We know it’s important, we even might be able to identify or deduce when a child is demonstrating in, but do we know what it means? Do we know Why it’s important, or just that it Is important?Ĭrossing the midline is a descriptive phrase. In the sphere of child development, “crossing the midline,” is one such phrase. We could use it in a sentence, but could we define it? Do we have a clear and true understanding? Maybe. There are these phrases that pop up from time-to-time, they get thrown about and it’s important, but do we know what they mean? “Non-gmo” and “mindfulness” come to mind. It’s like any muscle, use develops strength and refinement.
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Our hands talk to our brains, and the synapses formed lead to greater control, knowledge, and awareness. Maria Montessori writes, the hand is the instrument of the mind, and she knew then as we do now, a child must be literally in touch with their world to understand, and later to master and to manipulate it. This shouldn’t be a surprise, given Maria Montessori’s background as a physician, and the fact that this philosophy developed not through hypothetical “this should work!” but rather through observation, noticing what children are demonstrating, and adapting the materials and theory to match the child, not the other way around.Įverything, from basic Practical Life exercises like Pouring and Opening and Closing Containers, to working with verbs and long division, includes some kind of movement. What we’ve known anecdotally now has affirmation in research. Crossing the Midline: How Science Supports Montessori DictionaryĪ really amazing thing about Montessori, is that, the more we’re learning about brain development, the more science and research advance our knowledge, the more this pedagogy is being affirmed.