Apple Montessori Blog

Why Apple Montessori Is the Best Place for Your Infant to Start Their Education

[object Object]

A child’s first year of school is one of the most critical ones. Students who learn a lot in preschool will have a strong start in kindergarten, and then an even stronger start in elementary school.

Giving your child the best education they can get is all about choosing the right program. For infants, the best choice is one that is designed to help them learn, not just to look after them. That’s why we have developed and are continually updating our infant education program. We are committed to providing the best in infant education so that we can give every child a head start in their learning.

Here are some of the reasons you should seriously consider Apple Montessori for your infant.

We Cater to Children’s Sensitive Periods

As they develop, children go through a few different sensitive periods. Sensitive periods are small windows of time during which the child will be able to learn certain skills quickly and easily. That’s why some children can pick up languages quickly and without formal instruction – it’s happening during their sensitive period for language acquisition. It’s not impossible to learn these skills after the sensitive period is over, but it is much harder.

This is why we take infant learning so seriously. It’s the perfect time to learn so many essential and foundational skills.

During this sensitive period, infants develop the abilities to:

  • Crawl, climb and walk
  • Grab, hold, and manipulate objects
  • Understand words, recognize different sounds, and speak
  • Discern shapes, patterns, and spatial relations

Our infant education program is designed to help students develop these abilities, so our students never miss an opportunity to reach their fullest potential.

An Environment Designed for Learning

Our infant classrooms aren’t just designed for safety and comfort, they’re also an educational tool.

We provide our students with an environment full of bright colors and well-defined shapes, all arranged to provide striking contrasts and call attention to spatial relations. This gives our infant students plenty of age-appropriate sensory stimulation to keep them fascinated and sharpen their senses.

A Varied Curriculum

We use fun and purposeful play to get our students to improve their motor skills, their language abilities, and their understanding of the world around them.

Some of the stand-out features of our curriculum include infant yoga sessions to give our students better control over their movements and sign language lessons to help them communicate clearly and effectively.

Our infant program is also when we start introducing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). We firmly believe that even our youngest students are ready to start learning these core subjects. Obviously, we won’t be asking our students to do trigonometry or label the planets in our solar system, but we will lay some of the foundations that will eventually help them do those things and more.

For example, we get our students interested in biology by observing and collecting things on our guided nature walks. For math, we give them sorting games to encourage them to think logically and become familiar with simple concepts like adding and subtracting.

(Click here for a more in-depth look at our STEAM curriculum for infants.)

Individualized Lessons

We may have a curriculum in place, but we don’t take a rigid approach to our lesson plans. Children in our programs have “structured freedom”—our students have a greater degree of latitude to learn and grow at their pace, but in a way that is well thought-out and well-planned by our expert educators. We are committed to helping each of our students reach their fullest potential, and that means giving them the individualized attention they need. Infants respond best to close attention from a dedicated and nurturing teacher who understands their strengths and potential. By focusing on each child’s individual needs, we make sure that they feel safe while learning in a way that is best suited for them.

Building Independence

Children are naturally curious, and when they feel safe they like nothing more than to explore. We’ve designed our classroom to encourage that independent exploration.

Our teachers are there to observe, guide, and encourage the students without taking away their autonomy or doing everything for them. While we recognize the need to actively support the students, our goal is also to help every one of them become more self-motivated and self-directed.

It’s Never Too Soon to Start Learning

Apple Montessori’s early education programs are based on the idea that young children can excel when they’re given the right kind of support. Even the youngest children can benefit from a carefully planned educational program.

If you want to learn more about our programs, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and learn more. It’s never too soon to enroll your child and give them a strong start.