Montessori Toddler Program
Our Montessori toddler program offers a gentle beginning for your little one, one that honors the wonder, sensitivity, and rapid growth that define the earliest years of a child's development. At International Montessori Academy, we believe very young children deserve a thoughtfully prepared environment where they can move freely, explore real-world activities, hear rich language in English and their secondary language, and feel supported by guides who truly understand this formative stage. Guided by the Montessori method and inspired by our mission to nurture globally minded, confident young learners, our toddler program gives your child a warm, calm space to grow at their own pace. Here, comforting routines help toddlers feel safe, meaningful lessons spark curiosity, and every new step, whether a new word, a moment of independence, or a connection with a friend, is celebrated with joy.
Schedule a tour, visit our Montessori school, and experience the warmth that families feel the moment they walk into our toddler classrooms.
We Offer a World-Class Curriculum That Inspires Students to Make an Impact
We provide full-time programs for children between the ages of 12 months and 2nd grade. By pairing our advanced academic curriculum with an engaging learning environment, our programs are designed to provide students with a deep understanding and effective application of knowledge. We are committed to delivering high-quality educational programs to local families. We have three campuses in the Seattle and Bellevue area, offering exceptional children's education programs.
Montessori Toddler Program Enrollment
Ages Served
12 months to 3 years
Location
Our Montessori toddler classes are available at all three IMA campuses: West Bellevue, Eastgate, and Capitol Hill.
Schedule Options
Full-day and half-day schedules available.
Hours
Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:30 PM
Potty Training Required
No, our guides gently support child-led toilet learning as part of daily routines.
Curriculum Focus
Our Montessori toddler program encourages early language development (English plus Mandarin or Spanish), movement, practical life skills, social skills, and emotional growth through hands-on, child-centered lessons. In our calm classroom environment, your little one builds coordination, confidence, self-esteem, problem-solving skills, and independence, skills that become the foundation for joyful, lifelong learning.
Daily Routine
Each day includes songs, movement, early language lessons, Montessori activities, toilet learning, communication practice, outdoor play, practical life work, and warm social interactions in a calm, predictable rhythm. These routines have been designed to help your child feel secure, independent, and joyfully engaged in learning.
Classroom Experience
In our Montessori classrooms, children ages 1-3 thrive in warm, peaceful environments with guides who know them well, honor their individual pace, and use gentle, supportive language. Together with parents, we create a nurturing community where every toddler feels understood, encouraged, and deeply valued.
About Our Montessori Toddler Program
Parents often wonder if toddlers are ready for a school setting, and we understand this completely. At International Montessori Academy, we honor the truth that a child's development between birth and age three shapes so much of who they become. Our Montessori school offers your toddler a safe environment filled with age-appropriate activities, bilingual language exposure, practical life lessons, and opportunities to build meaningful social skills. Rather than rushing learning, we create space for your child to grow confidently, follow their interests, and experience the joy that comes from discovering, "I can do it myself." Our toddler program supports every step of early childhood development while embracing the heart of the Montessori method: respect for the child, trust in their abilities, and belief in the amazing potential within each little one.
From Age 1 to Age 3: Child Development Support For Every Stage
Toddlers learn through movement, play, repetition, and relationships. In our Montessori toddler program, your child explores a thoughtfully prepared environment that encourages creativity, communication, social growth, coordination, and independence.
Sensory Development
Your toddler is invited to explore materials that build awareness of touch, sound, sight, and movement. These sensorial lessons help very young children strengthen coordination, early focus, creativity, and problem-solving skills, important building blocks for later learning.
Freedom of Movement & Gross Motor Skills
Our classrooms allow toddlers to walk, climb, balance, carry, and dance freely in a safe environment designed for their natural desire to move. Child-sized tables, open shelves, and accessible materials support healthy physical development and confident exploration.
Fine Motor Development
Using tools like spoons, pitchers, beads, and everyday objects, toddlers practice age-appropriate activities that help refine fine motor skills needed for later writing and self-care. These small, repetitive lessons build independence and pride.
Early Language Foundations
In our Montessori classrooms, toddlers experience rich language exposure every day, through songs, stories, conversations, and bilingual classroom interactions. Rich vocabulary, gentle modeling, and real-life communication help toddlers build strong speaking and listening skills.
Practical Life: Early Independence
Your little one engages in real-world activities, such as pouring, wiping, washing hands, carrying objects, preparing snacks, and caring for plants or class materials. These lessons support self-esteem, coordination, responsibility, and the joy of helping others.
Emotional Security & Social Development
In a nurturing Montessori classroom community, toddlers practice sharing, turn-taking, expressing feelings, and building friendships with gentle guidance from our guides. This emotionally safe environment helps build social skills, empathy, emotional regulation, and a sense of community, qualities that support healthy development throughout childhood.
Executive Functioning & Problem-Solving
Puzzles, matching games, simple sequencing, and open-ended play strengthen early reasoning and flexible thinking. These quiet, engaging lessons nurture the executive functioning skills that help children plan, organize, and adapt.
