The young child’s absorbent mind is an essential concept in Montessori education. It’s important for parents, teachers, and anyone who spends a lot of time with children to understand the importance of the child’s environment.
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In The Absorbent Mind, Maria Montessori talks about insects that look like leaves or stalks. She compares the child to those insects when she says:
“He absorbs the life going on about him and becomes one with it, just as these insects become one with the vegetation on which they live. The child’s impressions are so profound that a biological or psycho-chemical change takes place, by which his mind ends by resembling the environment itself. Children become like the things they love.”
“Children Become Like the Things They Love” Montessori Word Art Freebie
I created a word art freebie based on that quote. (Note: It’s just a coincidence that there’s an insect in the photo. I wasn’t using the butterfly to represent an insect that looks like a leaf or stalk.)
For printing, feel free to download the word art freebie without watermark. If you’d like to share the image online, please use the image with the watermark. Of course, I always appreciate when you link to my post, too. 
To download word art without watermark, click here, then right click on the image and choose “Save Picture As . . .”
More Montessori Inspiration for Parents and Teachers
You’ll find lots of Montessori quotes here.
I have many more Montessori word art freebies.
For LOTS of Montessori-inspired activities and ideas, see Living Montessori Now.
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Hi deb,
I do not know anything about the montessori education but I totally agree with this concept of absorption. children are like sponges, they reall absorb anything around them whether it is good or bad, and that alone makes me always concerned because if I have a child, I would be so protective, probably be a control freak…
Children are definitely like sponges, Sophie. Fortunately, they’re also quite resilient, so parents who love them are more important than being a “perfect” parent (which is impossible for anyone). 🙂 Deb