Children 2-3 years

In the Pre-primary Program at BMS, we aim to turn your child’s natural curiosity into positive learning experiences. This program takes advantage of the child’s natural drive to act independently. We utilize exercises and activities so children can learn by doing. It is during these first few years of life that the roots for a love of learning are established. Dr. Montessori recognized the sensitivities of this age in the areas of independence, order, movement and language as the key elements in the child’s growth and development during this period.

For many children this is their first experience separated from their primary care giver. Care is given to assist the young child and parent in handling separation and in making this a positive and healthy experience. A typical day for your child would consist of individual indoor work time, snack time (a favorite of most), outdoor playtime, music, reading stories, lunchtime, nap time and other enrichment activities.

In this language-rich environment, teachers support and guide children as they explore order and disorder, and refine their emerging motor skills.

The aim of the pre-primary program is to accomplish the following:

• Evolving from 2-year old children playing and working next to one another other to 3-year old children playing and working with one another
• Facilitating drivers to catalyze a natural sense of exploration and curiosity
• Sewing the seeds for self confidence and greater independence
• Aiding in the potty training process
• Focusing on fundamental language and communication skills
• Introducing the root elements of the 3-6 year old Primary Program
• Learning the skills that will develop independence and preschool readiness

The Pre-Primary curriculum introduces several elements that will later be a focus in the 3-6 year Primary program:

Practical life: Precise movements and sequences developed doing practical activities and daily living objectives to help strengthen motor skills and concentration. In practical life they will experience real life situations and activities including: learning to zip, button, mix, and pour liquids. The practical life area includes assisting toddlers in the following as well: eating by themselves, drinking from a cup, grooming and toilet learning, cleaning, caring for plants and animals, food preparation and grace and courtesy.

Sensory: The sensory area allows children to use their senses to learn about the world. Identifying and putting names to the senses of sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell, help children develop formative knowledge of the real which is the basis for understanding abstraction later. Many of these materials are building blocks for further analysis and reasoning in the pre-primary program. In this classroom, a child can learn to distinguish different heights, lengths, weights, colors, sounds, smells, shapes, and textures.

Mathematics: Mathematical abstraction is mastered by manipulating the concrete, building, sequencing, and puzzling.

Language: From a solid basis in spoken language, reading and writing are developed using a variety of tactile materials. Language activities and materials increase vocabulary and conversational skills. Language Enrichment is another important area of learning for the children. These lessons give children the words they need to express themselves. They also associate names to all they see in their environment. The language skills are practiced through a variety of fun and engaging activities such as stories, poems, songs, picture cards, and even daily conversation.

Cultural Studies: World geography and peoples are explored through such materials as maps, flags, water and land forms, presentations and books.

Integrated Art and Music: Visual, audible and expressive arts are incorporated into daily classroom activities. Art and music are approached from a skills based perspective. Children can freely choose cutting, gluing, painting, magic markers, or clay. Listening to music of all varieties helps children develop an ear for music as well as more formal instruction on rhymes, moving to music and practicing duplicating rhythms. These fundamental concepts are introduced to children in the pre-primary program as building blocks to nurture curiosity and instill self confidence in each child.