18 - 36 months

The toddler program at Garfield Montessori School uses a play-based Montessori curriculum. The core curriculum includes Montessori activities focused on cognitive, motor, sensory, language, social, and practical life, and play-based activities, including music, sport, and creative art. 
Examples of Montessori concepts/activities for toddlers:
Cognitive - Focusing, identifying, and matching — skills needed for the development of reading, writing and mathematics
Motor - Develop and practice gross motor skills and fine motor skills, which are central to the development of hand-eye coordination and cognitive skills
Sensory - Naming, identifying and matching colors, identifying objects by feel, and working with play dough
Language - Naming parts of the body, recognizing and naming colors, objects, and pictures, and initial basic counting
Social - Interact positively with others in different situations, understand and follow instructions, and recognize and name feelings in self and others
Practical Life - Develop competence and independence, including practicing self-care skills, such as taking off and putting on shoes, washing hands, preparing food, and potty training
Mandarin immersion will be provided in the toddler program, focusing on listening and speaking ability in Mandarin in addition to English. The toddler classroom is staffed with a Montessori-trained teacher and an assistant teacher who has training in early childhood education. One teacher will speak only in Mandarin, and one will speak in English. The Mandarin Immersion for Toddler program aims to help children understand and communicate in Mandarin AND English.