Extracurricular Programs

Our Saturday morning Montessori Chinese program is designed for young children between ages 2.5 and 8. Our program is the only program in Markham that teaches Chinese in a Montessori way – meaning minimal worksheets, flashcards, and memorization. Instead, children learn via sensory memory, games, and small group interactions. Both traditional form of characters and simplified form are taught in our program. And we offer programs in both Cantonese and Mandarin.

Like any Montessori classroom, children will be placed in a mixed age classroom. Younger students are introduced to sensory activities, songs, stories, and games.  The work for this level focuses on verbal communications and simple characters recognition. Montessori tools such as sandpaper boards and 3 part cards are introduced to prepare for Chinese reading and writing. Older students will work on strengthening their Chinese foundation using a variety of Montessori tools and reading material. Stroke orders and radicals are emphasized in this level. Casa students are taught to converse in Chinese using proper grammar and sentence structures, be familiar with the 52 common radicals, their respective side radicals, understand simple idioms, and be able to read short stories. 

This is an external program that is offered to external students who are not currently enrolled in IMS’ regular childcare program.

NEW in 2025-26: Due to popular demand, we’re now offering a Pre-K Montessori Chinese class for ages 2.5–4! Smaller class size, hands-on learning, and a gentle introduction to Mandarin or Cantonese.