Peaceful Routines & Natural Rhythms
Our toddler schedule offers calm, predictable routines, with time for work, play, rest, outdoor time, and social connection, so that each child feels secure, grounded, and free to explore at their own pace. This consistency supports emotional well-being, trust, and a sense of safety, helping toddlers flourish during these essential formative years.
Exploration Through Safe, Prepared Environments
Every classroom includes child-sized tables, low shelves, open spaces, and beautiful materials arranged for easy access. This thoughtfully prepared environment allows toddlers to explore freely, make choices, and learn through movement and hands-on play.
Our Montessori Toddler Program Enrollment and Registration
We'd love to welcome your family into our community. Learn more about admissions and enrollment processes, and schedule a tour to see our Montessori toddler program in action.
Why Families Trust Our Montessori Toddler Program
Families choose International Montessori Academy because each campus offers a calm, nurturing space where toddlers feel safe, understood, and welcomed as individuals. Parents often share that their children become more confident, more expressive in language, and more joyful after joining our Montessori toddler program.
We offer:
- Montessori-trained guides, certified in the Montessori method, who nurture each child with gentle, respectful care.
- Montessori classrooms that support independence, creativity, and emotional well-being.
- Age-appropriate activities that strengthen social skills, physical development, and problem-solving.
- A multicultural community where toddlers form friendships, language skills grow naturally, and families feel supported.
- Accreditations by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).
- Open communication that keeps parents connected to their child's learning and daily experiences.
Together, these loving elements create a nurturing Montessori toddler program that families cherish, where their little one can grow confidently, explore freely, and feel at home across all three of our beautiful campuses.
Private Montessori Schools Serving Washington and Seattle
We invite you to visit our campuses, meet our Montessori guides, and explore our toddler, preschool, and elementary programs. Start your admissions journey today!
Other Montessori Programs Available at Our Locations
Our Montessori preschool program continues to build on the toddler foundation. Preschoolers deepen work with Montessori materials while developing literacy, mathematics, and cultural knowledge. Available at all three campuses.
The Montessori Pre-K program prepares children for kindergarten success. Pre-K students refine academic skills while building independence and social confidence needed for elementary grades. Available at all three campuses.
Our Montessori kindergarten program provides a bridge from early childhood to elementary. Kindergarten students work with advanced materials while continuing language immersion. Available at the West Bellevue campus with a bilingual model.
The Montessori lower elementary program serves children ages 6 to 8 years in grades 1 and 2. Elementary students engage with cosmic education and cultural studies in a bilingual environment. Available exclusively at the West Bellevue campus.
In our Spanish immersion program, children learn Spanish naturally through everyday classroom life songs, stories, play, and daily conversations, helping them grow confident in both English and Spanish.
In our Mandarin immersion classrooms, our students spend most of the school day hearing and using Mandarin through materials, routines, and lessons, giving them a strong foundation in the language early on.
Other Montessori Programs Available at Our Locations
Our Montessori preschool program continues to build on the toddler foundation. Preschoolers deepen work with Montessori materials while developing literacy, mathematics, and cultural knowledge. Available at all three campuses.
The Montessori Pre-K program prepares children for kindergarten success. Pre-K students refine academic skills while building independence and social confidence needed for elementary grades. Available at all three campuses.
Our Montessori kindergarten program provides a bridge from early childhood to elementary. Kindergarten students work with advanced materials while continuing language immersion. Available at the West Bellevue campus with a bilingual model.
The Montessori lower elementary program serves children ages 6 to 8 years in grades 1 and 2. Elementary students engage with cosmic education and cultural studies in a bilingual environment. Available exclusively at the West Bellevue campus.
In our Spanish immersion program, children learn Spanish naturally through everyday classroom life songs, stories, play, and daily conversations, helping them grow confident in both English and Spanish.
In our Mandarin immersion classrooms, our students spend most of the school day hearing and using Mandarin through materials, routines, and lessons, giving them a strong foundation in the language early on.
Parent Reviews
Punthawat H.
January 14, 2025
Excellent take care kids and friendly.
Wenjing Q.
November 5, 2024
Loving teachers and that our kid is able to have the same teachers for the past year.
Siddhi G.
July 2, 2024
The environment at the school is so warm and welcoming to the children. The teachers are also very caring and take great efforts to ensure that the kids are doing well in school. We are very happy with how well our child is doing at International Montessori Academy.
Michelle H.
May 14, 2024
The teachers and staff are fantastic. it feels like home and my kids are happy there. I also really like the curriculum design.
Weiwei L.
March 5, 2024
The teachers are very good, elegant environment, unique teaching
Helen L.
January 10, 2024
Absolutely fantastic teachers!
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Montessori Toddler Program
The Montessori toddler classroom environment is designed to be easily accessible, allowing kids to make choices, try real tasks, and build self-confidence from an early age. According to the American Montessori Society (AMS), toddlers develop stronger independence when adults step back and allow learning through exploration and purposeful movement.