Imagination and Creativity in Young Children - Essay Example

? Early Childhood The essay aims to discuss the importance of imagination and creativity in young children. It will also describe what the Montessori prepared environment is and how it aids in the development of the child. The essay will give examples of the culture activities in the prepared environment. The eight natural laws of development espoused by Dr. Montessori will be elaborated to show how it impacts on a child’s development. Early Childhood “The secret of good teaching is to regard the child's intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core” (Montessori, 1989). The Montessori method encourages creativity and imagination. It is believed that creativity is natural and inborn in every child and that life itself is a constant act of creation. This is the reason why the Montessori environment aims to foster curiosity, independence and experimentation. The prepared environment in the Montessori classrooms offers essential elements for the child’s optimal development which includes challenging his imagination to come up with amazing ways of resolving problems. The aim of this environment is to render the growing child independent of the adult. The six aspects or principles in the prepared environment are freedom, structure and order, beauty, nature and reality, social environment and intellectual environment. Since Dr. Montessori believes that the child processes everything through his senses, the prepared environment is designed to provide a calm, neutral, quiet background that encourages and supports independent learning and exploration. The Montessori cultural activities in the prepared environment include geography, history, general science, botany and zoology, music and art. In teaching geography, Montessori schools use the sandpaper globe and the painted globe. In the sandpaper globe, the land areas are covered with sandpaper and the water surfaces painted blue. This globe aims to give children a sensorial and tactile impression of the world. By introducing the terms “globe, “land” and “water”, the child will have a better understanding of the geographical world. A painted globe on the other hand, is a small globe identical in size as the sandpaper globe but the continents are painted in different colors and the oceans are all painted blue. The coloured globe aims to help the child become aware of the relative sizes, shapes and positions of the land masses and oceans. The purpose of both globes is for the visual recognition of continents and oceans and for the child to see the relationship of the continents and oceans of the world. After a familiarization with the two globes, the child is introduced to the jigsaw map of the world. The Montessori jigsaw map of the world is made up of two hemispheres, with each continent as a removable puzzle piece. The colours are the same as the coloured globe. It is easier for a young child to see how the world is represented on a flat map. There is a control map for the child to place the pieces on. The teacher will show the child how to place the pieces on the control map and she invites the child to do the same. The child learns the names of the continents with the jigsaw map of the world in three period lessons. After a knowledge of the continents, the child is introduced to the various animals which live on each continent. Since children are naturally attracted to nature, the Montessori environment is also prepared with natural things such as plants and animals. The cultural materials were designed to allow the child to explore an abstract concept in a concrete form. Materials such as animal puzzles and identical picture cards are used to introduce the child to the animal. The child will then move on to nomenclature cards which identify the different parts of the animals. This process is also repeated in the case of plants with the help of terminology cards. Fruits and vegetables are also introduced through picture cards. However, it is important to note that before the picture cards are introduced to the child, real experience is the first step, i.e., the child is shown the real vegetables or fruits first. According to Dr. Montessori, there are eight natural laws of development. She further explains that the natural laws of development compel the child to experiment on the environment with the use of his hands, both in cultural and other matters. “It is the passage from nothing to life” (1995). The first natural law of development is the law of work wherein it is believed that through work, the child will self-construct and become normalized. A child will be happy if he is given work and he is able to complete his work. The second law is the law of independence. In the law of independence, it is believed that the child is meant to function without the immediate help of others. Through the child’s independence, he is able to follow his own inner guide for actions and will lead him to self-construction. Dr. Montessori emphasizes the law of independence when she stated that, “Teaching if it is to benefit the tender children, must be such as will help them to advance along the road to independence” (2004). The third natural law of development is the power of attention. A child is sensitive to his environment; thus, he will draw attention to objects in his environment with an intensity and interest not seen before. The development of will is the fourth natural law. This development comes through repeated work of the child making him able to prolong his attention and concentration. He is also able to achieve independence and power. The child becomes ready of self-development and self-discipline as he gains power over his own movement. He will then learn how to obey and serve others. Dr. Montessori pointed out that “to receive frequent and successive commands does not create obedience; obedience is attained indirectly by inner preparation. Obedience to arbitrary commands of the adult cannot achieve development” (1995). The fifth natural law is the development of intelligence which begins with the child’s consciousness of the differences or distinctions in the environment. Through the child’s sense of perception, his reality becomes organized into an orderly abstract arrangement. The sixth natural law is the development of imagination and creativity. All of the previous developments discussed pave the way for the child’s capacity of abstraction which is the basis of his creative endeavors. Creativity and imagination are the results of the child’s ability for selection and emphasis, distinguishing dominant characteristics and associating images. The seventh natural law is the difference between imagination and fantasy. In the Montessori environment, a clear distinction is made between imagination and fantasy. A child is encouraged to use his imagination to understand and explore the wonders of the real world which includes the marvels of nature and the diversity of mankind. On the other hand, fantasy is often an escape from reality which does not help a child develop according to his needs. Unlike fantasy, imagination is based on reality; it changes things but fantasy does not. The development of the emotional and spiritual life is the eighth natural law. The development of a child’s emotional and spiritual nature requires the stimuli of other humans like the loving attention of his mother. Since a child is sensitive and attuned to the qualities of love, understanding and beauty in the environment, it is important that adults be able to provide them with these elements. In conclusion, the importance of imagination and creativity in the development of a child is summarized by Dr. Montessori in this statement, “The mind of the child between 3 and 6 years fixes not only the functions of the intelligence in relation with objects, but also those of imagination and intuition. This means that the intelligence must have a great and vivid power at this age beyond that of merely absorbing through the senses. It has a higher power, that of imagination, which enables the individual to 'see’ things he cannot see” (1995). Dr. Montessori believes that imagination helps provide meaning to experience and understanding to knowledge. It is a fundamental facility through which people make sense of the world; thus, playing a key role in the learning process of a child. References Montessori, M. (1989). To educate the human potential. Oxford, England: Clio Press. Montessori, M. (1995). The absorbent mind. New York, NY: Henry Holt & Company. Montessori, M. (2004). The discovery of the child. Delhi, India: Aakar Books. Read More