"Help us, O God to enter into the
secret of childhood, so that we may know, love, and serve the child in accordance with the laws of Thy holy justice and follow
Thy holy will." (Maria Montessori)
Maria Montessori, based on her scientific observations of children, developed Four Planes of Developmental
Growth for the child. She concluded that a child's growth is more like that of a butterfly, with a number of
critical transformations in the first six years, followed by a period of uniform growth while the mind is "being organized"
in the intermediate stage of childhood, ages 6-12. Repeated again is another period of transition during the ages of 12-18
followed by a period of uniform growth, with the child not reaching adulthood until age 24. Each formative plane lays the
foundation for the next successive plane.
I personally have applied
an "Age of Moral Virtues" to each Plane of Development:
