Toddler
18 months – 3 Years
Some refer to this developmental period as “The Terrible Twos.” We disagree; toddlers are terrific. We love everything about them – their energy, determination and curiosity – and purposefully created a very special place for your toddler to learn.
Help Me to Do It Myself
Your child has a natural drive to be independent which we encourage by creating an environment where everything is just the right size for her to do things on her own. Child sized tools that fit her tiny hands allow her to prepare a snack and serve it to friends. A miniature broom empowers her to clean up on her own. She is taught the skills of self-care and toilet training. Your child learns a set of concrete life skills and self-confidence – but, more importantly, develops the belief that she can choose to make a genuine impact on her world.
Not a classroom, a community!
Our students grow together into a close-knit, caring community. When children work, learn and grow together, they learn much more than any of them could learn alone!
A Beautiful Environment
Our bright and sunny toddler classrooms are specially designed for your child between the ages of 18 and 36 months. It is a world scaled down to your child’s size. Here, your child paints, cooks, waters the garden, sings songs with friends and plays with materials that develop fine and gross motor coordination.
Practice Makes Permanent
Often, children who don’t do things for themselves simply don’t know how or haven’t been given the chance. We take a different approach – by observing your child closely, providing just the right lesson when she is ready and then allowing her to practice again and again (and again!) until she masters it. Mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities in an atmosphere of patience, trust and respect.
Absorbing Language
We surround your child with rich and stimulating conversation to support this once-in-a-lifetime period of rapid language development. Your child, trying to blow bubbles, might be encouraged with “Blow! Can you make the air move just like the wind?” Your child’s mind effortlessly absorbs the new vocabulary, which plants the seeds for reading, writing, and self-expression in the future.
Exposure to a second language
Decatur Montessori School has native Spanish speakers that speak Spanish to children. This enables children to be exposed to a 2nd language. Learning a second language gives children an added advantage as they grow and compete in an increasingly challenging world.
First Friends
Making first friends and learning how to function within a community is a life-shaping experience for your child. Your child emerges with strong friendships that will continue as she moves through the rest of the programs in Montessori.
An Environment Conducive to Learning
Where so many early childhood programs are chaotic and overwhelming, parents are often surprised to see the peaceful tone of our toddler classroom. The calm atmosphere and lack of distraction helps her to develop impulse control and concentration, planting the seeds for learning in this classroom and beyond.
A Joyful Experience
Maria Montessori once said, “One test of the correctness of the educational procedure is the happiness of the child.” Take a peek into our Toddler classroom and you will see children who are happy, engaged and deeply connected to their friends and teachers. As a result, your child develops a deep affinity for school and a true love-for-learning.
Exploration
To be a toddler is to be curious. There are so many things to see, touch, hear, feel and do in the classroom! Beautiful materials that stimulate her senses are rotated frequently on low shelves to pique your child’s curiosity. She is encouraged to move freely around the classroom, to choose activities and explore her own interests.
Ready to Move Up
Sometime between the ages of 2 1/2 to 3 years of age, your child’s language skills and self-expression will develop rapidly; he will express a growing confidence in independence and a keen interest in broader concepts; he will want to know what lies ahead, outside of the Toddler Classroom. At this point, he is ready to move up to the
Primary Program, for children from the ages of 3 to 6.
The First Three Years of Life
“Man pursues education with greatest intensity during the first three years of life. To this period, more than to any other, it is imperative to give active care”, said Maria Montessori. The joyful child gets purposeful learning that develops self pride, innovativeness and independence. Carefully crafted environment includes material that caters to the needs of a young learner feeding into the natural independent instinct, satiating the inquisitiveness through self exploration and building confidence.
Practical Life Activities
Practical life activities are very important lessons for our toddlers. These purposeful activities develop motor control and coordination; develop independence, concentration and sense of responsibility. Language development, coordination or movement, problem solving and grace & courtesy are also important lessons in our toddler age group. One of the most important ways to be independent is to use the bathroom. Our classrooms are set up to promote the child’s success in this process. Our prepared environment and mixed age classrooms allow the process to flow in the most natural way.
Our Toddler Program
DMS creates in Toddlers a joy for life and purpose in learning. The Toddler program is designed to help children develop their social skills, basic motor skills, coordination, movement control, independence, and language- New vocabulary, correct pronunciation. The toddler program is a nurturing social community where very young children experience participation in a cooperative group. Around three years of age, children manifest the ability for a more challenging environment where they consciously work on self-construction.
“A year has passed that Adriel has graduated and moved on but he still continues to want to go back to Decatur Montessori and meet his beloved teachers and friends. The experience does not stop that day of graduation; Adriel continues to harvest his friendship with his peers who graduated before and with him”
- Roxana P