Pebblecreek Montessori School Allen Montessori Schools in Allen Texas

When infants reach specific benchmarks around the age of 12 months, their guide begins the process of transitioning them to the next stage of development - the toddler level.  With their newfound mobility, they shift from developing fine motor skills (grabbing things) to developing gross motor skills, such as pulling up, walking, reaching and getting up from a sitting position.  They make discoveries with greater independence.  They begin to recognize their classmates and enjoy playing and socializing in a parallel way.

Respect is fundamental when working with toddlers. This is the central point of Maria Montessori's approach to infant and toddler care. At this age, children begin to develop the skill of attention, a span that typically lasts two to five minutes for quiet activities. This skill is developed through the use of sensorial materials.  Toddlers enjoy pushing, throwing, and knocking things down. They like games in which they manipulate things; putting objects in containers and dumping them out again. They enjoy working with concrete materials like blocks stored in buckets or boxes and small containers, which can nest inside one another. They also enjoy the thrill of making sounds and banging things together which can be satisfied through music.  The environment and guides treat the toddlers as little people who are learning to be big people. They are not "toys" to be manipulated and moved about at whim.