18 months to 3 years old
Toddler Program
At International Montessori, we understand that toddlers are magnificent little humans. The Montessori toddler program is developed for children between the ages of 18 months to about 3 years old.
About Our Toddler Program
In our toddler classroom, we begin lessons on grace and courtesy, both pinnacles of the Montessori philosophy. Grace and courtesy lessons focus on celebrating and respecting our differences while learning to be peaceful and kind to one another. We learn to push in our chairs and put away the materials we are using before starting something new. While the task of taking something out, working with it, and putting it away seems simple, it is a mighty feat for a toddler. We also learn to use walking feet, wash our hands, and how to be safe in our own bodies.
Toddlers are learning to expand their language. Being in a social setting will help them learn a variety of words and practice early social and emotional skills. Studies have shown that children learn language faster from peers than from their parents, so our mixed-age toddler classroom is the ideal place for language exploration.
Toddlers need the freedom to explore and experience the freedom to be the natural curious learner’s children of this age are. We dance, play, and sing. We read stories and parade around like zoo animals. We learn about all the exciting things the world has to offer.
“Children acquire knowledge through experience in the environment.”
— Maria Montessori
An Authentic Montessori Experience
At this age, the child’s development is at a beautiful peak. With so much going on in their bodies and minds, our classrooms are prepared learning environments encouraging children to explore and grow. In doing so, we help the child to build a strong foundation to make them a successful and responsible person.
Studies have shown that children learn language faster from peers than from their parents, so our mixed-age toddler classroom is the ideal place for language exploration. Toddlers need the freedom to explore and experience the freedom to be the natural curious learner’s children of this age are.
Toddler Program Activity Type
Utilizing these six activity types establishes the perfect holistic learning environment for your toddler.
1. Cognitive
We use the cognitive activities in the Montessori environment as opportunities for the child to expend his/her ability to focus and think. Your child will experience:
- Activities that encourage and feed the child’s natural curiosity.
- Motor activities that lay the physical groundwork for developing mathematical, reading, and writing skills. Such as introducing problems that the child can learn to solve on his/her own.
2. Motor
- Activities that focus on fine motor skills as well as gross motor skills and involve hand-eye coordination, visual acuity and manual dexterity.
- Motor skill application into possible practical life skills in our Montessori environment
3. Sensoral
The sensorial activities we do with the child are opportunities to use all the senses, not just sight and hearing. Many of the sensorial activities are intertwined with the activities of the Cognitive category. Your child will experience:
- Rich sensorial concepts that include outdoor as well as indoor activities.
4. Language
- Learning to name and identify objects, pictures, parts of the body.
- Developing skills needed for matching activities.
- Interacting with others.
- Developing listening skills.
- Producing appropriate sounds.
- Identifying objects by their description.
- Becoming aware of numbers.
5. Social
Our toddler social activities give our students important opportunities to explore and develop social relationships with their peers. Through both teacher and peer role modeling, your child will experience:
- Practice with particular sounds and facial expressions.
- Opportunities to imitate and anticipate.
- Cooperation activities.
- Focusing on others during communication.
- Developing a positive concept of self.
6. Practical life
To show the child that he/she is valued as a needed member of the community, we allow each child to participate in some way in the everyday workings of the classroom, because children are more capable than what most people expect from them. These activities help children to develop both the motor skills necessary for each task to be fulfilled appropriately, and a sense of accountability to maintain their environment clean and tidy. Children feel proud when they are treated like a responsible member of their community. Your child will experience:
- Activities involving child-size real life materials, such as child-safe kitchen utensils, brooms, mops, dustpans, etc.
- Opportunities to help inside of the classroom such as watering the plants, feeding the animals, cleaning up after themselves etc.
Potty Training in the Toddler Montessori Program
We begin potty training toddlers around 2 ½ years old, after they begin showing clear signs of readiness. This is an exciting milestone in a little person’s life, so we view this as a partnership between school and home. Once the child has developed adequate bathroom independence and appropriate development in the areas mentioned above (typically around age 3) the child is ready to transition into our Primary community.
Contact Us Today
The first step in enrolling in our program is to visit our campus and meet the teachers and staff.
Our Schools
Spanish immersion campus
Jollyville
11124 Jollyville Rd
Austin, TX 78759