16 months –33 months
In the toddler Montessori environment all the materials are neatly kept on the shelves. Everything in the classroom has a place. Once the child is finished with a material he/she puts the material back on the shelf where it belongs. The teacher works with each child’s individually and in groups. The Montessori philosophy believes that the child should be allowed to do things for themselves and be as independent as possible.
Our Toddler Room is a prepared environment that promotes individual work,designed to meet your child’s needs,(social,physical,emotional,and psychological.) It will aid your child toward independence and self care,while building social skills,grace,and courtesy.
Farm Game
Our classroom offers activities in the following areas:
- Practical Life (sweeping,washing windows)
- Language (books,picture cards,matching objects to pictures)
- Science (things in our environment)
- Art (painting,coloring,play-dough)
- Math (counting,sorting)
- Sensory (sizes,weights,colors,textures)
- Manipulative (stringing,lacing),puzzles and blocks,
- Large muscle (balance beam) and then of course there’s
- Taking care of the self (toileting,washing hands,dressing).
There are differences between a Montessori Program and a traditional preschool program. The Montessori program is individually based,while a traditional preschool is group based (everything is done in a group).
Montessori believes that the child needs order in his/her environment,the child needs freedom to choose his/her own work,and the child needs the freedom to repeat the activity. (Note:Montessori teachers call their educational activities”work”.)
Another difference between a Montessori Program and a traditional program is that many preschools are theme based. The teacher picks a theme for the week or month. In Montessori there are no themes. A Montessori classroom might choose to explore animals or people but all projects are ongoing. If something is brought into the classroom it usually becomes part or the curriculum.
The role of the Montessori teacher is to observe the children. She is looking for what interests the child. Interest is the key to learning. Each child has his/her own interests and the teacher must observe what the child’s interests are,so when the teacher gives a presentation (shows how to use the material),she can use the child’s interest to draw them into an activity. The teacher is always introducing the children to new material and encouraging the children to learn new things.
