Preschool Program
Innocent Minds Preschool Program
The Innocent Minds Preschool Program is an immersive, interactive and playful learning environment for children aged 3-6. Our staff collaborate to engage children with tons of hands-on activities that promote creative and critical thinking skills.
Learning in the Preschool Community
The Montessori Preschool Program offers children a dynamic learning environment where they are empowered to choose their work, follow their interests, and progress at their own pace. Within this space, children develop their independence, refine their concentration, and explode into learning as they develop their intelligence and higher-level brain processes.
Between the ages of three and six, preschoolers move through sensitive periods for language, order, grace and courtesy, the senses, writing, small objects, music, reading, spatial relationships, and mathematics.
During this stage of development, the Preschool Curriculum introduces children to a range of advanced Montessori materials that expand on their knowledge of Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, Language and Culture.
The design of the preschool classroom, and the educational materials within in, reflect these interests and provide rich opportunities for learning that nurture children’s complete development while preparing them for school and life.
Preschool Learning Goals
- Formation of individual letters and numbers
- Recognises numerals and counts by rote
- Reads simple sentences and constructs phonetic words
- Can write and recognise their own name
- Aware of the decimal system, addition, and subtraction
- Participates in physical activities and follows the rules of games
- Shows self-confidence and interacts well with others
- Ability to concentrate and work independently
- Responds to challenges and demonstrates problem-solving skills
Preschool Curriculum
Practical Life
Practical life activities focus on care of self, care of others, and care of the environment. In addition to teaching daily life skills, practical life activities promote independence, social skills, grace and courtesy, concentration, and coordination.
Example materials and activities include:
- Tonging
- Grating
- Threading
- Lessons in Grace and Courtesy
- Nuts and bolts
Sensorial
Sensorial activities are designed to help children develop and refine the senses of sight, touch, taste, smell and sound. These skills assist with classifying, sorting and discriminating between objects to interpret their sensory impressions. These skills are necessary foundations for language and mathematics.
Example materials and activities include:
- Red rods
- Superimposed shapes
- Geometric solids
- Sound cylinders
- Trinomial cube
Mathematics
Montessori mathematics materials assist children in developing an understanding of abstract mathematical concepts through hands-on experiences. Through the mathematics materials, students learn to identify and quantify numerals, count and sequence numbers, add and subtract, identify patterns, and learn about number systems.
Example materials and activities include:
- Number rods
- Spindle boxes
- Hanging bead stair
- Addition strip board
- Hundred board
Language
Montessori language materials assist children in learning literacy skills and developing their vocabulary. Through conversation, singing, and hands-on materials, children learn letter recognition, phonics, vowels and consonants, and the early stages of writing and reading.
Example materials and activities include:
- Moveable alphabet
- Metal insets
- Object picture matching cards
- Three part cards
- Object boxes
Culture
The Montessori Culture Curriculum covers the study of the arts, geography, science, environment, national culture, music, and history. Through cultural activities, children learn about their community and the world. They discover similarities, differences, and develop an understanding, appreciation and respect for diversity and all living things.
- Land and water forms
- Continent boxes
- Botany cabinet and puzzles
- Life cycle puzzle and activities
- Map cabinet
Early Years Learning Framework
In addition the Montessori Curriculum, all Montessori Academy childcare centres also teach the Australian Government’s Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF): Belonging, Being & Becoming. The EYLF incorporates five learning outcomes that work hand-in-hand with the Montessori Curriculum to support children’s learning from birth to age five.
Five Key Outcomes of the EYLF:
- Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
- Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
- Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
- Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
- Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
