Dr Maria Montessori claims that it is through movement and manipulation of the senses that children would gain knowledge of language, abstract thought, critically thinking and problem solving skills, math skills, independence, practical life skills, and discipline. If students only learn how to manipulate the environment without learning how to understand the meaning of their senses, we as educators, “…have only led these children to adapt themselves to a low order of life (almost a vegetable existence)… the idiot from the vegetative to the intellectual life, ‘from the education of the senses to general notions, from general notions to abstract thought, from abstract thought to morality” Montessori Method pg 41

The toddler, at this stage, has strong inclinations to work, imitate and repeat their tasks.    This is the perfect age to enter Phase 1 of their education in a Montessori community.  The Directress must provide an environment that emphasizes the Practical Life tasks.

By the age of 3 the Child will be ready to begin using the Metal Insets which are a set of 10 geometric shapes that can be used for tracing.  A 3-sided pencil, in the colour of the Child’s choice, will continue to ensure that the correct grip is continued to be maintained and the child’s fine motor muscle control grows as they begin to develop more and more intricate designs with the metal insets.  These shapes are more than just a tool to develop designs, the various movements required to copy each shape are aligned to every conceivable shape required for writing every letter of the alphabet, thus developing the required muscle memory to take the child into adulthood.