Understanding the Montessori Four Planes of Development
- Cortlan Waters Bartley
- Sep 9
- 2 min read
At Community Montessori, we look to Dr. Maria Montessori’s research to guide how we serve learners at every stage of growth. We believe that one of the things that makes Montessori education so unique is that it looks at children’s growth in a very thoughtful way. Instead of just thinking about “grade levels,” Dr. Montessori noticed that children grow and change in six-year cycles. She called these cycles the Four Planes of Development.
Each plane has its own special qualities, big bursts of curiosity, and important steps toward independence. For example, the way a 3-year-old learns about the world is very different from the way a 9-year-old does, and Montessori gives us a framework to understand and support each stage.
What does this mean for families? It means that Montessori schools like CM are designed to meet children where they are developmentally, not just academically.
If you have more than one child, you might see how their needs can look totally different even if they’re close in age. This is exactly what the Four Planes of Development help us understand. At CM, the Four Planes of Development are not just an idea. We’ve built our learning environments around them.
While all our studio spaces feature soft seating areas, learners in Early Ed benefit from child-sized furniture while Teen learners use more adult spaces.
Our youngest learners work in studios with child-sized furniture, open shelves, and hands-on materials designed for independence. Our elementary learners work in more group-centered spaces and lounge areas that encourage collaboration, and teen learners have multiple opportunities to work in the community through service projects and internships. Every stage has its own needs, and our environments are designed from the ground up to meet them.
Early Education learners (ages 3-6) and Islands learners (ages 12-14) both spend time learning about food preparation and cooking, but the tasks they practice and tools they use are specific to their age and development.
Below you can find a few simple resources for more information about the Four Planes of Development. You can scroll through the slide deck to learn more about each plane as well as environments that support learning in each plane. You might even recognize some of the things you’ve seen in your child’s studio here at CM!