Toddler Programme
De BISAWiki
Westbrook Montessori Academy's Toddler program is comprehensive, challenging and diverse. This is a time when the child absorbs effortlessly from his/her surroundings, just by living. This is the period of the 'absorbent mind.' They need to be able to explore and discover. These children are curious about everything and need to touch and manipulate objects in order to learn. They are attracted to everything that stimulates their senses, which they are learning about through their surroundings. The program offers an introduction to the Montessori Philosophy and Methodology for children from 18 months to 2.5 years of age.
Practical Life:
The Practical Life area is the building block for the future development in all areas of the Montessori environment. For the toddler children, the practical life materials offer an opportunity to begin developing their fine and gross motor skills, focusing on abilities, attention span and concentration levels, through working with some of the materials such as pouring from jug to jug, spooning, and locks and keys.
Sensorial:
The sensorial materials allow a child to begin to 'define their world.' Children are introduced to shapes, sizes, colours, basic geometric shapes and sounds, allowing them to begin classifying the world around them.
Language and Math:
Toddler children are introduced to the preliminary language exercises allowing them to learn the sounds that make up words. Sounds are introduced phonetically as children play sound games allowing them to listen carefully to the sounds that make up the words we use. In the Toddler Math area, simple concepts of numbers are introduced through songs, counting by rote and the daily calendar.
Culture and Science:
In the cultural area, the children are introduced to basic concepts about animals, botany and geography. Through working with such materials as puzzles, leaf pressings and talking about animals from around the world. In the science area, we introduce basic concepts through experiments such as, cutting an orange to discover where the juice comes from, or freezing water to ice-cubes. These types of simple concepts set the stage for further interest and more advanced exploration in the Casa and Elementary age groups.
Free Play:
Free play takes place indoors and outdoors. This provides children with an opportunity to share and develop relationships. During free play, there is an opportunity for children to explore, design, create and carry out projects.
Music and Movement:
Music and movement encourages self-expression, creativity, and fun for children. It develops an awareness and appreciation of sounds, tones, and rhythm.
Circle Time and Story Telling:
Circle time and Story Telling enhances the child's ability to listen through stories, songs, and poems, and encourages children to broaden their imagination. Furthermore, this develops memory skills, lengthens attention span, encourages social skills, while promoting cognitive development. This in turn leads children to self-expression, gross motor development, role- playing, body awareness and language development.
Book Area:
The book area is a quiet area for children to relax, enjoy, and explore different books which stimulates the child's desire to learn to read. Activities around books can be done in large or small groups. This enhances development of the child's attention span, while learning simple concepts and exercising their imagination.
Creative Learning:
Creative experiences provide children with the opportunity to express themselves, manipulate and create crafts with a variety of materials. Emphasis is placed on ÒProcess Not Product.Ó Creative learning allows children to work alone or in groups. Creative learning assists in many areas of your child's development such as, pre-writing experiences, small muscle co-ordination, eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills and sensorial experience.
Large Motor Skills:
Large motor skill activities include daily indoor and outdoor play which promotes good health and development for growth. These activities also aide in balance and coordination, while promoting social skills such as sharing, taking turns and co-operation.
Manipulative Play:
Manipulative play helps to develop control, self-expression and role-playing. It also gives children an opportunity for social interaction that encourages language development. These activities are done individually and in a group setting. They help to develop dramatic role-playing, social interaction, turn taking, self expression and language development. It incorporates conceptual skills and contributes to small muscle dexterity and cognitive processes.
Dramatic Play Centre:
This area includes a grocery stand with cash register, house keeping, multi ethnic dolls and block play. It provides an opportunity for children to learn about their feelings and to experiment with social relations as well. It also helps develop language through self-expression and role-playing.
