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LOWER SCHOOL
Toddler Program
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he Toddler Program provides a warm and inviting setting which welcomes our youngest students to the Montessori classroom and supports the physical and cognitive development of each child. Learning is child-directed and focuses on increasing independence and social-emotional development. Circle time encourages and builds a community atmosphere and includes songs and finger play that help support emerging Language and Math skills. The major areas of the Montessori classroom are represented in the Toddler setting. The materials are slowly introduced to the children in small group lessons and are then available for the children to choose at will. Working with these materials fosters concentration and independence, as well as the development of gross and fine motor skills. The prepared environment is a key component of the Montessori classroom, and the materials are ordered on the shelves from simple to complex and concrete to abstract in a left to right and top to bottom order. This layout is carefully designed to prepare the hand, the eye, and the mind for reading and writing and all other works. New works are introduced throughout the year, providing new and varied learning opportunities for the children. Practical Life exercises instill care for self, for others, and for the environment. This is a major developmental area in the Toddler Program as children gain confidence in navigating the classroom. These activities serve to enhance muscular coordination, strengthen the pincer grasp, and develop powers of concentration, coordination, independence, and a sense of order. Art is a direct continuation of Practical Life, further developing these skills and allowing for creative expression. Children learn to name and identify colors, sort and match by color, and identify circle, square, triangle, and other shapes. Sensorial materials are designed to develop cognitive skills as children explore their environment utilizing their various senses. These works also lay the foundation for mathematics through the manipulation of specially designed materials. Mathematical concepts include identifying numerals and rote counting 1 to 10, beginning to count using one to one correspondence, and sorting like objects into groups.
Language learning focuses on spoken language while preparing children for the transition to written language. All areas of the classroom enhance language development, and lessons incorporate vocabulary enrichment, story time, rhyming, and song. In addition, visual discrimination activities prepare the eye for letter recognition. Children learn to follow along at story time, participate in finger play, and experiment with story retelling materials. They also practice matching objects to objects, pictures to pictures, and objects to silhouette. Science curriculum allows the child to experiment with and observe their natural world. Concepts include the difference between living and non-living, a basic understanding of plants and animals, showing respect for all living things, and developing curiosity in the world around him/her. The goal of Music is for the children to enjoy hearing and participating in musical activities. The children sing a variety of short, repetitive songs. Students may begin by just listening or participating through hand motions or gestures, but soon they begin to sing along. Children also have the opportunity to try different rhythm instruments, including maracas, rhythm sticks, sand blocks, and bells.
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In weekly Spanish classes, students learn songs that include basic Spanish vocabulary such as greetings and goodbyes, days of the week, parts of the body, and numbers. The children also listen to stories in Spanish to help reinforce these language concepts. In Creative Movement, children learn fundamental locomotor and non-locomotor skills. They develop confidence in walking, running, galloping, and jumping while increasing motor planning abilities. Different obstacle courses throughout the year allow children to improve balance and stimulate both sides of the brain with constant crosslateral movement. Students also learn to throw, bounce, and kick, to move and dance to specific songs, and to follow directions during these activities.
