Simplifying Montessori: The Beginning of Normalization

Have you ever heard the Montessori term normalization and wondered what it really means?

If every child is so different, as Montessori itself teaches over and over and over, how can you, in the very next breath, teach that children are also capable of something called normalization?

Maria Montessori adopted the word not because she believed all children should, or could, be shaped into a version of what is considered “normal” but because she found that, over and over again in her study of children, every child, with different backgrounds, personalities and countless contributing factors, reached a similar level of development that she recognized as a normal aspect of human development.

She discovered that, without external factors that hindered normal development, all children shared similar characteristics.

The definition of normalization, in the field of anthropology, according to Michael Olaf, is to become a contributing member of society.

I find this interesting, in light of how we typically seem to view children, especially young children, in our society today.

They are rarely considered contributing members of their societies, be it their homes, families, schools. It seems that most children are regarded as somewhat incapable of contributing in a positive manner, in fact. How can children, who are so often disruptive, aggressive, emotional, unreasonable, unruly, and otherwise uncontrollable, be considered “contributing members of society?”



Maria Montessori, in her extensive research and observation of children found that, when children were given access to a familiar rhythm and the freedom to use their energy in ways that were suitable for their individual needs, they underwent a process that resulted in normalization: children that were peaceful, purposeful, and capable of living in harmony with those around them.

This process happened in four steps in the prepared environment:

1. First, children developed a love of work.
2. Second, this love of work resulted in a deep concentration and ability to become immersed in work.
3. Third, when given the freedom to independently choose work that suited their needs and the space to work with perseverance, self-discipline emerged.
4. And finally, a characteristic referred to as sociability. In the classroom, for example, there is only one item of each material, and instead of fighting over it and arguing about whose turn it was, the children developed a sense of respect for the work of others and a pure desire to share the satisfaction of work with their peers.

A child that has reached the level of sociability "[displays] patience in getting the materials one wants, respect for the work of others, help and sympathy for others, and harmonious working relationships among members of the group." 


One of the key ways a child reaches normalization is through the repetition of the work cycle, the familiar rhythm I referred to above.

The work cycle is in three phases:

1. Choosing a work: the child gathers together all the necessary components of the activity, encourages independence, coordination, and cues the mind to begin to concentrate on the chosen work. This work is freely chosen, based on the inner guide of the child, which leads them to choose work which is meaningful, and necessary, for them.
2. Completing the work: the child completes and repeats the work, is where concentration and mastery of a skill or ability occurs.
3. Returning this work to its proper place before moving on to another work: this evokes the internal reward of satisfaction for the achievement of work, and restoration of order. As well as setting the child up to repeat the cycle.

Along with instituting a somewhat familiar rhythm, which allows for the work cycle, as well as preparing the environment for the needs of the child as I mentioned was a necessary component for the process of normalization above, I believe there are also three specific steps a parent, or the guiding adult in a child's life, can take in order to guide a child towards normalization. 

Read about these three steps next week in my post on How Can We Help Our Children Reach Normalization.

Thank you for reading! For more posts in my simplifying Montessori series: Following The Child | The Work Cycle | The Value of Concentration | Obedience and Self-Discipline



If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me. And if you are interested in following along in our daily adventures, follow us on Instagram where I post daily.

God bless,
Olivia Fischer