Toddler Program

 

Classroom age requirements: 15 months up to 3 years old.

 

This class meets Monday - Wednesday 8:30-11:15 a.m. or Monday - Thursday 8:30 - 11:15 a.m. 

 

The Toddler Program is designed to be a gentle transition from home to school. Through close cooperation between parents and the teacher, the children can gradually separate from their parents without anxiety. 

 

Respectfully and gently, Peaceful Pathways' teachers support the child's natural development, always focusing on the encouraging independence. Toddlers begin building the foundation for who they are to become. They are beginning to form their character, self-esteem, life purpose, social skills, and learning processes.

 

Activities are positioned around the room for toddlers to choose from independently. The materials and activities help the toddlers experience the concept of sequence, form, shape, movement, and sound. The activities change and evolve as the child grows physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

 

Your child is an acute observer, eager to learn, explore, try new skills, and master them through practice. At a very young age, the child can concentrate on a task, absorb sequences and procedures, and master new language and physical skills if they are introduced in a way appropriate to the child's age, size, and needs. In our Toddler Room, active toddlers thrive in an environment where the various aspects of the physical world are introduced in a systematic way by specially trained teachers.

 

The Toddler Program covers three primary areas:

 

Practical Life:

After toddlers begin walking, usually around 12 months, their hands are free to work. Imitation of adult tasks is the favorite activity at this age. A child between 14 and 30 months becomes aware of himself as a separate person and shows a need for independence. He is interested in the following:

• Dressing and undressing himself

• Brushing his hair and teeth

• Putting things away around the house

• Feeding himself and cooking

• Setting the table and washing dishes

• Using the toilet

• Learning to fold, pour, sweep, and mop

 

These activities comprise the “practical life” area of the Toddler Program. Grace and courtesy lessons are also introduced to the child at this age. Lessons include waiting until everyone is served before beginning to eat, use of cutlery at the table, greeting others politely, waiting until a person has finished a conversation before approaching them, and respecting one another’s workspace.

 

Sensorial:
 

The toddler’s senses are challenged to match objects by size, shape, color, smell, or texture in the environment. Sorting is used to assist the child in creating mental categories, which will soon be named with his developing language skills. Exploring how water, sand, clay, and other materials behave when manipulated is fascinating to the child of this age. Simple puzzles assist the development of spacial relationships.

 

Language:
 

Language develops rapidly between 18 months and age 2. Children learn new words daily. We provide books, objects, and pictures for naming. More crucially, the adults in the environment talk and listen carefully to each child during the language lessons. Care is taken to pronounce words accurately and to give precise words for objects and actions.

 

Activities

 

The Toddler Program is designed as a special environment intended for children between the ages of 15 and 35 months. Teachers assist students in acquiring the skills appropriate to their age. 

 

Activities include:

• Food preparation – particularly baking bread and cutting vegetables and fruits

• Using cutlery, setting the table, eating and drinking independently

• Sitting at the dining table and eating in a group

• Using the toilet independently

• Categorizing and classifying objects according to color and size

• Learning to fold fabric and roll rugs

• Beginning to use chalk and other art materials

• Spoken language development:  vocabulary, using words, phrases, and sentences as appropriate

 

As the teacher sees a student has made the necessary acquisitions to handle the activities in the Montessori Primary Classroom (ages 3-6 years old), the decision to transition to the Primary Program will be made with the parents.