Toddlers are terrific. We love everything about them – their energy, determination and curiosity. In fact, our Montessori Toddler program was created specifically to appeal to the amazing physical, emotional and cognitive growth of toddlers. Sure, they are busy, but they are busy building habits of intrinsically motivated learning; learning that will serve them all their lives. Toddlers are born with incredible curiosity, and we encourage them to harness their curiosity to develop powers of concentration and focusing ability. This will help them prepare for challenging cognitive work in the years ahead.
A Toddler Program Encourages “Mommy, By Myself”
From 18 through 36 months, your child has a natural inclination to be independent. We nurture that drive by providing a toddler-sized environment where small children are free to practice the daily living skills that make them feel competent, including self care, care of the environment and respect for others. There are a wide variety of activities that young children find very attractive that give them a sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction. In the end, our toddlers have a sense of understanding and control over their world. That sense of control is very calming to toddlers, which explains why Montessori toddler rooms are typically calm and quiet, despite being very busy.
Multisensory Learning Using Montessori Materials
Children are born curious. The reason we childproof our homes is because children want to use their hands to explore everything and anything that interests them. Montessori observed this behavior and created a method of education that works to support the child’s innate curiosity. To that end, she designed a toddler learning environment where the child has the freedom to explore and discover based on their evolving interests. The teacher’s primary role is to refresh the environment throughout the year with increasingly challenging work. In that sense, the teacher is more of a coach or personal trainer; Montessori actually preferred to call the teachers “guides.”
We want your toddler to feel good about themselves by instilling a sense of competence and control over their classroom environment. The first thing we teach them is a sense of order in the classroom and structure in the flow of the day. Toddlers prefer consistency so they can predict what will come next; that makes them feel safe and in control. As they learn to understand the rhythm of the daily schedule, we teach them how to take care of their physical needs, from toileting to handwashing to setting their place for lunch. Once they have mastered the basics and achieved a sense of control over their classroom environment, they are empowered to lose their inhibitions and explore and discover all the beautiful activities and materials we have laid out for them. All the activities and materials in a Montessori classroom serve a purpose and are sequenced in deliberate increments of difficulty.
All of our materials on the shelves are selected specifically for the toddlers in the classroom. As the toddlers master the materials on the shelves, the teachers replace them with more challenging work, so the children always have new things to attract them to their work. As a result, their skill levels increase along a prescribed sequence to facilitate cognitive and physical and social/emotional development: sorting and organizing for math/science, sensorial materials for science/logic and reasoning, language materials to introduce literacy, art materials to expose children to foundations in creativity and art, etc. Toddlers experiment with art mediums, use rhythm/percussion instruments to move along with music, engage in physical activities to refine motor control and, weather permitting, enjoy outdoor time every day. The classroom also has a variety of materials so that the children can help the teachers take care of the environment by cleaning up their own spills, watering plants, planting seeds, etc.
Every time a toddler succeeds in working with an activity or material, it builds their collective sense of competence and confidence. Success builds on success, and toddlers begin to see themselves as independent and capable learners. Mastery of skills builds a sense of pride and satisfaction that fuels ambition to move on to more challenging work.
The materials are designed to attract children to their beauty and function. The teacher makes note of each child’s progress as they work their way through the various activities. Because the children have chosen their own work, there is a higher level of commitment to the work. As a result, children not only learn the concept of the material they are designed to teach — they develop focus and concentration.
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” — Confucious
Amazing Montessori Teachers for Your Toddler
Our seasoned teachers are mature, experienced, and specifically, Montessori certified for the Toddler age group. The majority of our teachers have been with us for ten years or more, which assures you and your child of continuity and a level of bonding that is critical to the social development of toddlers. Our teachers provide the respect, kindness, warmth, and patience that allow children to blossom into their most delightful selves. You will form a close bond with your child’s teacher during the toddler years and it will be bittersweet when your toddler moves on to the next level.
