Our 1 to 2 year old Program
Toddlerhood is a time of astonishing growth. In the short span of a year or so, your child experiences an explosion of language, along with dramatic advancement in fine and gross motor control, problem-solving ability, independence, and social interaction. Our Montessori one year old classroom offers an environment and a community keyed to nurturing these skills.
The Program
Strong Bodies and Coordinated Movement Much of your one year olds energy early on will go toward building gross motor ability, as he learns to walk, run, climb, jump etc. Successful development in this area sets the stage for strength and coordination later in life, which are necessary to enjoy sports, dance, or daily life recreational activities.
For children to fully learn to do all these things, they must have time, space, and freedom to move, so that they can practice each individual step along the way. When you first visit our daycare, you’ll probably notice that there are no playpens, no jumpers, no walkers, no cribs and no high chairs—nothing that restricts your child’s movement.
Confidence Your child is trying new things all the time. Each time your child practices a new skill, and then masters it, she strengthens the sense of confidence that will stay with her throughout her lifetime. Even your child imitates others, and can begin to take small steps towards independent self-care. The Montessori guides will gently support your child to learn to do things for herself, striking just the right balance between making your little one feel safe and loved, and identifying the right moment to encourage her to try something new.
Trust in Self and in the World Following children’s natural schedule encourages them to trust their body, and encourages a healthy relationship to sleeping, eating, and toileting. At Nature House, we observe your child’s natural cycle of feeding, sleeping, and biological functions, and provide for his needs on his own schedule. This way, your little one develops a basic sense of security and trust in the world: at a fundamental level, he learns that he is taken care of, that his needs will be provided for. As he learns each step towards meeting those needs himself — crawling towards his sleeping area, feeding himself, or signing that his diaper is wet — his trust in himself grows, too!
Developing Language We know the extreme importance of exposing your Child to rich spoken language and dynamic verbal interactions, in order to give his developing brain everything needed to master language. Our interactions with the children are vibrant and meaningful. We describe what the child is doing, what we are doing, and what other children are doing, making sure that they can watch the movements of our mouths as we speak.
As your child becomes more familiar with precise language, he also begins to form connections between language, tone, and his own emotions. We expose your child to as much vocabulary as possible, by clearly identifying objects and actions. Additionally, we read beautiful books about real people and things, and we sing — exposing your child to the full range of speech and expression.
Hand Development = Brain Development Maria Montessori famously observed that “the hand is the instrument of the intelligence.” She understood that your child uses her hand to fuel the development of her brain and nervous system. Our classroom carefully nurtures your child’s developing intelligence by offering increasingly more complex objects to explore and manipulate in intriguing ways. You’ll be amazed at how your child will learn, when simply given time and space to practice the activities that respond exactly to precise moments in her development!
Testimonials
Combining nature and play into a wonderful learning experience. it has been a joy to see my little ones develop, explore and learn
Super leuke school waar het kind veel leert, over zichzelf, anderen, natuur etc. Het word uitgedaagd om nieuwe dingen te ontdekken en doen! Maar het belangrijkste van alles misschien wel, de juffen zijn altijd lief en rustig. Een hele fijne plek!
Een geweldige kinderopvang waar je kind kan groeien en bloeien.
Er is veel een-op-een aandacht waardoor er na nog geen 3 dagen nadat onze zoon hier begon, zijn ontwikkeling met enorm grote stappen vooruit ging; van het correct vasthouden van een potlood tot meer geduldig worden/blijven als er mentale/fysieke uitdagingen zijn. . Boven alles heeft hij het enorm naar zijn zin en is juf Sam de liefste, meest geduldige en enthousiaste juf die je als ouders je maar kan wensen.
Daarnaast is de open communicatie, de benadering van alles wat ze doen met de gedachtegang van montessori en de kleinschaligheid, een echte onderscheiding ten opzichte van andere peuterscholen/ kinderopvangen.
