A sensitivity in the child’s mind that can absorb knowledge, experiences, relationships, and images quickly and effortlessly into its subconscious mind and this enables him to adapt himself to his society. Only the child from birth to six years has an absorbent mind which unconsciously absorbs and incarnates all experiences in its environment from age 0-3 years and then consciously from age 3-6. After 6 the learner must make a conscious effort to absorb knowledge. (Boehnlein, Haines)

“…it is mental chemistry that takes place in the child producing a chemical transformation.  These impressions not only penetrate the mind of the child, they form it; they become incarnated, for the child makes his own ‘mental flesh’ in using the things that are in his environment. We have called this type of mind the ‘absorbent mind,’ and it is difficult for us to conceive the magnitude of its powers.” (Montessori, Maria, Education for a New World, pp. 12-13) “It is certain that… facts… be referred first to his unconscious and then to his subconscious mind show that a child has the capacity to absorb images from his environment… when he does not as yet fully possess the faculties for learning—voluntary attention, memory, and power of reason… things absorbed during this unconscious period by the very force of nature are those which persist…” (Montessori, Maria, The Discovery of the Child, pp. 344-45)