Montessori Infant/Toddler Curriculum
(6 weeks to 2 1/2 years of age)
Infant/Toddler Program Benefits
Montessori based toddler curriculum supports the physical, cognitive, social
and emotional development of each child.
Toddlers strengthen, speech and
language development and both fine and gross motor skills as they explore self,
family, and the world in which they live.
The toddler program prepares the toddler class children for preschool work by
exposing them to each area of Montessori curriculum.
Language Curriculum
The most important language materials for a toddler are the materials and experiences in the child’s environment. Reinforcing the importance of verbal communication, speaking clearly and supporting the child’s expanding vocabulary are a daily process in the toddler environment.
For a toddler written language is
experienced through the adult’s oral reading and story time.
These activities revolve around four areas:
Pre-reading
Matching cards
Vocabulary cards
Stories read aloud
Size and shape discrimination exercises
Picture-word cards
Matching
Tracing objects
Tracing shapes
Word Recognition
Sandpaper letters
Isolating initial sounds
Pre-writing
Sandbox tracing
The toddlers learn concentration, coordination, language skills, responsibility, and respect all of which prepare them well for a successful transition into preschool in Inclusive.
Math Curriculum
Maria Montessori believed that a child’s mind is mathematical and based on the
order and perceptual awareness found in the development of the senses. The acquisition of mathematical principals is seem as developing logically form concrete to abstract and simple to complex. The child who has experienced basic concepts involved with the practical life and sensorial materials to progresses naturally to the beginning math activities. We make this enjoyable by providing these very day activities:
Counting Activities (1-4 and 1-10)
Develops the difference in dimension, width, length, and size can be found in these
materials:
Counting songs
Counting fingers, animals, children, objects in the environment, etc.
Spindles boxes
Sandpaper numerals
Numeral sandbox tracing
Concept of Time
Daily routine
Periods of the day (morning, afternoon, evening)
Seasons
Science Curriculum
Science for the toddler means activities where the child can directly observe and
manipulate physical properties. The tactile element is the key ingredient for learning
about their world. Appropriate science activities for toddlers allow for the maximum child interaction and minimal adult intervention.
These activities make a significant contribution to the child’s development because.they foster autonomous functioning. When children can manipulate materials and equipment and discover on their own, they feel a great sense of mastery and positive satisfaction which helps build their self-concepts. It is extremely important to
remember that it is the process not the product that is important and creates learning within the child.
Life Science
Plant care
Animal care
Nature walks
Living v. nonliving
Life cycles
Physical Science
Sink and float activities
Gravity
Magnetic v. nonmagnetic
Color mixing
Weight/balance
Earth Science
Water properties
Weather/seasons
Oceans
Rocks
Scientific Reasoning and Technology
Observation
Measures
Toddler Classes
Numbers
Body parts
Songs
Animals
Cultural Studies Curriculum
Montessori schools presents a school-wide, three-year rotation of content so special events such as cultural festivals, assemblies, field trips, and reading lists can be thematically planned for the whole school.
Each year, a central question is
posed and each level has its own sub-questions that focus the capabilities. The
toddlers, who are in that environment for one or, perhaps, two years, may touch all
three subjects in the course of a year.
Practical Life Curriculum
The practical life materials and exercises are designed to contribute to the
development of both small and large motor skills and assist the child in becoming
self-efficient and independent.
Physical skills
Control of movement
Silence game
Walking the line
Respect and care of environment
Squeezing a sponge
Sweeping the floor
Pouring grains and water
Clamping clothespins
Rolling a rug
Using tools such as hammers and screwdrivers
Opening and closing jar lids
Opening and closing latches
Using a strainer, beater, whisk
Scrubbing a shell, rock, doll
Caring for animals
Recycling
Grace, courtesy, and etiquette
Greeting someone
“Please” and “Thank you”
Walking around the rug
Shaking hands
Independence
Care of person
Dressing frame
Large button frame
Zipper frame
Snapping frame
Hanging up coat
Combing hair
Washing hands
Health and safety
Nutrition and food preparation
Community Service
Collecting teddy bears for a local children’s shelter.
Sensorial Curriculum
This consists of lessons and materials that educate and refine the child’s senses.
The sensorial materials are designed to simplify learning and awareness of the
environment by isolating difficulty; isolating the senses; encouraging mastery through repetition; possessing self-correction within the material; and presenting an attractive appearance to the child. By working with the sensorial materials, children develop the organization and patterning skills inherent in math and language concepts that build upon the sensory awareness stimulated by the sensorial materials.
These materials include:
Visual
Pink tower
Knobbed cylinders
Broad stair
Knobless cylinders
Color tablets box 1 and 2
Binomial cube
Tactile
Touch boards
Fabric-extreme textures
Stereognostic
Geometric solids
Auditory
Sound cylinders
Visual Arts Curriculum
The visual arts program seeks to foster creativity, problem solving, and self-
expression as it relates to each child’s level of development from Toddler to Middle School. Art lessons use a variety of auditory, kinesthetic, and visual components. Students are encouraged to experience the art process as each concept is presented utilizing a variety of 2-D and 3-D materials to help them truly absorb and understand the lesson’s objectives. Lessons include drawing, painting, sculpture, collage making, and print making. The Toddler curriculum focuses on the exploration of different materials.
Music Curriculum
The music curriculum combines individual and group work with lessons designed
to appeal to a variety of learning styles. This directly relates to our mission of enhancing the Montessori philosophy with other innovation methods. The music curriculum also offers significant opportunities to build community through our numerous performances, field trips, and assemblies. The music curriculum combines individual and group work with lessons designed to appeal to a variety of learning styles. This directly relates to our mission of enhancing the Montessori philosophy with other innovation methods. The music curriculum also offers significant opportunities to build community through our numerous performances, field trips, and assemblies.
Toddler Classes
Repetitive songs
Echo songs
Singing in unison