Toddler Community
In our Toddler Community, children engage in an environment which is organised into: practical life activities, language, food-preparation/cooking, art, and music. This work develops their gross and fine motor skills. Through choice-driven activities, we foster independence in thought and action. Thereby, toddlers are guided to confidently navigate tasks and make decisions that build self-reliance and critical thinking.
The Environment
Our environment is crafted to present engaging challenges that focus each child’s attention and meet their developmental needs. By participating in daily community activities, each child feels valued and integral to our living community.
The Guides (Adults)
Based on daily observations, the adults introduce new materials and activities for children thereby connecting the child to the environment. The adults in the environment have an understanding of the Montessori philosophy, and encourage self formation of the child. Montessori says ” To aid life, leaving it free however to unfold itself, that is the basic task of the educator”.
The Programme
Timings: 9.15 am to 12.15 am ( Monday to Friday )
The program consists of a mixed age group of children between the ages of 1.5 years to 3 years.
The intention of this program is to observe and collaborate with the child to become a complete human being capable of thriving in the current time and place.
The practical life activities help the child to care for themselves and the environment, thereby helping them to be independent and to have a positive sense of self.
The children are offered rich language and are exposed to the names of everything in their surroundings, in an orderly manner. The young child’s vocabulary is thus built and expanded. Children are provided experiences and opportunities for conversations about different elements of cultures by using pictures and books. They also learn to communicate with each other by being in a mixed age environment.
Food preparation and communal meals help the child to be a contributing member in the daily functioning of the community.
Art is a way of approaching life and it cannot be separated from other elements of life.
Dr.Montessori says we cannot “teach” a child to be an artist but we can help him develop An Eye that Sees, A Hand that Obeys, A Soul that Feels.
Children at this age are exposed to a variety of art mediums: including cutting, pasting paper, drawing with chalk, crayons, painting with watercolour and moulding clay.
Music: Singing as a group is a part of the culture. The environment has few functional musical instruments which are prevalent in the child’s culture. Picture cards and books about musical instruments further hold the interest of the child in different varieties of sounds.
What does not exist in the cultural environment will not develop in the child- Dr Shinichi Suzuki
“No one can predict what the destiny of any individual will be. The only thing one can do is offer every child the opportunity to develop according to its own potentialities, and to acquire new perspectives that will facilitate its exploration and internalisation of the cultural world around it. This is the purpose of the prepapred environment” -Mario.M.Jr