Toddler Program (18–36 Months) in Hamilton

The Toddler Community

Now is the time for discovery, engagement, and curiosity. The Toddler Community Pre-Primary class at The Montessori School of Hamilton is home to children ages 18 months to 3 years old, and every corner of the classroom is geared to the size, pace, and curiosities of their world.

This special community gives toddlers a true sense of belonging and place. They build confidence as they master daily tasks in practical life, and they are given the freedom to explore their community fully and become the “masters of their environment.” Even the very youngest members help care for the space they share. First and foremost, we aim to support each child’s independence and sense of personal empowerment.

Preschool children learning together in a classroom

Following each child’s natural pathway

Taking the first baby steps toward toddlerhood is only the beginning. Enormous and rapid change follows, and our teachers are prepared for every stage along the way. We bring all facets of a toddler’s life experience into the learning program and use our understanding of the challenges children face at each age to support early learning for every child, regardless of background. We follow the child every step of the way. They touch, manipulate, taste, smell, push, pull, and tumble — it is all learning, and we create the environment that lets it happen. Our classrooms are calm, quiet places of purpose, where each child works with whatever interests them most during a particular sensitive period of development. Through sensorial manipulative materials, toddlers begin to grasp concepts such as shape, color, sound, texture, and size, refining their senses for accurate observation and perception of the physical world. The concrete learning apparatus is designed to intrigue the child, stimulating logical thought and discovery while moving from basic concrete ideas toward more complex abstract ones — all at the child’s own pace, along their own natural pathway, in a non-competitive classroom.

A multi-age family of learners

The classroom is multi-age by design, so the children naturally evolve into a family. Opportunities for social and emotional growth are woven into our daily routine. As each unique identity unfolds and each child’s individuality becomes more apparent, they learn that they are a vital and functioning member of the community.

The toddler community offers countless chances for social relationships through free interaction among children. In any given class, younger children love observing and look up to older peers as role models and leaders. Older children may, if they wish, teach the younger ones by working together naturally — and in doing so, they reinforce their own knowledge, self-esteem, and confidence. A cooperative atmosphere is encouraged at every turn, not a competitive one.

Warmth, patience, love, and respect

Toddlers have many needs, and they are distinct little people in their own right. As their personalities, characters, and social skills begin to form, their gross and fine motor skills are improving right alongside them. We have created an atmosphere where this tremendous growth and development are properly facilitated. Smell, touch, taste, vestibular awareness, and auditory processing are critically important, because together they shape the early impressions of life. When those senses are stimulated correctly and supported by four nurturing ingredients — warmth, patience, love, and respect — a healthy and happy child emerges.

A classroom designed for young children

The well-lit, spacious, beautiful classroom is designed to appeal to a child’s aesthetic senses. Furniture is custom-sized, all materials are placed on low shelves and low tables, and interest centers are found throughout the room. The environment is carefully arranged to give a sense of purpose, order, and security to each child’s daily routine.

Life’s little lessons begin here. Children gradually learn to be patient, respect one another’s work, be courteous, collaborate, and cooperate. This pre-primary classroom is an introduction to Montessori, with particular emphasis on the social, emotional, and physical challenges children face at this age. As Maria Montessori wrote, “The things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul.” In the special environment prepared in our schools, the children themselves found the sentence that expresses their inner need: “Help me to do it by myself!” — Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood.