Infant Program
What we deliver daily at South Shore Montessori:
From the moment your baby enters our Montessori infant classroom, we are developing a trusted relationship and forming a bond that leaves your infant feeling at ease and confident. The environment is calm and cozy. We strive to capture the idea of warmth and security with each child. Our infant classroom is described as a joyful environment that is a home away from home. Our teachers pride themselves on delivering our promise that your children are cared for at the highest level.
Children will be provided materials, space and an approach developed by Dr. Maria Montessori that will guide them in enhancing them in meeting the developmental milestones for birth to 18 months. We follow a child’s natural sleeping and waking process allowing them to define the best routine that works for the individual child. Meals and feedings are determined by a child’s natural hunger patterns and the parents’ wishes that are updated on an ongoing basis. When your infant becomes mobile, we have plenty of floor space for them to move and explore, as they are ready to discover the outdoor area, we have structures meant to develop gross motor concepts. Our infant and toddler playground features turf and a grassy hill that allows the strength, conditioning, and exploration for the developing walker.
We are providing a rich environment that has your family and infant feeling loved, safe, nurtured and ready to explore and grow!
“The greatness of the human personality begins at birth.”
— Maria Montessori
Why Montessori Philosophy is appealing to Infant parents.
Montessori recognizes the importance of exposing your baby to a rich developmentally appropriate environment, this gives the developing brain everything needed to master language, motor, and social emotional development in being ready for life ahead. Parents with children in Montessori programs have recognized the lasting impact that these early learning experiences have on the child’s development and future learning.
For more than a century, Montessori has been thriving around the globe, and contemporary research validates the effectiveness of the Montessori Method. This approach exceeds the developmental goals today’s parents have for their children, including growing into capable people who will have a strong sense of self, the ability to connect with others, and the potential to be productive throughout their lives. With Montessori we realize that growth starts early. The early years (birth through age 6) are a critical time to set a strong foundation for who a child will become and the role she or he will play in the future. Dr. Montessori believed that an extraordinary amount of development takes place in the first year of life. We help the parents achieve this through our infant program.
How exactly do infants learn?
Infants learn by touching and responding to gentle touch, and by moving freely as they interact with their surroundings. The freedom to move and explore is essential to any infant’s development. Whether they are enthusiastically manipulating an interesting toy, quietly exploring the secrets of a mirror, scurrying about, or calmly enjoying a song, infants grow and learn emotional and intellectual independence through movement. At South Shore Montessori, we provide individualized learning activities that are appropriate for even the earliest stages of a child’s development. Our captivating yet simple materials are carefully designed to appeal to children at any given level of early development. Our children flourish in carefully prepared, familiar environments that respect, support, and respond to their basic needs for independence, exploration, and movement. Materials are displayed on low, open shelves and on floor mats, all within easy reach of even the youngest child. A predictable sequence of activities and routines helps the infant feel very much at home. Our infants activate their senses and their awareness of the world around them with daily experiences indoor and out. Teachers often take the children to the playground in nice weather. Once older infants are walking steadily, teachers encourage them to walk in the play area, developing their gross motor skills and stamina.
Montessori Infant & Toddler programs offer a curriculum that emerges from each child’s unique skills and interests. Based on daily observations, teachers introduce new materials and activities that pique curiosity and stimulate learning. Learning objectives for your child at this age include developing skills such as language, concentration, problem solving, visual discrimination, and physical coordination. The routines of everyday living are the foundation of Montessori Infant & Toddler programs. Activities promote independence, cooperation, coordination, and concentration, as well as support social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. These learning activities include:
Life Skills: washing, dressing, toileting, cleanup, eating, nap time and feedings according to each child’s individual capacity.
Care of the environment: cleaning, food preparation and food service; plant care and animal care.
Large-motor activities (indoors and out): crawling, walking, climbing, running, jumping, balancing, climbing steps, and more.
Fine-motor skills: reaching, grasping, picking up objects, transferring objects, using tools and utensils, doing artwork.
Language: naming objects, describing actions and intentions, discussing pictures, conversation, story time, music, and singing.
Social skills: developing manners through interactions with peers, teachers, and adult-led small group games and bonding via holding and cuddling.
"Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world".
- MARIA MONTESSORI
Helpful Resources:
The Secret Life of the Unborn Child by Thomas Verny and John Kelly – this book is a little outdated (written in 1982) and makes some claims that are probably unverifiable. Still, it’s an interesting read and a great reminder that children are very aware of their environment even before they’re born.
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Unborn-Child-Prepare/dp/0440505658
The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind by Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff, and Patricia Kuhl – I found this book to be a fascinating look at how babies learn. Backed up by extensive research, but written in an engaging and readable style.
https://www.amazon.com/Scientist-Crib-Early-Learning-Tells/dp/0688177883
The Joyful Child: Michael Olaf Catalog for Birth to Three – as most Montessorians know, this delightful catalog is more than just a place to order high-quality toys and educational materials for infants and toddlers, it’s also almost a book in itself, with helpful text by Susan Stephenson on every page. The text is viewable online, or you can request a catalog from them.
https://www.amazon.com/Joyful-Child-Montessori-Global-Wisdom
Montessori Baby Blog – this blog is written by a trained Montessori primary teacher (AMI) who has been raising her son using Montessori principles right from infancy. A great read!
https://montessoribaby.blogspot.com/
Montessori Mom: Babies – a very helpful article, with lots of baby links at the end.
http://www.montessorimom.com/baby-introduction/
