Lower School Blog: Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

“…repetition is a spontaneous phenomenon due to the child’s interior energy – powerful and irresistible…We are here before reality; and we must respect it, help it, and give it the necessary direction to unfold itself.”      Maria Montessori

Take the lid off. Put it back on. Pick up the box and turn it upside down. Take the lid off and repeat countless times for over nine minutes straight. This remarkable Human Tendency to repeat an action, any action - no matter how mundane we adults think it is - can be observed every day in our Toddler and Primary Communities. Repetition, the ability to do an exercise over and over again in order to reach some level of perfection, allows a child to experience the joy of increased control and understanding of their world. According to Maria Montessori, it is one of the essential features of a child’s “work.” It fulfills that profound psychological need fueled by a child’s interior energy. This  irresistible urge continues until an inner peace is reached and a feeling of joy is manifested in a personal “ahh.”

Once a natural interest for an activity or work has been established, that all important state of concentration results as the collection of attention, energies, and faculties to accomplish the work at hand unfolds. What we witness is that when a child is not satisfied with their performance in one activity or does not get any joy from it as determined by their own sense of accomplishment, they will repeat it several times until their personal thirst is quenched. Therefore, as their educators, we must provide materials that are easily accessible and which foster the compulsion to work repetitively.

In the Montessori prepared environment we are able to encourage that recurrence by shifting a point of interest - watch how the water slowly drips from the sponge, try to set the cup down without making a sound, trace that with your eyes closed. We get them to repeat by upping the ante, so to speak, as we give them something new upon which to focus, all the while coaxing them towards improving the desired skill. 

We know that we learn through practice; young children too practice to learn. The difference is that for us it might seem forced or boring or redundant. For a Toddler or a Primary it is chosen, exciting, and essential. Our challenge at home and at school is to respect this energy, give it space and time - yes, step away and don’t hover - nurturing it and guiding it: over and over and over again.