Infant
Introducing
The Montessori Infant Community is active, self-paced, and involves learning using all five senses. Children are introduced to the five areas of the Montessori Curriculum, including: Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, Language and Culture, and develop competence through repetition and practice.
Between the ages of two and three, toddlers move through sensitive periods for language, order, small objects, toilet training, music, grace and courtesy, and the senses. The design of the toddler classroom, and the educational materials within in, reflect these interests and provide rich opportunities for learning that nurture children’s complete development.
Similarly, the daily routine reflects this age groups need to learn through movement and hands-on experience, while embracing children’s individual needs, interests, and learning style.
Infant
Achieving physical development milestones such as crawling, walking, climbing and jumping : Achieving physical development milestones such as crawling, walking, climbing, and jumping is supported by providing infants with freedom to move in unobstructed spaces and engaging them in outdoor and music & movement programs, offering opportunities for exploration and practice of gross motor skills in a safe and stimulating environment, promoting physical development and motor coordination from an early age.
Demonstrates independence skills such as self-feeding: Demonstrating independence skills such as self-feeding is encouraged in infant learning through opportunities to practice these skills during the daily routine and practical life activities, such as spooning, where infants are given freedom to
explore and develop self-feeding abilities, fostering autonomy and self- sufficiency from an early age.
Beginning to use one to two word phrases: Infants begin to use one to two-word phrases through exposure to the Montessori Language Curriculum and the encouragement of freedom of expression, providing opportunities for infants to engage in meaningful communication and language exploration, fostering early language development and the expression of simple thoughts and needs.
Knows the names of body parts, colors, and shapes: Knowing the names of body parts, colors, and shapes is facilitated through the use of Language Cards in infant learning, providing visual and auditory stimulation to support early language development and cognitive understanding, fostering the recognition and naming of basic concepts essential for communication and cognitive growth.
Plays alongside others: Encouraging parallel play and social exploration, infants engage in playing alongside others through freedom of interaction and movement, with open-ended play activities such as building blocks, playdough, craft, and outdoor games provided to develop motor skills and creativity in a supportive and stimulating environment.
Chooses an activity and packs it away: Facilitating independence in infants, the ability to choose an activity and pack it away is nurtured through Montessori presentations, where adults role model the process, providing
visual demonstrations and guidance on selecting and tidying up materials, fostering autonomy and responsibility in daily routines.
Explores objects in different ways: Infants explore objects in various ways through the freedom to work with activities and the opportunity for repetition, allowing them to manipulate objects, experiment with different movements, and engage in sensory exploration, fostering curiosity and sensorimotor development in a supportive and unrestricted learning environment.
Uses simple gestures to communicate: Encouraging communication development in infants involves incorporating simple gestures into their interactions, facilitated by the Montessori Language Curriculum, which supports non-verbal communication through activities such as sign language or pointing, providing infants with tools to express their needs, desires, and emotions before they develop verbal language skills.
Nest
Language
The Montessori Language Curriculum introduces infants to spoken and written language.
Children use language materials to explore names, sounds, songs and music.
Example materials and activities include:
Color and object matching cards Object picture matching Reading
Puppets
Music and songs
Movement Skills
Infants learn through movement and exploration. Learning goals for infants include healthy physical development. Through the Infant Curriculum, children develop fine motor, gross motor, and fundamental movement skills. Example materials and activities include:
Tummy time Visual mobiles Stair climbing Bead maze
Pull toy and rolling toy
Sensorial
The Sensorial Curriculum assists in refining the senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Through sensorial materials children develop the ability to discriminate by size, color, and texture.
Example materials and activities include:
Imbucare object permanence boxes Three discs on the vertical dowel 3D object fitting exercise
Sensory balls
Puzzles
Practical Life
The Infant Program is designed to meet the developmental needs and interests of children aged 0-2. Children learn through movement and exploration using their senses.
Example Materials
Treasure baskets Fabric matching Spooning Pegging
Nesting objects
Daily
The infant routine outlines the typical daily flow for children aged six weeks to two years in the Montessori infant community. The infant’s daily routine provides a consistent pattern of activities for learning time, meals, rest, and outdoor play. The predictability of the routine helps children to feel secure and positively influences their emotional, cognitive, and social development.
About the Infant Routine
The daily routine may be altered to accommodate for seasonal changes, wet weather, and special events
Spontaneous groups times occur throughout the day Educators plan learning experiences for each day
We seek to accommodate each child’s individual eating and sleeping schedule
In Ella’s Classroom Childcare we are sun-safe and allergy aware
A record of your child’s day is communicated to you via our family communication app
Morning Routine
Ella’s Classroom opens at 7:30am. Upon arrival, please remember to sign your child in, and place their bag and belongings in their locker. When you are ready to enter the classroom, please knock on the door, and wait for an educator to greet your child. Older children are encouraged to knock on the door once they have been introduced to the Grace and Courtesy Curriculum. Around 8:00am we offer the children a nutritious breakfast.
Work Cycle
Once your child enters the classroom they will begin the Montessori Work Cycle. During this time, younger children will interact with their teachers and peers in a small group setting, while older children will choose work from the shelves and work independently.
Educators present lessons to the children, introduce the Montessori materials, and allow them to work with the material at their own pace. Learning is individually paced and based on each child’s developmental needs and interests.
Mid-Morning Routine
Around 10am, children enjoy a nutritious morning snack from a rotating menu of fresh fruit, muffins, cereal, crackers, healthy slices, fruit pouches, organic chips, or sandwiches accompanied by milk or water. Younger children will nap according to their sleep routine and daily needs. The children then head outdoors to play and engage in activities that encourage the development of fundamental movement skills. Children learn how to roll a ball, play in the sandpit, engage in collaborative play, chase bubbles, climb, and participate in games, music, and dancing activities.
Group Time
After outdoor play, the infants engage in group time activities centered on children’s interests. Planned activities may include a group interest project, art and craft, sustainability, culture, or music and movement. Throughout the day children participate in both planned and spontaneous group time experiences.
Lunch and Rest Time
Around 11:45am, the children settle in for the lunchtime routine. Lunch is a social time, where educators encourage talking about different types of food and table manners. Lunch is also a time to practice skills such as finger
feeding and learning how to use a spoon and fork. After lunch, children sleep or have quiet rest time. The room is darkened, and quiet sleep music lulls the children into a restful sleep. Younger children sleep in a cot while older children typically sleep on floor beds. Children who are not yet self-settlers are gently patted to sleep.
Each child’s individual sleep routine is accommodated.
Afternoon Routine
Around 3pm children begin to wake up, and afternoon snack is served. Afternoon snack is typically fresh vegetable sticks and dip, sandwiches, cheese and crackers, yoghurt, wraps, fresh fruit, or healthy muffins, cereal, fruit pouches, organic chips or organic bar, accompanied by water.
Once children have finished afternoon snack, they proceed outside to play. Children follow their interests, explore the outdoors, and participate in individual and group experiences that foster the development of social and fundamental movement skills.
Evening Routine
In the late afternoon, from around 4:30pm onwards, children return inside and begin winding down for the day. During this time, children participate in open-ended play.
At 5:30pm, all children have returned home with their families. The childcare centre is thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the next day. Throughout the day families will receive updates about their child’s day via our family communication app.