If you have a 1.5 to 3 years old toddler at home, he or she may start school in our toddler program at MSS.

Let’s take a look at a toddler’s busy life in a Montessori environment by clicking the video below!

[Q1] What do children learn in a toddler program as they are so young?

IOCC + Social Emotional Development

In a Montessori environment, children from 1.5 to 3 year old develop IOCC + social emotional skills:

Independence =独立
Order =秩序
C=coordination手眼协调
C=concentration 专注力
Social emotional=社交情感

In this video you will see:

Children are capable to eat, dress, and work independently.
In this environment, they have a good sense of order. They always finish the whole work cycle and know how to replace the materials.
Their hands are so refined and they work to develop hand-eye coordination.
They are very attentive at work, and the teachers do not disrupt them at will……
They feel comfortable communicating and interacting with their peers, and know how to show respect and share with others……

These are all indicators of the development of various abilities in children.

Language Skills Development

In a Montessori environment, we provide a rich language system to help children develop their language skills. Montessori teachers speak English and Chinese teachers speak Chinese. As you may have noticed in the video, children will naturally have language output and communicate with their peers, all of which come from their daily life and the bilingual environment provided by MSS.

Movement Development

In this video, you may also have seen that the children are having fun outdoors as well. Outdoor activities give them ample opportunities to experience the breath and vitality of nature. Winter goes and spring comes, and the seasons change…children swing, play with seesaws, and sweep the fallen leaves with their own hands…… They grow physically and develop friendships in nature, and their very own nature is kindled gradually.

【Q2】What is the difference between a Montessori and a home environment?

Many parents may think: Isn’t it the same if I teach my child at home?

Actually, it’s really “very different”!

1. Our home environment is mainly designed for adults and is not completely suitable for children’s development. The Montessori environment is an extended home environment and is designed based entirely on the needs of children’s development: materials, furniture and other facilities are fully adapted to the stature of children, so that they can live and grow.

2. The Montessori environment is a “prepared environment”. Our materials are provided to support children’s development, and they are designed with a “purpose”. This is not the case in the family environment.

In a Montessori class, you will see a lot of potted plants, flowers, fruits, glassware, etc., which are common and real as if it is at home. It is all borrowed from our real life, which will allow children to build the awareness that school and family life are related, and in the future, they will be better engaged in real life, learning and work.

You will see in the video a wealth of Montessori tasks, such as squeezing orange juice and wiping tables, which stimulate children’s interest and are challenging due to the variety of work steps. By repetition, they can fully practice with their hand-eye coordination and develop concentration, etc. Eventually, when they finish their work, they will receive a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and self-confidence.

Within the limits, children are free to choose the materials they are interested in and work independently. They work with a purpose, rather than “doing nothing”. When they choose their work, it means that this particular work is in line with their development needs.

3. Montessori environment protects children’s concentration. In the home environment, most of the time, the child will be interrupted by adults, and it is difficult to protect their concentration.

But in this video, you can see that the children are very immersed and enjoy their work, and they will not be interrupted. Some children can work for up to half an hour or 1 hour if they have enough concentration. The role of the teacher is to observe, record, and guide appropriately, providing necessary support and assistance.

【Q3】What should I do if the grandparents don’t feel comfortable sending children to school?

If the grandparents are worried about sending children to the school, and it is difficult for parents to convince them, then it is better to take action! MSS has open days or Montessori classroom experience on a monthly basis. You are welcome to join with grandparents and to experience the environment in person.

In addition, all three MSS campuses have parent-child classes called Mommy and Me, so you or grandparents all have the opportunity to explore the materials together with your child in our real Montessori classes.

When they themselves are in the environment, seeing how Montessori teachers observe and guide children and witnessing how children feel in the interactions. They will understand: it turns out that Montessori is really helpful to children!

Many parents have been telling us that their educational philosophy was some what different from that of the grandparents at home, but they managed to help grandparents understand the Montessori Method by inviting them to MSS. So they are able to agree with this one parenting philosophy, which just makes their parenting journey much easier!