The Hands are the Instruments of Man’s Intelligence  – Dr. Maria Montessori

When I sit quietly in the corner of a classroom, I find myself focused on my student’s hands – not only because I have been trained that way, but also because it is fascinating.  

One day, I observed a student using the ‘BambinoLUK’ play and learn series. I could see the girl having some trouble with the visual, so I discreetly placed a bag of wooden cubes on the desk next to her. What a difference it made to see her use her hands to recreate the visuals in the book. 

I watched her turn the cubes over and over as if each side were going to reveal something new with each turn. With each turn, every finger fully engaged itself in exploring the piece she was trying to re-create. The tension in her hands changed with each facial expression – fascinated, frustrated, defeated, delighted.

On another day, a boy was learning subtraction. Intellectually, he understood the concept with ease. Yet, what a difference it made with manipulatives in his hands. In my observation, his hands were nonstop moving the beads around, exploring every possibility, elevating his understanding. I could ‘see’ the wheels turning in his head, indicating the direct connection between mind and hands. The final ‘kaboom’ came when I watched him build a house and explore the taking away of blocks to see if the structure would still stay strong as if it were a Jenga game.  

When I watch my students create their free art, I see that they reflect their minds and their spirit in their creations.

Even when I teach a small group or a Waldorf-style block, students often want to have something in their hands. It is not enough that the child is presented with key ideas regarding the universe and its furnishings. Since the child needs something to do, how to do this needs to be presented as well. 

Further, it is not enough that the “something to do” is presented but that the “exactly how” is also presented. 

With full recognition of the different learning styles and in no way discounting the profound nurturing and cultivating of the spirit in the Waldorf or Enki tradition, I love the Montessori materials for what they have to offer holistic education and the cultivation of a hand-mind connection.

What Montessori has to say about the hand is truly beautiful. In chapter 14, “Intelligence and the Hand” of The Absorbent Mind, she speaks about the hand in this way:

• The hand expresses the thought of the human mind.

• The work of the hand expresses itself in the handiwork of the human being. Over the years, this becomes the expression of culture and civilization.

• The hand is the companion to the mind.

• The work of the hand supports social development.

The Hand Expresses the Thought of the Human Mind

The hand is in direct connection with man’s soul, and not only with the individual’s soul, but also with the different ways of life that men have adopted on the Earth in different places and at different times. The skill of man’s hand is bound up with the development of his mind, and in the light of history we see it connected with the development of civilization. The hands of man express his thought, and from the time of his first appearance upon the earth, traces of his handiwork also appear in the records of history. (The Absorbent Mind 149) 

Furthermore, Montessori goes on to say: 

Everywhere we find traces of men’s handiwork, and through these we can catch a glimpse of his spirit and the thoughts of his time. (The Absorbent Mind 150)

Over my years and interactions with numerous cultures and ideologies, I have fully sensed this:  

The Hand Expresses Itself in the Handiwork of the Human Being,

Which, Over the Years, Becomes the Expression of Culture and Civilization.

As a parent, I do what I can to provide opportunities for projects and hands-on learning. I might focus on building houses and offer blocks, clay, rocks, snow, and mud throughout the year. AND do not forget to role-model each medium!