5 Recommended Montessori Books for Parents

Here are my personal recommendations on 5 Montessori books to read if you are interested to do Montessori at home with your kiddos.

They are available for loan at the National Library but I would suggest you purchase them for future references. I keep going back to these books for ideas and to refresh myself!

 

1. How To Raise An Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin

“A practical parenting program to help build a calm and happy home life with your child, from birth through age six. Based on Montessori school methods that inspired Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Packed with creative activities to help children discover more about their world – as well as foster independence, concentration, and respect for others.” Excerpt from Goodreads.com

This is a great coffee table book you can easily finish in less than an hour. Filled with colourful photographs to inspire your Montessori journey with your child.

 

2. Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three by Paula Polk Lillard, Lynn Lillard Jessen

“Based on Dr. Maria Montessori’s instructions for raising infants, its comprehensive exploration of the first three years incorporates the furnishings and tools she created for the care and comfort of babies. From the design of the baby’s bedroom to the child-sized kitchen table, from diet and food preparation to clothing and movement, the authors provide guidance for the establishment of a beautiful and serviceable environment for babies and very young children. They introduce concepts and tasks, taking into account childrens’ ”sensitive periods” for learning such skills as dressing themselves, food preparation, and toilet training.” Excerpt from Goodreads.com

This is the first Montessori book I picked up when I was pregnant with Big E 4 years ago. It helped me tremendously in designing my Montessori inspired baby bedroom to his toddler play area and now, his child-sized learning area in the house.

 

3. The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori, John Chattin-McNichols (Foreword by)

“Written by the women whose name is synonymous worldwide with child development theory, The Absorbent Mind takes its title from the phrase that the inspired Italian doctor coined to characterize the child’s most crucial developmental stage: the first six years.” Excerpt from Goodreads.com

The book to read that offers in-depth explanation to the Montessori way. By the founder Maria Montessori no less. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is seriously looking at approaching learning the Montessori way to iron out any questions or misconcepts about Montessori.

 

4. Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years by Elizabeth G. Hainstock, Lee Davis

“This book puts the entire range of the Montessori system within your reach, so you can make the most of your child’s vital years. Teaching Montessori in the Home demonstrates how you can develop your child’s sensory awareness and practical life skills, as well as lay the foundation of preliminary reading, writing, and math.” Excerpt from Goodreads.com

Lots of practical ideas for Montessori activities to do with your toddler! I love this book. Keep going back for ideas and activity set-ups.

 

5. Montessori Read & Write: A parent’s guide to literacy for children by Lynne Lawrence

“Montessori Read & Write makes the acclaimed methods used in those schools available to all parents who wish to give their child the best possible start on the road to reading and writing. Illustrated in colour throughout, with sections on how human beings acquire language, how to create an environment which gives the best chance for language to flourish, first steps towards reading and writing, learning to write the letters, starting to read with meaning and creative and accurate story writing, the book is full of age-graded games and activities to aid learning, and has a resources section designed to be appropriate for different geographical regions and/or languages. It includes a reading list, resources list and suggestions for scripts. Easy and fun to use, this informative and practical book is essential reading for any parent who wants to ensure the best start for their child.” Excerpt from Goodreads.com

This book saved me thousands of dollars that I might have spent sending Big E to reading & writing enrichment classes. LOL… Ok jokes aside, this is one book for the parent to study, apply & reapply the concepts into your child’s daily life. We all know how important early literacy skills are!

 

Hope this list helps kickstart your Montessori journey!

Feel free to share with me your thoughts.

 

Xoxo,

Jingyi