Reading Response 1: Language Development
Language has an impact on the daily lives of on any race, creed and region of the world. It helps
to express our feelings, desires and queries to the world around us. Language is what separates
mankind from the animal kingdom. Through language and the use of written and spoken
language is what allows to harness our innate ability to form lasting bonds with one another
and unifies men more than nationality. Maria Montessori wrote that how this instrument has
been acquired by man, she explains that she observed children that without ever being taught,
seemingly explode into language as written in the absorbent mind pg. (110) “how this
instrument becomes acquired by man-leads us to believe that it is the child who absorbs
language”. By observing children and making careful studies of language development Maria
Montessori concluded that a mother does not teach her child language; it develops naturally in
all children. It is done at an unconscious level in the mind and no child finds it tiring to learn his
mother tongue it; and in adulthood learning a second language is far more difficult and
sometimes can be unsuccessful or has varied success. Maria Montessori wrote in her book the
absorbent mind pg. 113” Beyond question, there is some mechanism at work causing all this to
happen.” This all happens in the unconscious mind, which is handed to the conscious mind. The
environment that a child lives in plays a pivotal role on a child’s Language, the more vocabulary
he hears the richer his language becomes and vice versa.
Maria Montessori further discusses the natural progression of language,
saying that the sensory motor centers for language comprehension and production are specially
designed for the capture of language, words and if these would allow every kind of sound then
children would make most astonishing noises. All the sounds and words that a newborn hears
feels like music and notes to a newborn. Maria Montessori writes on pg121” The child is truly a
miraculous being, and this should be felt deeply by the educator”, by the end of the second
year the child has transformed from being mute to being able to comprehend and understand.
Maria Montessori says that a child has internal drive and wish for order and as a child’s
language develops so does his sense of order. So, as she has written that a child has an
unconscious mind absorbing from their environment and they tend to use words that are learnt
from adults and other children it is our duty as Montessori educators to use proper grammar
and help build a child’s vocabulary which is a critical component in language development and
literacy and also in children’s intellectual development. Teachers play a key role in children’s
language development. The development of children’s language skills is of absolute importance
for young children’s success later in life both as social and in pursuing an education. I can
provide an environment filled with language; by incorporating language stimulation techniques,
use books to build vocabulary; read to them and build a diverse library, talk to children and
respond to them and use different Montessori materials for this purpose. By showing them the
rhyming work, the mystery object, the object boxes, command card, environmental labels,
compound word and many more.