? Or provide a choice from the beginning: provide the child with some choices, whether to wear red pants or black pants. Let them feel that they have some control, which can reduce their stubbornness.

2. Sensitive period of 5-6 years old (middle class)

(1) Symbol sensitive period

In this period, children’s learning and understanding of language Ability develops rapidly, and understanding of pictures and images will also increase. For example, if children become interested in literacy and spelling, they will be very excited when they find that the words in their names appear in other places.

During children’s symbolic sensitive periods, parents and educators can promote children’s development by providing appropriate learning materials and activities. For example, children can be provided with a wealth of books, music and art activities to encourage them to use language to express what they see, feel and experience. Children can also be encouraged to create paintings. When children say that the scrawled lines are rivers and moons, parents should not correct or refute them, but should appreciate and praise them, because this is a manifestation of the child's rich imagination.

(2) Number sensitive period

Children will be sensitive to numbers at this stage. They like to count when they encounter a bunch of objects, start to study clocks, and always ask their mother how old they are. . The price tags of supermarket items and the numbers on bus routes can arouse children's interest. Therefore, the age of 5-6 is the golden period for children to master mathematical concepts and initiate mathematical enlightenment. If children can be guided in a timely manner during the golden period, they can often achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Mathematical concepts that 5-year-old children are capable of learning include: size, number, length, width; classification of things according to color, shape, and size; increase and decrease of objects; order of arrangement and simple rules etc. We advocate starting mathematics enlightenment as early as possible, because the younger the child, the better he can master basic mathematical concepts and principles through formal and systematic learning.

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