The room is set up to not only appeal to a child’s natural curiosity but with toddler-sized furniture, it allows for maximum exploration and development of the senses.
The classroom has plenty of room for social interactions, grace and courtesy lessons which provide opportunities to learn about sharing, taking turns, being patient and being a good friend. Activities are designed to develop coordination and independence as well as to encourage group interaction and increased self-esteem.
The Montessori teacher provides warmth, tenderness, patience and the encouragement necessary for each child to reach their personal best. As this is usually the first time where toddlers have been part of a group environment, an emphasis on the importance of a peaceful environment is placed in the toddler classroom.
Toddlers need a hands on environment for learning math concepts. The classroom is rich with many learning opportunities for manipulating objects which help the child begin to understand number concepts (quantity and symbol). A plethora of materials are available for the child’s choosing. Those same materials change with the seasons in order to keep the child’s interest piqued. Oranges, ducks and zebras are counted and matched to the number, spindle boxes teach the concept of zero and sandpaper numbers let the child feel the number symbols in order to make a correlation between the senses and solidify the lesson in the child’s mind.