The results we obtain with our little ones contrast oddly with the fact that mathematics is so often held to be a scourge rather than pleasure in school programs. Most people have developed ‘mental barriers’ against it. Yet all is easy if only its roots can be implanted in the absorbent mind. — Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, p. 186.

Dr. Montessori tells us that it is human nature to distinguish between and order our world based on similarities and differences of perceived qualities. The world around us is made of precise rules that follow an exact, measured order. “In our work, therefore, we have given a name to this part of the mind which is built up with exactitude, and we all it ‘the mathematical mind.’” (Montessori, p. 185)

The Absorbent Mind Chapter 17: Further Elaboration, Part 3 – The Mathematical Mind

Montessori created the sensorial materials to provide a “system of materialized abstractions, or of mathematics.” (Montessori, p. 186) Each material clearly and concretely demonstrates abstract mathematical concepts, such as diameter, height, width, length, area, and volume. In addition to seeing the ordered gradations and discrepancies in geometric form, the child is able to touch and manipulate each material to sensorially learn why and how each property works.

The child’s keen mathematical and ordered mind regulates and controls their world. From the arrangement of household furniture to the order of the toys on the shelf, every object in their surroundings helps them form impressions of their environment. When something is out of place, the child reacts against it until it is made right. Interruptions to a child’s daily routine can cause emotional turmoil because their world is out of order. When adults do not understand the source of these upsets, we often call the child’s behavior “naughty.” In reality, the child is attempting to communicate the frustration they feel while trying to make sense of the world around them.

Most adults tolerate disruptions with relative ease. The child, however, is extracting the truth and laws of nature from their environment. It is difficult to learn the rules when the rules seem to change haphazardly.

Throughout early childhood, the child is forming their personality.

They are learning that they have control over their surroundings. They are figuring out the habits and customs of their family and their environment. Through experience and reflection, the child begins to internalize social rules. And like a scientist, they question, experiment, and draw conclusions: If I do this, then I can expect that to happen. They learn to discern patterns in their behavior that form the personality they will carry with them into adulthood.

It is not just the rules of the classroom or the laws of nature that follow ordered patterns. Our human needs, social interactions, systems of belief, and our behaviors follow ordered norms. Social patterns are not fixed; they change and evolve over time or by circumstances. Adapting to this change “is only possible if the new individuals born into it have a creative power, one which can adapt them to the circumstances into which they are born.” (Montessori, p. 190)