top of page

Pre-Primary

Ages 18 Months - 3 Years

The Pre-Primary Program is a bridge between infancy and early childhood—a time when children’s curiosity, independence, and sense of self are rapidly expanding. In this stage, our Montessori environment is designed to channel their boundless energy into purposeful exploration, discovery, and learning.

​

Children in the Pre-Primary classroom are introduced to a variety of hands-on activities that support language, movement, self-care, and social interaction. Everything in the space is thoughtfully chosen and child-sized, allowing them to practice independence—pouring their own water, choosing work from the shelves, cleaning up after themselves—while developing fine and gross motor skills.

​

Practical Life activities encourage responsibility and confidence, while Sensorial materials sharpen their ability to observe, compare, and classify the world around them. The mixed-age setting fosters empathy and cooperation, as younger children learn from older peers and older ones gain pride in guiding newcomers.

 

Our guides observe closely, offering gentle support to help each child grow into a capable, curious, and compassionate learner—ready for the next stage of their Montessori journey.

IMG_1499_edited.jpg

Practical Life

 

The pre-primary students are introduced to other students, guided to practice social skills such as sharing, courtesy, kindness, problem solving, how to blow and wipe their runny noses, how to wash hands, how to go potty by themselves etc.  


Practical life exercises give them experience with setting a table, eating by themselves, washing dishes, mopping and sweeping floors, squeezing water from a sponge, dusting shelves, hanging clothes with clothes pins, using dolls for developing gentleness and care of others,  etc.

Sensorial

 

The Pre-primary child is engaged in work that builds visual, auditory and tactile senses through the work of:  stacking, sorting, classifying, discriminating sounds, colors, numbers, tones, fragrances, touch tablets and fabrics.

Language

​

This age child is just beginning to put names to objects and to engage the child in this discovery the classroom is filled with objects, beginning sounds cards, sandpaper letters, songs to sing, stories to be heard, books to open and explore, pictures to ponder, and other students to listen to and interact with.  All subject areas are introduced through a rich selection of books in the area of science, botany, zoology, and world families.  Basic science lessons are introduced for the purpose of developing language and creating a sense of awe.  Preparation for writing at a later stage is introduced by a variety of exercises that strengthen the hand to eventually hold a writing tool.

Father And Son Playing
Image by Kati Hoehl

Mathematics

 

Concrete materials introduce children to numbers both quantity and quality;   on the shelves are the spindles to count, objects to set up based on a numerical symbol, books that aid in counting, snack that requires a certain number, setting a table for so many students, lining up dolls that need to be cared for, and a host of other activities that connect number to quantity.  A wide variety of puzzles are available for developing spatial recognition and manipulating objects with coordinated hand movements.

Movement

 

Assistance with coordinating  their growing bodies is facilitated by open spaces in the classroom for movement,  practicing exercises in the gym and going outside to explore how loud they can scream, how fast they can run, how able to manage a tricycle, how adept at pushing a wheel barrow, how creative they are in the sand.

IMG_6254_edited.jpg
7_25_25.jpg

Enrichment Program

 

  • Science – Hands-on experiments and exploration in a fully equipped discovery/science lab

  • Art – Creative projects that foster self-expression and fine motor skills

  • Music – Singing, rhythm, and exposure to instruments to develop musical appreciation

  • Spanish Language – Introduction to vocabulary, conversation, and cultural elements

  • Outdoor Gardening (Seasonal) – Planting, caring for, and observing the life cycle of plants

bottom of page