Sensory Books: A Montessori Inspiration

María Montessori, in her book "The Absorbent Mind," compares the mind of 6-year-old children to a sponge that absorbs stimuli from the environment. For this reason, it is very important to prepare the child’s environment in such a way that they can take advantage of all the stimuli in their environment to develop abilities and all the senses.

In the environment’s design, beauty, simplicity, and order must prevail. The materials used must capture the children’s curiosity in a way that encourages the desire to learn and explore. Ideally, the places where the activities take place must be bright and warm to make the children feel more comfortable.

For this reason, the quiet book is an extraordinary idea, as it allows the child to use their imagination and participate in playful activities that stimulate creativity. The manipulative game is a fundamental pillar to promote imagination, creativity, fine motor skills, among others.

It is very important to create a fun, relaxed, and educational environment to allow children to explore. Our Bolboreta Quiet Books are ideal for children between 6 months to 5 years old.

Montessori Methodology and Sensory Stimulation

Have you heard of Maria Montessori? Do you know what her method consists of?

We will now make a brief summary of this methodology and how it is related to sensory stimulation.

The Montessori method was devised by the Italian educator Maria Montessori in the late 19th century. This method is characterized by paying special attention to activities aimed at children and the adaptation of their learning environment. It is a method that was born with the idea of helping children achieve integral development, both in their intellectual, physical, and spiritual capacities. Montessori schools are places where children’s intelligence is developed through free work and with special teaching materials.

"Play to learn," that is Montessori’s education motto. According to this methodology, there is no difference between work and play. As adults, we tend to associate work with an obligation, but for children, it can mean something exciting and fun, and through it, they explore and discover the world around them. The game favors the improvement of their perceptual system (vision, hearing, and touch), improves psychomotor coordination, develops intelligence and the desire to learn, allows the child to discharge and project their feelings and emotions outwards, and enables them to express themselves and establish social relationships.

"No one can be free unless they are independent; therefore, the first active manifestation of a child’s individual freedom must be guided in such a way that through this activity the child can be in a position to achieve independence."

— Maria Montessori