TODDLER COMMUNITY
The first six years of life is a period of profound transformation from apparently helpless newborn to capable, active and articulate six year old. This period of life lays down the foundation on which is built the future adults potential. During the first plane of development children have a special capacity for learning and absorbing vast amount of information, a capacity described by Dr.Montessori as The Absorbent Mind.
The program focuses on the following skills in preparation for our Primary program.
Practical life
Practical Life exercises will help develop independence, increase concentration and help develop fine motor skills. The materials are attractive to the child and respond to their desire to master everyday skills such as opening and closing containers, manipulating locks & keys or nuts & bolts, buttoning and zippering, pouring, scooping, etc.
Sensorial
Sensorial materials isolate specific sensory concepts, such as size, colour, shape, sound, texture, etc. Children learn the language associated with these concepts and learn how to make sense of their environment.
Language
Language exercises at this level are mostly designed to develop vocabulary, by reading books, flashcard lessons and singing songs. As a child is seen to be ready, they would also begin work to prepare the hand for writing (early metal insets) and learn the phonetic sounds of the alphabet letters.
Mathematics
Mathematics: Concepts are presented through extensive use of concrete materials, this allows children to understand mathematical concepts abstractly before introducing the concrete form of mathematics.
Natural Science
Natural Science. Young children interact with the natural world everywhere they go. Encountering something new in natures sparks the child’s curiosity and leads to a spontaneous lesson as the child asks “What is this? What is it called? How does it feel/smell/taste/sound?” In this sensitive period, children should be encouraged to explore their environment with their senses. Once their senses have been awakened, they can be shown more abstract concepts such as how to care for plants, how to feed and water the class pet, the different shapes found in leaves, the parts of a turtle or butterfly. Young children in the period of the absorbent mind have a real need to learn the proper names for things.
Creative Arts
Music and arts are like language. They are integrated into a daily life as human expression for children. The ability to move the body as a form of expression is an important aspect of their development. Music and movement also promoting health and physical strength. Through exercise of practical life and sensorial activities, children this age gain better control of their fine motor skill. The quality of their artwork will improve as their fine motor skill develops.
Development of Movement
Activities are designed to help toddlers bring their movement under control of the mind, at the same time as they increase their independence in the environment. Each moment of voluntary movements contributes directly to brain development of the child. The activities include exercises for building whole body coordination, control of the hand and hand-eye coordination, development of gross and fine motor skills. The activities provided to promote gross motor skills include climbing up and down steps, carrying work trays, moving the chairs. and pushing and pulling toys. Manipulative activities provided for children of this age to promote fine motor skill include bead stringing, hammering, transferring objects with hand or various instruments, puzzles, etc. Very often, the child will repeat the same activities over and over again. The repetition of the activities by the child is fundamentally important because it leads to longer periods of concentration.
