Montessori and Concentration: Work Blocks to Help Children Memorize Effectively

Concentration: Between Montessori Observation and Neuroscience

Do you know how Maria Montessori discovered the phenomenon of concentration in children?

When she opened her first experimental school in 1907, the Children’s House, she adapted materials and furniture to the children’s size and needs. What she observed was fascinating: when a child engages in an activity that deeply fulfills them — meaning an activity aligned with their sensitive periods — they enter a state of deep concentration, almost like a trance.

This state allows the child to develop and memorize learning essential for their future. They become calm, confident, socially engaged, and emotionally free. Montessori called this phenomenon attention polarization, and contemporary neuroscience confirms that this sustained concentration activates brain circuits related to memory, planning, and learning consolidation.

Concentration can last from 2.5 to 3 hours. During this period, the child naturally repeats the activity until it is fully integrated.

How to Achieve Concentration

Maria Montessori identified three essential conditions:

1. Freedom of Movement

Contrary to popular belief (see our article on common Montessori misconceptions), this freedom is not chaotic. The child can move around the classroom whenever they want, but always quietly and walking, so as not to disturb others’ work. Movement is essential: it allows the child to fully engage in their activity and mobilize their physical and cognitive resources.

2. Free Choice in Activity

The child chooses among activities offered by the adult and can decide the order in which to complete them. This promotes autonomy and concentration.

At Kidioma, this principle is adapted to develop oral expression: children participate in all activities but choose the order, making them more engaged and proactive. Adults play a crucial role by preparing activities suited to each child’s level and needs, respecting their sensitive periods.

3. Voluntary Repetition

The child must be able to repeat the same activity multiple times without interruption. Repetition is the engine of concentration and ensures lasting learning. The activity must deeply interest the child so they remain engaged for hours if necessary.

Application in Language Learning at Kidioma

At Kidioma, we follow these principles:

• Workshops are organized around mini thematic blocks (animals, colors, foods) so children can practice the same vocabulary and linguistic structures multiple times.

• Children can choose the order of activities, which promotes concentration and autonomy, while stimulating oral expression.

• Voluntary repetition is essential: songs, role-playing, and hands-on activities are repeated as often as the child wishes, reinforcing multimodal memorization (sound, gesture, visual).

Tips for Parents: Supporting Concentration Daily

Parents can also help children enter this state of concentration in everyday life:

• A 1–2-year-old child taking off and putting on their shoes multiple times develops fine motor skills and autonomy: let them do it.

• For activities like cutting, pouring, or sorting, provide age-appropriate materials so the child can repeat safely.

• Daily tasks can become concentration rituals: tidying toys, setting the table, stacking blocks, or sorting clothes/foods.

• Let the child repeat the activity without interruption, even if it takes several minutes or hours: they consolidate skills and learn to manage their attention.

The key is to respect sensitive periods, observe, and create a safe environment where the child can experiment and repeat freely. Concentration then becomes a natural driver of learning, and every repeated gesture or word contributes to the child’s overall development.

Do you know how Maria Montessori discovered concentration in children and why this state is so valuable for learning?

In 1907, when opening her first experimental school, the Children’s House, Montessori observed that some children became completely absorbed in an activity when it met their intrinsic needs and sensitive periods. She called this phenomenon attention polarization. In this state, comparable to a trance, the child develops and memorizes fundamental skills while remaining calm, confident, and socially engaged.

Modern neuroscientific research confirms that this sustained attention activates brain circuits related to memory and learning consolidation. In this article, we explore how to foster this concentration, in theory and in practice, with children, in Kidioma workshops and at home.