Toddler (18 months to 3 years)
Our Toddler Program
In Toddler (18 months to 3 years), the focus is on Help Me to Help Myself.
The Toddler Program provides a nurturing educational experience that fosters independence, language development and motor movement. Current research indicates that the first three years of a child's life are the most formative. During this period, children absorb innumerable impressions from their environment as their physical, mental and emotional development occurs.
Children in the half-day program have a two-hour work cycle in the classroom and time in the gross motor room to ensure their total developmental needs are satisfied. They also spend time in outdoor learning twice a week. In addition to this, the full-day children spend up to two hours learning outdoors each day.
Communication with parents
- TMS provides the opportunity for parents to observe their children in the classroom. All our Toddler rooms have one-way windows so parents can gain a first-hand appreciation of the work their children are doing.
- Brief daily summaries of the child’s day are reported to each parent at pick-up time. Regular emails and telephone calls ensure good communication.
- We have formal parent-teacher interview meetings during the year (November and April). Informal discussions about a child's development can be arranged anytime. Written reports are distributed in December and June.
OUTCOMES
By the end of our Toddler Program, a student should be able to:
- Feel confident and comfortable in new places and with new people
- Independently care for themselves, others and the classroom environment
- Have completed the Toilet Learning process
- Have well-developed gross motor skills
- Build upon new social skills with a desire to interact socially with peers
- Have a good command of the English language with well-developed and age appropriate communication skills
- Make individual and appropriate choices about activities that draw their interest
- Embrace a love of learning as the foundation for future stages of their educational journey
Our Toddler program is not daycare. It is a decisive entry point to our highly nurturing and successful educational environment for the whole person. Each day, we guide our toddlers in:
- Practical life such as using a spoon, a broom or buttons
- Manipulative work to use a two- or three-finger pincer grip which is necessary for future writing
- Language development using materials such as language cards, songs, books and poems
- Sensory work such as bead stringing, cutting, puzzles, sewing and sorting to build fine motor development
- Gross motor development in our playroom and playground where toddlers play with sand, water, balls and climbing equipment
- Independence as the children learn to dress and undress themselves, eat independently, clean up after themselves and toilet themselves
It is wonderful to observe our Toddlers as they explore the beautiful TMS environments based on their interests. They are so capable when given the opportunity. The goal of the Toddler Program is to cultivate a child’s natural desire to learn.
- Carolyn Reid, Interim Head of Toddler
