Montessori Radmoor

Thomson_Erin at Montessori Radmoor

As we are more than half way through our school year, I think this is a good time to think about where your child will be moving on to next. Generally for those children who are three years old, or will be turning three before the start of the next school year, the primary class awaits. Many of you have already been in to observe, but if you haven’t I highly recommend that you schedule some time to visit one of the primary classes. There are some differences and I wanted to share with you some of the signs we look for to determine a child’s readiness to transition to the primary class:

  1. Your toddler is toilet trained. He may not be 100% accurate, but should be well on his way. Diapers and pull ups are NEVER used in the primary environment (not even at naptime). Misses and accidents will occasionally happen, but what’s really important is that your child is able to recognize that they need to use the toilet and be independent with dressing and undressing themselves. This is a skill that is great to work on at home. Break down the steps involved in getting dressed. Allow for some extra time when getting dressed. And when purchasing clothes think about how easy is it is pull up or put on (things like elastic waistbands, short sleeve shirts etc.)
  2. Your toddler is able to express his needs and wants. In the toddler environment, we provide you with a lot of information about your child’s day (activities, snack, naptime and even toileting upon request). We provide this information because most toddlers (especially when they first start) are unable to tell you about their day. By the time your child is three; they are more verbal and can tell you about their day.
  3. Your toddler is able to make choices and work independently.
  4. Your toddler is able to follow directions.

All of these signs are important because of some differences between the toddler environment and primary class, as well as, the child’s growing development.  Some of these differences are the number of children and materials in the classroom. Each toddler class is limited to 12 children. There may be up to 30 children in each primary class. This makes for a busier and sometimes louder environment. There are also many more materials available (I think it may be ten times the amount we have out in the toddler class). We always try to prepare our toddlers for the primary classes by visiting the classrooms on various errands. Sometimes taking treats to the animals, borrowing some baking supplies, or visiting former classmates.

Again, thanks for taking the time to read and for sharing your wonderful children with us!

Erin

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