Gentle Beginnings
Beginning school is a big step for a little one. Our Toddler Program gently introduces them to the rhythms of a classroom community, where they learn to play alongside others, share, cooperate, and follow simple directions in a calm, nurturing environment.
Independence is encouraged from the very beginning. Toddlers learn to put on their own jackets, clean up after activities, set up their lunch spaces, and care for their classroom.
Our trained adults observe, guide, and encourage each child with patience and care, giving them the freedom and joy of discovery. There’s a special kind of pride in the moment a child realizes, “I did it!”
Through these everyday experiences, toddlers begin to develop self-confidence, independence, coordination, and a sense of belonging. These may seem like little moments, but they are the beginnings of a strong foundation for learning and progressing.
Our carefully designed toddler program caters to each stage of your child’s development, building essential skills and a deep connection to their world.
For young children, accomplishing a task independently for the first time is a meaningful milestone. At MAV, we provide freedom to practice new skills at their own pace. With each new accomplishment, toddlers build confidence to move on to the next task.
We celebrate these little steps, because every new skill brings a little more confidence for what comes next.
As they progress, toddlers learn to:
Toddlers are constantly discovering what their hands can do. Through everyday opportunities to grasp, hold, carry, pour, place, and manipulate objects, they strengthen fine motor skills while developing eye-hand coordination, control, and confidence.
These simple, hands-on experiences encourage curiosity and independence as children learn to use their hands with greater purpose and precision. Every little movement is a step toward mastering new skills.
Through everyday Montessori activities, toddlers have meaningful experiences to:
Walking is just the beginning!
Toddlers need plenty of opportunities to move, explore, and build confidence in their growing bodies. This involves providing opportunities for Toddlers to be active and interactive, strengthen gross motor skills, coordination, balance, and body awareness through joyful, purposeful movement. Running, jumping, hopping, skipping, walking in line, climbing on play equipment, exploring on nature walks all give toddlers opportunities to practice new skills while having fun. Sometimes learning begins with something as simple—and exciting—as figuring out how to get from here to there!
Toddlers have so much to say—even before they have all the words to say it!
At MAV, language is woven into every part of the day. Our Toddler caregivers introduce new vocabulary through familiar experiences, helping children learn words for everyday items, foods, animals, colors, fruits, vegetables, and the world around them.
Children have many opportunities to listen and communicate through songs, music, stories, pictures, objects, conversations, and play. Each experience encourages them to connect words with meaning and discover new ways to express themselves.
Every child develops language at their own pace. Our caregivers meet children at their own development stage patiently encouraging them to listen, understand, communicate, and express their ideas. As their vocabulary grows, so does their confidence in sharing their thoughts, needs, with excitement.
Every new word opens a new door to their world.
Knowledge is best given where there is eagerness to learn, so this is the period when the seed of all things can be sown, the child’s mind being like a fertile field, ready to receive what will germinate into a culture.
