Summer is just around the corner, and going for a nature walk with your children every Friday is lots of fun for them. You can go to the library and let your Toddler pick out some books. Play outside and enjoy the world's wonders through your children's eyes; they are curious and enjoy observing nature and the living creatures there. Watching an ant or a worm is a scientific adventure for a Toddler!

Food plays a significant role in Montessori. Learning about foods (it’s a big part of the language area), growing food in our garden (where possible), and preparing food (cutting a banana, peeling an egg) are all part of the daily toddler mealtime routine to establish healthy eating habits.

During eating times, Toddlers practice important skills:

Play to Develop

Before a child enters the primary environment, they have already begun exploring the world through language by learning the language around them. The child will learn many words and perfect their sentence formation; they hunger for words, knowledge, and information.

The Montessori toddler program is centered around helping Toddlers become independent and confident. As Montessorians, we understand that supporting a child means preparing them for life—and often, that means helping them do things for themselves, being by their side as they struggle with new challenges, and savoring the pride that comes from succeeding.

Toddlers have what Dr. Montessori called an Absorbent Mind. They learn by experiencing what we do: they mirror how we act (which is why using kind language matters!), imitate our every action, and absorb language like little sponges.

The Sensorial Area consists of materials that help the child refine their five senses. It begins with their sense of sight, with materials like the Pink Tower and the Geometry Cabinet, and continues to their Stereognostic Senses. 

Maria Montessori fosters the idea that real purposeful work prepares one for real life. You may witness your child helping at home with mundane tasks, such as wiping up, pushing a chair in, pouring water, and cleaning and washing their hands. The traditional work of the family is referred to in Montessori as practical life work. It is the most critical area of education for life.

It's re-enrollment time, and in thousands of Montessori schools all over America, parents of four year old's are trying to decide whether or not they should keep their children in Montessori for kindergarten or send them to a local school. 

I'm sure I'm not alone in noticing that children often have the same problem over and over in different situations. (Don't we notice that pattern in ourselves, too?) As an adult, I'm sure we feel frustrated seeing the pattern and not knowing how to help. Meanwhile, imagine the child's feelings, finding themselves in the same struggle, not receiving help to exit the pattern.