n her 1949 lecture in London, Dr.Maria Montessori emphasized the vital role of imagination in a child’s development of intelligence. She argued that intelligence is not merely a matter of acquiring facts or information but is deeply connected to a child’s ability to engage with the world through creativity, curiosity, and active exploration.
According to Montessori, imagination allows children to go beyond the concrete reality they experience and begin constructing mental models, which are essential for problem-solving and abstract thinking.
Montessori highlighted that the child’s mind is naturally inclined to construct knowledge from experiences, and this process is often driven by the child’s imagination. By engaging with materials, objects, and social situations, children learn to conceptualize abstract ideas and make sense of the world.
Today, this little girl was jotting down her thoughts with the movable alphabet. When she reached the word “buy,” it reminded her of “bye.” She explained to me the difference between “buy” and “bye” with a chuckle. Then, she paused a while and came back to me with “night” and “knight.” This little girl just discovered homophones on her own.
It is moments like this that we cherish deeply in our school. The joy and satisfaction in discovery. That spark in her eyes…
Reading goes beyond pointing the text to read out loud, it’s a calming and pleasant journey to know what a book is delivering through text and illustrations.
Working with the Sandpaper Letters, children learn how the sounds they hear are written. Montessori emphasized that writing comes first, then reading. Later, by blending these sounds, children begin to read phonetic words without laborious effort.
People have great thoughts or ideas, but it’s always not an easy task to project our own thoughts verbally or even through words…why?? Perhaps a person was being pointed when he was trying to express himself…
In a Montessori classroom, we always open up a topic for children to talk about it, anything!!! Children will not be pointed if the statement they make is right or wrong, including the self exploration and the writing which comes in later after they are able to express themselves.
When children have confidence, the drive to self learning and exploring will go further, and thus making learning is joyful.
