Age: 1 year to 2 years
Schedule: Full-day (6:30am to 6:30pm)
This program continues the development of the young child in a specifically prepared environment, allowing for personal experience, growth, independence and social development. Special attention is paid to the sensitive periods for movement, language and sensory development. Materials and activities are carefully chosen to allow each child to develop at his/her own rate.
Age: 2 years to 3 years
Schedule: Full-day (6:30am to 6:30pm)
Designed with the nurturing characteristics of the pre-toddler program, but with a broadened focus developmentally. The program provides the older toddler with a gentle transition between home and school. It offers a rich and stimulating environment focusing on movement, language development, daily living skills, music and art.
Woodbridge Montessori’s Toddler Program is based on the Montessori principles of self-directed independent learning, which is often difficult to program for. Each child’s needs and abilities are unique, and it is our mandate to program for each individual child as they develop and progress throughout the year.
Montessori materials are based on sensorial exploration. Thus, a child learns by doing and by manipulating objects prepared in his environment. The materials are also designed to be self-correcting, for the purpose of fostering self confidence and the love of learning. As each child is different, the learning process is altered slightly for each child.
Woodbridge Montessori's Toddler program assists in the development and refinement of fine motor skills. At this age, there is a direct link from hand to brain, and cognitive skills are enhanced by the work of the hands.
Outdoor time is scheduled twice a day giving the Toddler plenty of opportunities to use their large muscles and expel energy. Strength, agility, balance and coordination are practiced on a daily basis, through the use of the outdoor equipment.
Language development is extremely important in the Montessori Toddler classroom. The environment is filled with rich language opportunities throughout the day. The Toddler will learn to associate language to a real object, and then reinforce what was learned by the use of an abstraction. As well, the children are exposed to rhythmic and poetic language during story time and music circle.
Toddlers are taught respect for their environment, their classmates, their teachers and themselves on an ongoing basis. Further opportunities for growth occurs during music time, story time, and both outdoor and indoor play times. Snacks and lunch are offered in the classroom as well, which makes for a wonderful social time and the opportunity to enhance their social graces.
Montessori Practical Life skills build a child’s self-confidence and self-worth through purposeful daily routines.
Montessori is reality based, which holds to the theory that a child must learn what is real FIRST and later can explore the abstract (make-believe). As a result, we do not have a lot of dress-up and make believe in the Montessori Toddler environment. We do encourage the children to use their imaginations during music and reading, while playing games, and during self expression in the arts (drawing, coloring, crafts).