From an early age, the child can refine the skills necessary to develop his autonomy. Let’s see how to help him
In our daily life, to carry out any activity, we use some skills that allow us to pursue the objectives we have set ourselves.
To complete a work project, create a cooking recipe, play a musical instrument or simply cross the road We need precise abilities: Remember the information necessary to carry out a certain task, coordinate our movements, placing the actions in logical order and inhibiting the contrary impulses that could distract us, and finally implement the creativity that allows us to find solutions to a problem.
Fundamental skills for autonomy
On the basis of the observation of the child, Maria Montessori (here the deepening on her educational philosophy) states that «Not only he learns through the senses and movement, but that in his first years of life, through their adequate exercise, can build e refine fundamental skills to independently lead an adult life».
For this reason, the movement must not be limited to a specific moment of the child’s development path, but must be an integral and substantial part of it: through the possibility of acting within an environment that offers interesting opportunities for activitiesthe child develops his intelligence and specific skills that Maria Montessori identifies in the concept of autonomy.
These skills, in a center of the center on the Developing Child of the University of Harvard, are defined as executive functions and are three:
- the working memory
- Inhibitory control
- cognitive flexibility
They are not completely innate in the individual: they have a biological foundation, but are gradually updated through the exercise And they already manifest themselves in the small child, becoming more and more complex and sophisticated.
Allow in essence to make our ideastransmitting the inner benefit of the sense of gratification and self -esteem that we perceive when we succeed in something.
Do it
To encourage this important exercise in the child, we can offer him the opportunities to build his own autonomy, offering him opportunities for activities that respond to his interest and the degree of his motor development, such as: for example:
- dress yourself
- set the place at the table
- Dedicating to small domestic duties of reorganization or cleaning (such as redoing the bed, we talk about it in our article on Montessori beds)
- wash yourself
Just by carrying out these actions, the child builds his executive functions: he exercises in remembering the information necessary to perform an action, learn to coordinate his movements and focus on his activity: He trains to find solutions in front of a difficulty.
It is therefore important to encourage the child in these activities, without replacing himso that he can immediately build those skills so important to orient himself with confidence and optimism in the journey of life.
As for common use objects to be treated with prudence, we refer to our articles on the use of scissors and knives and the needle to sew.
