Does your toddler put their own toys away? The Practical Life area is essential for a strong Montessori foundation. In this area a child is learning cleaning up after oneself, hand washing, putting on coat, scooping, self-feeding, and more. They gain control of movement, concentration span, self-confidence, and a love of learning. The activities are made up of familiar objects that a child would naturally see in everyday life and help the children feel comfortable and will be able to master the activity.

The activities that are chosen fall into four main categories: care of self, control of movement, care of the environment and grace and courtesy.

Manners are a must! Our littlest friends are introduced to the idea of grace and courtesy as they learn to take turns and treat others with respect. This is another area where a mixed-age setting shines, as older students can encourage their younger peers to display grace and courtesy.

The overall idea of these activities is not only to help children gain self-confidence in their working abilities, but to expose the children to fundamental activities that will build their concentration span and help them become self-sufficient – yes, even at age 2!

The Math area of the Montessori classroom encompasses the use of concrete materials for recognizing numbers and one-to-one corresponding counting.

Through these activities, children learn exactly how much a symbolic number stands for (i.e. the number 5 means counting the correct number of objects to make the number 5). Children are introduced to more complex mathematical procedures and concepts as they are individually ready.

Children as young as 2 are able to grasp simple addition and subtraction in this fun, interactive environment.

The Language area of the Montessori classroom encourages development of early-literacy skills through the use of phonetic sounds.

In the Language area children are exposed to various types of phonetic awareness activities to build a strong literary foundation. Montessori Language activities are designed to improve a child’s vocabulary, listening skills for common sounds, and differentiating between objects and pictures. Language activities include learning the shapes and sounds of letters, naming objects and story book appreciation.

Colors, textures, shapes, and sizes.

The Sensorial area of the classroom helps children become more aware of detail. They experiment with a variety of art mediums and even perform basic science experiments! Sensorial activities develop fine motor skills and builds the child’s concentration for a wider awakening of the senses and perception for distinguishing different qualities and patterns as they discover the world around them.