Infant Community
birth-18 months
birth-18 months
“The education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life. – Maria Montessori ”
To understand Montessori from birth, we must let go of traditional attitudes towards education. This is a model that honors learning as it intersects with living, where the goal is to help each child realize their full potential.
Babies are wired to learn through their senses: the scent of caregivers, the sound of the animals, the sight of bright lights, and the touch of the grass. While it is true that babies are heavily dependent on our caregiving – from one diaper change and feeding to the next – it is also true that they are astonishingly capable. We see this with the rapid development of expressive language and movement skills – going from supine to walking, crying to speaking, all at their own lead. Montessori advocated for us to recognize this sensorial processing with greater awe and intent.
Benchmarks reflect base expectations. Children advance according to their developmental readiness, which is the premise of the Montessori philosophy including quality and level of work completed. Guides utilize a multi-sensory approach, which addresses all learning styles and creates the optimal learning environment. Benchmark tables can be expanded below by clicking the ^
Holding the bottle/self-feeding
Infant nutrition
Baby-led weaning
Grasping food
Use of a spoon
Cup handling
Bottle/cup transition
Diapering
Toileting
Undressing
Taking shoes/socks off
Hand washing
Independent sleep
Grace and courtesy: waving hello and goodbye, baby sign - please, thank you, lining up for transitions
Care of environment: clearing the table, wiping a spill, putting objects away
Food preparation: peeling bananas
Sleep environment: floor bed, crib, cot transition
Swaddle/ sack/blanket transition
Soothing techniques
Sleep independence
Gross Motor
Supine, supine flexion
Prone, prone extension
Reaching exercises
Side lay, rolling – core development
Push-up/pull-up bar
Mobility: flexion, abduction, rotation
Sitting and kneeling
Crawling variations
Standing/ stances
Squatting, cruising, walking
Carrying objects
Lifting weight
Fine Motor
Grasping
Finger and wrist mobility
Palmar, pincer
Tactile and manipulatives
Oral Motor
Integrating tongue-thrust reflex
Teething exercises
Blowing, sucking, chewing, swallowing
Ocular Motor
Discrimination of size, shape, and color
Tracking fish in the aquarium
Bubbles
Tracking objects using wands
Following activity in the room
Auditory Identification and Discrimination
Identifying sounds in the environment
Locating the source of a sound
Olfactory and Tactile Experiences
Food and flowers in the environment
Tactile and Vestibular
Tactile squares, sandpaper board, pokey ball, Play-dough, stress balls
Rocking horse, glider, parachute games
Proprioceptive
Trampoline and cardio activities
Pressure activities: pillow hugs, lifting weight, crawling, push/pull
Sensory integration: process, organize, and respond to sensorial information
Non-verbal: matching expressions, expressing needs, sign language, gestures, pointing
Speech development: vocalizations, babbling, conversational jargon, repeating words, expressing first words
Interactive reading
Communication: serve and return
Vocabulary: habits, e.g., feeding, toileting, sleeping, working, safety
Anatomy
Emotions
Verbs and nouns which covers people, animals, animal sounds, objects, environmental
Directives and questions
Three-period lesson: first period
Object transfer
Spacial relationships
Patterns, relationships an change
Processing, collecting and organizing information
Repetition
Natural science exploration/biology
Butterfly lifecycle observation and interaction
Fish observation
Plants and flowers in environment
Outdoor exploration: insects, birds, local wildlife
Earth science
Outdoor exploration: weather, dirt, rocks, sand
Instruments, CD books, listening to music
Painting, Play-dough, edible art
Line time
Visitors
Diversity and inclusion
Attachment to independence timeline
Social referencing
Self-soothing: teething, pacifiers and soothing objects, use, restrictions, weaning, thumb-soothing
Breast/ bottle weaning
Child/parent/teacher approach
Child empowerment and asserting the will
Self-regulation
Well-being/assisted regulation: infant yoga, infant massage, digestion
Conflict resolution
Lining up, walking, stopping, taking turns
Transitions
Communication
Intrinsic learning
Grace and courtesy
Freedom within limits/ boundaries
Diversity and inclusion
Protective reflexes
Attention
Cause and effect
Object permanence
Trial and error
Problem solving
Executive functioning skills
Safety
Nature and activities
Buggy walks