Montessori Toddler Programs
16 Months – 3 Years –
Half Day: 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.Full Day: 8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Montessori Toddler Programs
At Countryside Day School the youngest children begin their journey of learning about life and community from day one. All young children have an innate desire to explore, communicate, work and strive for perfection. We support these ambitions in the classrooms. Children are not shuttled from activity to activity, but are given the freedom to discover and pursue their interests. Purposeful activities, such as baking for their community and taking care of their environment help them learn how to be respectful, responsible and resourceful.
Like real life, each day is unique and presents different opportunities for children to experience and work through life’s challenges, which is an essential part of developing strength and determination. Within our living community the children learn how to interpret and react to different social situations and behaviors. Through grace and courtesy lessons the children gain a sense of their role in and contribution to their community.
Curriculum Detail
Art
- Use and exposure of different mediums: paint, crayon, scissors, and clay
Care of Environment
- Mealtime skills
- Taking care of plants and animals
- Cleaning up after oneself
- Preparation and maintenance for indoor and outdoor classroom activities
Care of Others
- Group work
- Preparing group snack
- Compassion for others
- Community building
- Offering help
Care of Self
- Dressing and undressing
- Awareness of one’s needs
- Using the toilet successfully
- Eating independently
Language
- Spanish immersion language experience
- Development of vocabulary
- Emphasis on development of conversation skills
- Encouragement of self-expression
Movement
- Focus on gross motor development
- Focus on fine motor development
- Freedom to explore
Music
- Daily singing
- Attending live musical performances
- Music appreciation (listening to major composers and their work)
- Learning about musical instruments
Where Learning Meets Life
Instead of just learning to count, children practice counting while setting the table— figuring out how many placemats, dishes, glasses, forks and spoons they need.
The toddlers develop strong language skills and sophisticated vocabulary because they are interacting with one another in a class community with teachers that are constantly modeling mature language and encouraging students to speak for themselves.
Toddlers are already learning pre-reading skills by using the book corner in the classroom and hearing daily stories read by teachers.
