Toddler classrooms are often the first environments children experience from home to school. Our environments are prepared to give the child the opportunity to discover him or herself, through independent activities that focus on each child’s particular stage of development. Children are given the ability to choose the lessons that interest them most. This enables them to practice making independent choices, to develop autonomy, and cultivate a sense of pride from the achievement of successfully mastering each lesson.
Fostering Independence in Toddlers the Montessori Way:
“Never help a child with a task at which they feel they can succeed.” ~Maria Montessori. One of the key principles in the Montessori approach to learning is developing the child’s sense of independence. Montessori’s teaching method is based on a deep respect for the child as an individual and nurtures their developing independence using key values.
Montessori education teaches children independence through practical life activities. Dr. Maria Montessori discovered that children have an innate interest in “real-life” activities and it is important to understand that children are not only interested in, but also quite capable of performing many common daily tasks. Some of the practical life activities we teach the toddlers at Montessori school are; After eating, they may help clear the table and clean the dishes, children also help keep the classroom clean, sweeping floors with child-sized brooms or hanging up coats on hooks built within reach. Children also learn how to manipulate objects in small hands, reach shelves, sinks, or tabletops, and lift/move smaller, lighter-weight items such as chairs or step stools. They must also be kept safe, nothing too sharp, hot, or high for them to reach. Children are allowed to safely and successfully use wooden hammers and other tools, pitchers and cups, brushes, combs and toothbrushes, drying racks, wooden knives and cutting boards, to name a few, just as long as they are sized to fit into the hands and reach of the child.
Before the child attempts these practical life activities, they are given a detailed lesson. The child watches the teacher demonstrate the proper and safe technique. After which the child is invited to try what they have just seen. The teacher will then respectfully observe, offering assistance only when truly necessary. Allowing the child to take as long as they need, to make mistakes, and even struggle a bit. Only helping if the child becomes frustrated, asks for assistance, or there is any kind of potential danger.
Another important aspect of the Montessori classroom that develops the child’s independence is the interaction with different aged children. Classes are comprised of children in a three-year age range to encourage cooperative social interaction to build social skills, friendships, and self-confidence. The children learn to respect others and themselves. Through interacting with other children and adults in the classroom, and exploring the activities in their environment, they quickly learn about getting along with others and how things work within the classroom.
The Montessori way of learning is not just for time spent in school. Through Maria Montessori’s wisdom and by using these methods, parents can teach their children the vital lessons of independence, resourcefulness and self-reliance.
Our staff at AMIS are always ready to give parents ideas on ways to promote independence at home as well. Contact us today to find out how our program can enhance your child’s development.
Children’s natural developmental stages are addressed through the following activities:
Children can learn one or more languages in the same way when there is a specific environment that is the speaker of those languages.
Language begins with spoken language. Just study, work, and live in an environment where you already have a few thousand words when you name everything. Then comes written language. Maria Montessori argues that it is easier to write your own thoughts than others. Reading does not mean understanding what you have just read. Then comes reading comprehension, finally.
One of the things throughout Montessori’s curriculum is that children always learn through experience, learning with real tools to really understand knowledge. Only by understanding, can people remember what they have learned.
Speaking language is introduced specifically. Auditory lessons help children train headphones for sounds in languages. They are always respected, always listened to, and live in a diverse age-mix environment to help them absorb the language from around them, have active language use situations, and singing lessons. Reading poetry, telling stories, playing language games and language cards helps babies always want to communicate and use spoken language effectively.
Written language is indirectly prepared from the beginning of school through hands-on activities that help students learn to control fingers, hands, and wrists. Then comes the sensory lessons that help them control the hand to gently move instead of pressing hard to help them control the pen without tearing the paper. Then comes the rough paper script that helps them have mechanical memory that makes writing letters as easy and enjoyable as works of art. When they have spoken language, knowing all the sounds, they rhyme and write their thoughts in letters. When using letters to express their thoughts, they also know how to write.
Not only that, but students learn about vocabulary types and analyze sentences through games using only spoken language every day and gradually come to written language when ready.
Large group time each morning includes songs and movement exercises that engage the child’s brain and body. Playground time, part of our day in all kinds of weather, gives children a chance to develop both motor and social skills – and have fun!
The important task of children in the 3-6 stage is to build a character and be a part of the culture where they are born and raised. So the miniature world is included in the curriculum. They will explore the biological world, history, geography, science, and culture of the world to appreciate the world around them.
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