Infant/Toddler Program 18-36months
The Montessori infant/toddler program is designed to foster the development of basic trust and to assist in the normal development of the personality. Basic trust develops in an environment where people respond appropriately to the child's communication of needs to be loved, respected and accepted. Infants & Toddlers alike learn through their senses. They learn by watching and moving freely in the environment. The child is considered as a whole person and is affected by the quality of holding and feeding, as well as the quality of physical care. Freedom to move is essential to the development of the child's potential. Learning, which leads to independence, occurs when the child participate in their daily routines of care. Children must be spoken to in the language with which they will communicate.
Especially at the early childhood level, the works are designed to draw the child's attention to the sensory properties of objects: size, shape, color, texture, weight, sound, etc. Gradually the child learns to pay attention, seeing more clearly small details in things, beginning to observe and appreciate the environment. This is a key to help the child discover how to learn.
Lessons are usually presented to less than a handful of children at a time. Each lesson is brief and efficient. Lessons center around the most clear and simple information necessary for the children to do the work on their own: the name of the material, its place on the shelf, the ground rules for its use, and some of the possibilities inherent within it. The goal is to give the children just enough to capture their attention and to spark their interest so they will return to the material on their own. The teachers closely monitor each student's progress, keeping the challenge level high. Working with children over two or three years, the teacher gets to know each student's interests, strengths, and weaknesses well.
The Montessori infant/toddler program is designed to foster the development of basic trust and to assist in the normal development of the personality. Basic trust develops in an environment where people respond appropriately to the child's communication of needs to be loved, respected and accepted. Infants & Toddlers alike learn through their senses. They learn by watching and moving freely in the environment. The child is considered as a whole person and is affected by the quality of holding and feeding, as well as the quality of physical care. Freedom to move is essential to the development of the child's potential. Learning, which leads to independence, occurs when the child participate in their daily routines of care. Children must be spoken to in the language with which they will communicate.
Especially at the early childhood level, the works are designed to draw the child's attention to the sensory properties of objects: size, shape, color, texture, weight, sound, etc. Gradually the child learns to pay attention, seeing more clearly small details in things, beginning to observe and appreciate the environment. This is a key to help the child discover how to learn.
Lessons are usually presented to less than a handful of children at a time. Each lesson is brief and efficient. Lessons center around the most clear and simple information necessary for the children to do the work on their own: the name of the material, its place on the shelf, the ground rules for its use, and some of the possibilities inherent within it. The goal is to give the children just enough to capture their attention and to spark their interest so they will return to the material on their own. The teachers closely monitor each student's progress, keeping the challenge level high. Working with children over two or three years, the teacher gets to know each student's interests, strengths, and weaknesses well.