Independence. Concentration. Love of Learning.
The Montessori Children’s House at Qingdao Amerasia International School helps our youngest learners take the lead in their own education, under the guidance of teachers who have extensive training and experience. Children learn experientially, manipulating specially-designed materials to attain deep understanding of practical and intellectual concepts.
Research has shown repeatedly that the first years of life are crucial in a child’s brain development. At this stage, children’s minds absorb information from the environment around them, building their consciousness and laying the groundwork for all the learning that is to follow. Social and language development are also critical at this stage. The Children’s House at QAIS is uniquely structured to nurture this cognitive, social, and emotional development.
QAIS is the first and only school in Asia to be accredited by the American Montessori Society, and our Early Childhood students also grow as inquirers through the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. For more information on joining our program, please email Info@QingdaoAmerasia.org to make an appointment today.
MONTESSORI TODDLER
18 months to 3 years
The Toddler Classroom is a rich, educational environment filled with hands-on, sensorial activities in language, pre-math, and cultural studies that support the critical first plane of development. Dr. Maria Montessori discovered that children all over the world when given the choice, were drawn to real, purposeful activities, which form part of the Practical Life Curriculum including Gross Motor Activity, Fine Motor Activity, Grace & Courtesy, Care of the Environment, and Care of Self. Students enjoy freedom within limits to explore various interests in a multi-aged, prepared environment.
"The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and wings of independence."
- Maria Montessori
Dr. Maria Montessori believed that children absorb knowledge effortlessly and have a natural and intense desire to learn about the world, particularly before age 6. By providing a stimulating, concrete, hands-on curriculum, children's senses are awakened to the wonders of the world while developing a foundational understanding of abstract concepts in five curricular areas: Language Arts (English and Chinese), Mathematics, Practical Life, Sensorial, and Cultural Studies (Botany, Zoology, Geography, Art, and Music). The exploratory journey through this rich, profound curriculum is framed by four transdisciplinary IB PYP Units of Inquiry (UOIs): Who We Are, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, and How We Organize Ourselves. This unique and intellectually stimulating integrated curriculum develops individuals who are self-directed, confident, and creative, with a positive self-image and academic skills that prepare them for the rest of their lives.
MONTESSORI & IB PYP EARLY CHILDHOOD
3 - 6 years
In the Early Childhood classes at Qingdao Amerasia International School, the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme combines with the Montessori educational environment to reinforce connections between students’ personal world and the global community in which they live.
Primary Years Programme units of inquiry help children to further develop their research skills, thinking skills, and communication skills. In each unit, students explore a central idea, bringing their own questions and building understanding through hands-on activities, research, and other learning engagements. Over the course of three years in our Early Childhood classroom, each student will complete eighteen units of inquiry. After students leave the Early Childhood classrooms, the Primary Years Programme continues up to Grade 6.
As the child’s guide, the teacher will introduce inquiry-based learning activities that illuminate the IB units of inquiry by teaching lessons one-on-one or to small groups of children. Teachers know that each child will learn at his or her own pace and so the child is encouraged to explore all areas of the classroom and units of inquiry.