Who is the 6- to 9-year-old?

From first grade through third grade, children are excited and ready to learn. Having reached a stage of physical stability, they enter into the age of reasoning and logic. Their imaginations are strong and are able to learn and think about things that they cannot see or touch. The Lower Elementary child is interested in exploring not only their immediate surroundings, but in knowing and understanding the bigger world.

Social development and intellectual independence

Where the younger child is gaining physical independence, the elementary child is working on intellectual independence. The Lower Elementary child is also becoming very social, being with friends and working out issues of friendship and the appropriate behavior for groups becomes very important.

Montessori developmental stage: The Intellectual Period

Dr. Montessori referred to this stage as the Intellectual Period. She saw this time as a critical time for expansive education, giving the children lessons and questions to guide their explorations of culture, science, mathematics, language and social rules and morals.

To this end, the Inly Lower Elementary classrooms are exciting and busy places. The passion for learning is palpable, as the children delve into the many lessons available to them. They work both in groups and individually, learning to manage group dynamics, while they also master academic skills.