Montessori Toddler

Your child’s first steps towards independence will be supported by the care and guidance provided at our school. The Montessori curriculum is designed to engage your child’s natural curiosity and eagerness to “do it myself.”

We offer a variety of flexible schedules to meet your child and family’s needs. Choose from morning-only or full-day options within a three, four, or five day schedule. We will work with you to create the perfect schedule.

AVAILABILITY

Monday – Friday

18 MONTHS – 2 YEARS, 11 MONTHS

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Good morning!

Each day begins with a teacher assisting a child unpacking their backpack. Toddlers are guided and supported to “do it by myself,” i.e. hang up coats, change shoes to slippers, unpack backpacks. This is considered one of the works of the child. Physical freedom and independence empower the student and confidence builds as they explore their own interests and develop autonomy in a prepared environment.

Language

Language is a cornerstone of the Montessori Toddler environment. Children typically jump from 200 words to 1000 in one year. Teachers offer narration, vocabulary and classification all day, every day. It is a “sensitive period” for the acquisition of language, and the children are sponges, soaking it all up.

Practical Life

Montessori Toddlers engage in an extensive array of Practical Life activities in the classroom. Care of the environment, care of oneself, and food preparation are deeply satisfying tasks for them. Toddlers are given ample opportunity to observe, and the freedom to practice and repeat skills they will continue working on throughout their lifetime.

Care of Oneself

Montessori toddlers are given the skills and tools to take care of themselves. Washing hands, dressing and undressing, toilet learning, cleaning up spills, food preparation and taking care of their belongings within the classroom build independence and responsibility.

Care of self also includes an awareness of one’s feelings and emotions and building emotional resilience. This means learning how to deal with being upset, expressing what’s bothering them, and working through disagreements. Children not only build essential life skills, they love doing it.

Sensory Exploration

The more the senses are developed, the more tools the child has to understand the world. In this realm, children learn about the material world, their bodies, and how they interact.

Children explore the textures of play dough, sand, water, fabrics, sandpaper, and natural objects.

The visual sense is explored by observing dimension and color through painting and other art projects. The auditory sense is explored with music and the sounds of nature.

Children at this age also begin to establish a sense of order from learning the proper place where items go to ordering objects from smallest to largest.

Freedom of Movement

Gross motor activities are available to the Montessori toddler both outside and inside the classroom. Jumping, balancing, and climbing are explored as children build confidence, self esteem, and assess risks. Heavy objects to carry, push or drag help build muscle and determination as well as infuse joy and fun.

Music and Art

Music and art are infused throughout each day. Children sing together, play instruments, and create art projects. They’re also visited by our music and art specialists for special gatherings and lessons.

Socialization

Multi-age classrooms allow students to learn from and mentor other students. In this age, children also go from parallel to cooperative play and build core social skills.

Aside from their own classroom community, Montessori toddlers develop special relationships with older students as they visit from their classrooms to read stories and get them ready for outdoor adventures.