ACADEMICS

Our Program

ALL DAY / YEAR ROUND

IN-HOME PROGRAM

Ages 2.5 - 6 years old
1:6 Teacher-Child Ratio

Schedule

Littlefoot Montessori is an all-day, year-roud program. We provide a morning and afternoon snack along with a nutritious lunch. Below is a sample schedule of your child's day. A work cycle is an uninterrupted block of time where children explore the prepared environment and engage with materials of their own choosing. They work with the material for any duration and once finished return the material back to the shelf. This process is repeated until the work cycle is over.

7:30 am - 8:30 am

8:30 am - 9:00 am

9:00 am - 11:00 am

11:00 am - 11:30 am

11:30 am - 12:00 pm

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

1:30 pm - 2:00 pm

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

3:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Arrival

Morning Meeting / Lesson

Morning Work Cycle

Clean Up / Jobs

Lunch (Outside, weather permitting)

Recess

Nap / Quiet Time

Read Aloud

Afternoon Work Cycle

Clean Up / Jobs

Dismissal / Afterschool

Child Development

motor skills

Children at this age are very motivated to move their bodies and develop coordination. We provide opportunities for gross motor skill development such as balancing, climbing, and carrying objects. Fine motor skills are equally as important at this stage and we have a wide range of material to help develop hand-eye corrdination such as lacing beads, rings on dowels, and nesting cups.

Social

Social skills go beyond simple "please" and "thank you", we teach children to collaborate with one another. When a child is working with a material, sharing is not expected. We demostrate respect for the other child's time and protect their concentration which is so fragile at this age. Doing so creates an atmosphere of collaboration rather than competition and helps foster patience while the child waits for their turn with the material.

Practical Life

Teaching children the skills to maintain their environment including self-care, develops a deep sense of independence and confidence in oneself. Children are taught to dress themselves, wash their hands, or clean up a spill. All of these activities help to develop a respect for order, cleanliness, and contributing to their communal environment.

language

At this age much of language development occurs by building connections through everyday actions and activities. Teachers may faciltate language through narration, genuine conversation, or reading books. Real photos or realistic replicas of objects are also provided to help build these connections.

Sensorial

Sensorial activities teach children to refine their senses of sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste. They learn about similarity and difference, dimensions, colors and shapes, and how to classify objects. These materials prepare the child's brain for abstract concepts such as math and geometry.

Culture

The Montessori cultural curriculum includes learning in broad categories such as geography, botany, zoology, science, and history. We introduce children to the physical world of plants and animals, explore the differences and similarities among people and cultures, and investigate cause and effect. Early foundations of science begin with nurturing the child's curiosity of the world around them. By having plants in the classroom or observing animals and insects outside, children develop a deep curiousity through observation of the natural world.

artS

Various materials are provided for your child to express their creativity and to enhance fine motor skills. In Montessori, art is not introduced with an end-goal in mind, the child is free to create and use their imagination. Much like art, music is a form self expression. Both in making and responding to music, children are provided oppotunities to develop body awareness, coordination, ehance their sense of self, and build confidence.

Math

Learning an abstract concept such as math begins with tactile hands on experiences. They are introduced to concrete counting concepts and numeral recognition. Typically, when numbers are recited, it is a language exercise which lacks the foundational understanding of quantity, however Montessori deepens their understanding by providing a sensorial experience of the numbers so they have a physical and visual idea of the size and quantity of numbers.

music

Much like art, music is a form self expression. Both in making and responding to music, children are provided oppotunities to develop body awareness, coordination, ehance their sense of self, and build confidence.