The Young Children’s House (also known as the Toddler Community) has four distinct areas:
Movement
Movement is central to the toddler’s development. As children climb, balance, walk, carry, grasp, and manipulate objects, they strengthen their bodies and refine their coordination. The environment offers opportunities for both gross motor movement, which develops balance and equilibrium, and fine motor movement, which strengthens the hands and fingers for increasingly precise work. Through purposeful movement and repetition, children build confidence, independence, and greater control of their bodies.
Language
Language develops through meaningful experiences and relationships. In a language-rich environment, children hear new words, engage in conversation, sing songs, listen to stories, and explore objects, pictures, and their names. The Atrium of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd provides a special foundation for this work, introducing children to the words and signs of our Catholic faith. As their vocabulary and understanding grow, children develop the ability to express themselves and connect more deeply with the world around them.
Practical Life
The third of the areas reflects the Trinity in its threefold purpose of work --“Help me do it myself.” These activities help children to feel that they are contributors to their world and that they can give something back to the environment, which builds their self-confidence (I can do this) and their self-esteem (I feel good about myself because I can do these things):
Care of the Person: These activities follow the child’s natural interest in himself. In the unconscious stage of the absorbent mind they have a natural interest in doing what they have observed others doing, and they want to do these things for themselves.
Care of the Environment (both indoors and outdoors): The young child, being egocentric, first learns to care for himself; afterwards he broadens his scope and begins to learn to care for the environment around him. The three aspects of environmental care are: cleaning the environment, taking care of animals and plants, and beautifying the environment.
Grace and Courtesy (“the fine flower of charity”- St. Francis de Sales): Grace and courtesy is taught through modeling. It is a human obligation that reaches toward the transcendent – and when expressed from the heart reflects the very image of God that resides within each of us. The absorbent mind of the young child absorbs the grace and courtesy that is modeled in his environment.
The Atrium
From these earliest years, we can observe the child’s natural relationship with God. Through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the youngest children encounter Jesus the Good Shepherd, the One who knows them, calls them by name, and lays down His life for them. In the beauty of Scripture, the stillness of prayer, and beautiful, meditative materials, the youngest children are invited to experience the love and presence of God that can grow throughout their entire life. Through quiet moments of gentle and unhurried listening, contemplation, and prayer, the child is given space to receive and respond to His love in a way that is appropriate to his age and his unique relationship with God.
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“With practical tasks, we can keep children happily occupied while their movement improves in coordination, their egos develop and are reinforced and the personal security and self-esteem continue to be enhanced. These important messages are absorbed in the developing human being and will serve to sustain him throughout all future activities: “I can, I am capable, I am worthy of something, my collaboration is needed by the people with whom I live, my work is important to others and I can transform the world around me with my work.”
Maria Montessori