Toddler

We focus on...

Independence

Care of Self, Care of Environment activities aid in the development of your child’s independence and mastery of their environment.  Each activity helps your child perfect their coordination and increase concentration and orderliness.

Language

Your child at this age is especially sensitive to the acquisition of their language and culture.  Lessons involving stories, books, songs, picture cards, objects and contact with the natural world are all incorporated into the curriculum to help develop your child’s receptive and expressive language.

Physical Development

Large motor movement is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth.  Large motor movement pulls your child into contact with the environment, which develops strength, agility, balance and coordination.

Cognitive Development

Montessori materials are based on sensorial exploration. Your child learns by doing and by manipulating objects prepared in their environment.

Social-Emotional Development

The Social Emotional area of development involves learning to interact with other people, and helps your child begin to understand and control their emotions.

Purposeful Activity and Routines

In a Montessori classroom, children choose their “purposeful activity.” Working at their own pace and under the teacher’s guidance, the children learn by making discoveries with the materials, which cultivates concentration, motivation, self-discipline, independence and a love of learning.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Often children who don’t do things for themselves simply don’t know how or haven’t had enough practice. The Montessori classroom is focused on work, not toys and pretend play. The child-sized shelves display tasks children can choose for themselves, such as pouring, sweeping, dusting, buttoning, zipping, and table setting. Children find these fascinating and will practice a task again and again until they master it. Mistakes are learning opportunities in this atmosphere of patience, trust, and respect.

Beautiful Surroundings

Parents are often surprised to see how peaceful our Toddler classroom is. The calm atmosphere and lack of distraction helps young children develop impulse control and concentration, planting the seeds for educational success in the years ahead.

Our classroom bridges indoors and outdoors. Children paint, prepare food, water the plants, and sing songs together. Our program includes Spanish, trips to the school library, time on the playground and in the gym, as well as planned outings with families.

First Friends

Our students grow together into a close-knit, caring community where children work, learn, and grow together. Making friends and learning to be part of a community is a life-shaping experience for a young child. The children learn to take care of themselves and their surroundings and develop skills to communicate with each other.

The lessons in grace and courtesy our teachers model help children develop respect for themselves, for others, and for the natural world. Your child will emerge with strong friendships that continue to build as they move up to the next level.