A Learning Community
The real strength of our program is the partnership we have with families. Toddlers evolve at such a rapid pace, it can be a challenge to keep up with their developing needs. Our dedicated teachers will help you provide the best parenting experience for your child, and they are always ready and available to help you with parenting questions and concerns. In addition, we have several community events to help you connect with the other families in your child’s class.
Montessori Toddlers Blossom in a Beautiful Environment
Our bright and airy 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 works with specially selected materials. These materials develop fine and gross motor skills consistent with his or her need for more challenging work.
Toddlers Love Absorbing Language and Literature
We surround your child with rich and stimulating conversations to support this once-in-a-lifetime period of rapid language development. Toddlers meet for circle time to learn songs, learn to share by talking and listening, and explore literature. Singing songs and sharing literature is the best way for toddlers to develop memory, language skills, and vocabulary.
First Friends
Making first friends and learning how to function as an active member of a caring community is a life-shaping experience for your child. Your toddler is free to express his or her greatest potential, because our teachers encourage social and emotional development by respecting every toddler as a unique individual with distinct developmental needs. Helping the individual become a member of a society begins with a foundation of deep respect for oneself, for others, and for the environment.
No Terrible Twos Here
Many toddlers present themselves as difficult — that isn’t true at Hudson. Montessori discovered how to work in harmony with the basic nature of toddlers. Parents are often surprised to see the peaceful tone of our toddler program. The calm atmosphere and lack of distraction help to develop impulse control and concentration, planting the seeds for learning in this classroom and beyond. You really should come to Hudson and see for yourself how calm and engaged a toddler can be.
Exploration and Discovery
We childproof our homes because children are innately curious. Similarly, we set up an educational environment that utilizes innate curiosity to inspire learning across our curriculum. There are so many things to see, touch, hear, feel and do in the classroom! Our materials are designed to be attractive so that they seem to call to the children, “come touch me.” When they are not involved in community activities, toddlers are free to move about the classroom to work with materials that speak to their evolving interests.
STEM/STEAM
Our toddlers are learning about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math on a very tactile and experiential level. Activities that involve sequencing, sorting, organizing, patterning, stacking, rolling, pushing, lifting, pouring, blowing, kneading, building and painting are all available in the classroom. Toddlers are free to explore and discover principles of physics/engineering/math. During circle time, we discuss the science of plants, animals, weather, seasons, recycling, health, the sun/moon/earth, and other topics related to classroom literature. Art, design and engineering is inherent in all the materials we use to encourage sensory and motor development.
Schedule
The Toddler schedule has a school year component and a summer camp component. Students in the school year program make a commitment for the school year, while campers in the summer program can enroll by the week. This schedule is particularly helpful for the many teachers who want to be home with their children during summer vacation.
- School Year Program: Students enrolled in the school year program make a commitment for the entire school year. The calendar for the school year program loosely follows the Danbury or New Rochelle Public school district calendar.
- Summer Camp Program: Our New Rochelle program offers 8 weeks of summer camp while our Danbury campus offers a 9 week summer program. Students enrolled in the summer camp program can enroll for as few as two weeks.
- Extended Day/Extended Year: Students enrolled in Hudson’s school or camp program may enroll in our extended day and/or vacation school programs.
- Year-Round Program: Our Year Round program offers a preferential tuition rate for students that participate in our school, camp and extended day/year programs.
Ready to Move Up: Montessori Progression Toddler to Primary
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 or she will express growing confidence, independence and a keen interest in broader concepts. He or she will want to know what lies ahead, outside of the Toddler Classroom. At this point, your child is ready to move up to the Primary Classroom, which includes children ages 2 1/2 to 6 years old.
“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” — Maria Montessori
“It is surprising to notice that even from the earliest age, man finds the greatest satisfaction in feeling independent. The exalting feeling of being sufficient to oneself comes as a revelation.” — Maria Montessori
