MUSEOS INFANTILES BASADOS EN LA TEORÍA DEL PERIODO SENSIBLE DE MARÍA MONTESSORI

Abstract

The objective of this work was to design a children's museum model based on the theory of sensitive periods of the Italian pedagogue María Montessori, aimed at the comprehensive development of children in Initial Education. This translates into how museums can be promoted as spaces for active participation by children, promoting sensory, cognitive and socio-emotional skills, through the planning and development of activities that take advantage of the critical stages of child development identified by the aforementioned pedagogue. The methodology used is documentary and non-experimental, based on the review of the writings of Montessori and teachers with similar research to hers, almost all of them in the field of Child Development Psychology, such as Piaget, Vygotsky and Steiner, who have brought closer visions about how much and how children develop. In addition, experiences of this guideline of the Italian pedagogue, existing in other countries, were reviewed to propose the model in the Ecuadorian context. The results show that a children's exhibition based on the principles exposed by Montessori manages a significant improvement in areas such as linguistic skills, motor skills and training of critical thinking through spaces specialized in role-playing, construction and narration, which allow exploration and encourage children's creativity. The research allowed us to conclude that the implementation of children's museums in Ecuador is almost non-existent and is presented as an option that, used as a key tool in the educational process, can guarantee comprehensive development and reduce educational disparities in the first years of life.