The classroom is designed to appeal to children’s unlimited curiosity as they explore within a safe environment. Children freely choose activities that have been carefully selected and prepared by their teachers with the developmental needs of each child in mind.
Who is the 18-36 month old Toddler Student?
They are beginning to explore the world outside the home, learning to communicate with others, establishing self-control, developing social skills, and building self-confidence.
They are learning to coordinate and organize their movements with a growing sense of independence.
They are physically active and intellectually curious!
Adults move because their will directs them. The small child is urged by nature.
Maria Montessori
5:1
Student to Teacher (Toddler)
2
Teachers per Clasroom
Toddler Classroom Work Areas
The daily routines of the classroom provide the consistency that toddlers need as they learn to coordinate and organize their movements with a growing sense of independence.
Daily living activities that help develop a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem.
The children learn how to care for their physical needs, such as dressing, undressing, using the bathroom, hand washing and table etiquette.
Sensorial materials encourage children to use their five senses to make sense of their world.
Foundational skills in matching, sorting and grading activities are the base of all other areas such as math, language and science.
Children may look at books by themselves or with friends in the reading corner, encouraging conversational skills.
Teachers read to individual children, as well as to the class, inviting active participation in the stories.
Students are supported in vocabulary development through the expressive use of newly acquired words.
Beginning concepts in science are woven into many areas of the indoor and outdoor environments.
Books, songs, puppets, puzzles and language area activities spark an awareness of plant and animal life.
Classroom pets provide opportunities for children to observe and care for animals, fostering a sense of responsibility for living things.
Students develop mathematical thinking and reasoning through sequencing activities, and ordering activities.
Classical Montessori, as well as teacher-prepared materials, build upon the child’s understanding of quantity and number recognition.
Students explore art through finger painting, painting with brushes, sponges, strings, and stencils.
A variety of materials including crayons, markers, chalk, stamps, stickers and Play-Doh, allow children to express themselves independently and creatively as they develop their small motor coordination.
Cause-and-effect activities, as well as building materials promote creativity and imagination.
Less-structured activities provide opportunities for development of language and social skills.
Outdoor play time and weekly gym period support gross motor development.
Indoor circle time helps children learn patience, self-control and improve listening skills, as well as learn to follow verbal directions.
Students are introduced to different types of music and musical instruments.
Singing with puppets and finger-play is a favorite daily activity that fosters language development.
Music is an important part of daily circle time, singing and movement integrate rhythm, language and physical coordination through a variety of familiar and newly introduced songs.
A weekly lesson from our music teacher enriches musical exposure through the introduction of Orff instruments, related songs and movement activities.
Physical movement is linked to mental development.
Coordinated, purposeful and expressive movement is part of our Montessori prepared environment.
Toddler students visit the gymnasium with their classroom teachers to enjoy activities designed to develop coordination, motor planning, control of movement, and cooperative play.
