Why so much focus on independent work for the first plane child (0-6)?

If you observe a child from the time they begin interacting with their world to around four years old, you will notice they generally prefer to play alone or side by side with another child, but they don’t necessarily become interested in playing together until a slightly older age. This is due to the fact that the first plane child, from age 0-6, is changing and developing rapidly throughout these formative years. In order to grow, they need to be able to concentrate.

When you see a child engaged in an activity, perhaps it’s building train tracks, meticulously counting the amount of Legos in a bin, or creating a watercolor painting, this is an essential time for their growth and development. You are literally seeing the child learn before your eyes! To interrupt these periods of conversation, either with your own (usually well-meaning) comments or to tell them to use the toilet or get ready to eat dinner, can disrupt this concentration and therefore disrupt their growth. As much as possible in a Montessori environment, we try to respect and protect the child’s concentration and focus. 

Although first plane child enjoys working with others, their concentration is easily interrupted by their peers. This is why we tend to focus mostly on independent work in the 3-6 classroom, encouraging children to construct themselves independent of others. Once they have refined their ability to concentrate and built a foundation within their mind, then they become more open to working with others without losing focus on their task. This is the natural progression towards the second plane of development (age 6-12) which primarily focuses on group work.

So what about language building then? If the child is working independently a great deal, some parents may be concerned about language learning. However, within our classroom we integrate language so deeply in everything we do, it simply becomes part of the overall experience. We try to find a balance between independent work and small group work with the guide. Children find opportunities to converse both with the guide and with their peers throughout the day, during work cycle, lunch, and outdoor time. We have “language extensions” in our classroom which are activities specifically meant for building vocabulary about different topics such as science, art, music, botany, nature, history, and culture. We sing songs during circle time and read books together every day. It is truly an immersion setting, which has been shown to be the most effective way to learn a language. 

It is also important to realize that if a child can’t concentrate, they won’t be able to learn. In Montessori, we facilitate concentration through inviting the child to do independent work more so than in a traditional school setting.