Toddler PRogram (1.5 - 3Y)
Education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.
- Dr. Maria Montessori
Toddlerhood is a time of great cognitive, emotional and social growth. In a span of a year or so, your child experiences an explosion into language, with incredible advancement in fine and gross motor control, problem-solving ability, independence, and social interaction. Our Toddler environment and community is keyed to nurturing these skills.
Language Development
We expose a child to real, rich, precise, and varied vocabulary and grammar. The Montessori directress gets down on the child’s level, look in their eyes, and speak to them clearly, so that they can watch the movements made by her mouth as she speaks. Children will enjoy carefully chosen songs, and read-aloud books with poetry, real stories and beautiful illustrations.
Your toddler will learn to express their ideas and feelings in words, and this thoughtful approach to language will also prepare him for reading and writing in later years.
Independence via Practical Life Activities
"Help me to do it myself"
- Dr. Montessori
Toddlers love to do real-world purposeful tasks that they see adults around them doing all by themselves! Our Toddler program offers your child opportunities to choose and practice such tasks independently with real tools through the Practical Life Exercises.
With repetition and practice leading to mastery your child will build confidence and self-esteem. This is a naturally self-reinforcing process: the more they try, the more they succeed. The more success they feel, the more confident they become. The sense of accomplishment that a children feel each time they achieve something new (something that grown-ups do, too!) builds the foundation of self-confidence that they will carry with them throughout their life.
Coordinated Movement & Problem-Solving
"Hands are the instruments of the mind"
- Dr. Montessori
In the toddler environment, children have access to increasingly-advanced Montessori activities. Each activity satisfies their developmental needs and is designed to strengthen the integration between their mind and their hands. These activities help the child to understand cause and effect, solve problems, make choices, and pursue goals, as well as to practice the various coordinated movements.
Some activities satisfy a child's need to master the hand-eye coordination; others meet their need to move and balance. Your child will engage in gross motor activity, from singing and dancing with friends, to navigating through obstacle courses and aiming a basketball in a basket, to simply experiencing the joy of freedom of movement in the Montessori classroom.
Toilet Independence
Like with all other daily tasks we guide children to become independent in toileting from as soon as we notice signs of readiness in them. We motivate them to learn without any pressure. The washrooms are designed to allow children to use them independently with adult supervision.
Most of all, the mixed-age classroom is an invaluable resource: older children in the class will be setting the example, inspiring interest and a desire to emulate in the younger children. The Montessori approach ensures that great care is taken to keep the experience positive and relaxed.
Socializing with “Grace and Courtesy”
Children begin to interact, play, and socialize with their peers in toddlerhood. To learn, children imitate the adults around them, establishing patterns of social behaviour that will be with them throughout their life. Because children move freely in their Montessori classroom, they have lots of opportunities to interact with other children.
We help children learn positive social interaction through specific lessons in “grace and courtesy.” Rather than constantly correcting their behaviour from a negative perspective, children are instead shown what to do in each situation. Courteous interactions are modelled, capitalizing on the toddler's delight in imitation. Lessons in grace and courtesy help your toddler to navigate their world with confidence and consideration for others.
Understanding the World
Toddlers get a lot of exposure in zoology, botany, geography and general awareness of the world which serves as 'keys' to the exploration of the real world. The activities around these also help build their necessary vocabulary. They work on object to picture matching, picture to picture matching which helps them to smoothly transition from concrete to abstract and also develops their visual discrimination. Experiences such as book read alouds, storytelling, group circle time and celebrations enrich their social and cultural knowledge of the world.
The various knobbed puzzles on plants, animals and their parts indirectly prepare them for advanced culture materials in the primary environment.
Art and Music
Art is one of the many ways children express themselves. Art is a way for children to communicate their feelings and to develop their fine motor skills. In our toddler environment, we provide open-ended art activities that help children explore and use their creativity.
Children have an uninhibited inclination to move, dance, and make music, as well as an innate capacity to appreciate all types of music. Music is integrated into everyday activities in our toddler environments through song, movement, instruments, music appreciation, eurythmics and Walking on the Line to music.
Physical Activities
Montessori environments are not sedentary classrooms and children have ample freedom to move around. It addresses the child's innate need for movement. The design of the environment provide multiple opportunities for children to enhance their gross motor skills - carrying materials to their work area, lift chairs, chowkis, rolling, unrolling mats etc.
In addition to that, toddlers engage in meaningful and challenging physical activities like balancing the body, rolling, tumbling and crawling on a Mat, climbing, skipping, obstacle courses and walking on a balance beam and on a line.
