Toddlers, like older children and adults, want to participate fully in their society. They want to challenge themselves and perform important, meaningful activity. This desire is especially strong during the toddler age, where a child begins to master the balance, coordination, and reasoning skills to participate in real work.  During this stage of their life, their experiences construct the base for their personality and lay the foundation for the adult they will become.

In a Montessori Toddler Community, a trained Montessori Toddler Directress presents individual and group lessons to the children.  She guides each child’s progress individually. Shelves, tables, sinks, and toilets are custom-sized for the toddlers to allow for full exploration and participation.  The beautiful, specially developed Montessori materials appeal to the natural curiosity of the children. They are designed to challenge the child but allow him to learn and succeed on his own. This leads to great inner security, high self esteem, a positive self image, and strong habits of concentration.

The Toddler Community contains several carefully prepared areas:

Practical Life Activities, which can be divided into three main topics:

Care of Self – washing hands, dressing, toilet independence, preparing food

Care of Others – grace and courtesy lessons, teaching and learning from others, socialization skills

Care of Environment – Washing, dusting, polishing, sweeping, watering, raking, folding laundry

Montessori language activities build on children’s natural capacity to listen and absorb everything they hear.  Children in a Montessori classroom are exposed to a rich vocabulary, and they explore the seemingly endless opportunities for naming objects.  The teachers have peaceful, respectful conversations with the children, and children model these respectful conversations with one another.  Language materials are matched with real objects to reinforce physical and spatial concepts as well as vocabulary development.  Language is also developed through self expression, storytelling, and questioning exercises.

The Toddler Community contains many activities that develop logical thinking such as sorting or matching materials and puzzles.  Most materials are self-correcting to give the child their own control of error in the work.  Materials become progressively more complex as the child grows older.

Singing, rhythm activities, and playing instruments are all part of the Toddler Community daily activities.  Art is explored in the form of drawing, painting, cutting, gluing, collage, etc.

Eating is an important social event for the children.  Full-day toddlers eat family style with their teacher.  They participate fully in the preparation of the meal: setting the table, serving, passing food, and cleaning up after eating.  The children also prepare and serve their morning and afternoon snacks, using a toddler-sized sink and counter area. 

These materials include sorting, cutting, sewing, and other gross and fine motor development activities.  These develop eye-hand coordination, body equilibrium, and cause and effect relationships.

Outdoors and Garden

Our toddlers spend part of each day outside whenever possible.  They play on our shady playground, go for walks, and explore nature on our five-acre grounds.

CMS toddlers also explore our Children’s Garden, where the children dig, rake, plant, weed, and harvest from the terraced planting beds.  Children cut flowers from the garden and use them for flower arranging activities.  Vegetables planted by the children are harvested and used for cooking and sharing.

Transition to Primary

When the toddler child shows signs of readiness, usually between 2 ½ and three years old, he or she will begin to visit one of the Primary Classrooms.  Then, when the parent, teacher, and child are ready, the child will transition fully into the Primary classroom.  This transition happens very naturally.