Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years: The Pre-School Years

I am fortunate enough to be able to be a stay at home with my children because I want my kids to stay at home as long as possible (while they are young) so they can fully appreciate the family dynamic. Because I stay at home, my family and I are living off a single income and cannot afford to put our children in the Montessori program. I am still interested in the Montessori philosophy, and wanted to try to incorporate it here at home. I checked this book out from the library just to see how applicable it would be, and I found that this is a great, not complicated introduction to the Montessori method. The activities are great and realistic for little ones to explore and learn, and will be useful to them in the long run. They also don't require alot of "shopping" so it can be very affordable as well. I'm very excited to help my children learn with this book. I'm going out to buy this book right away!

As a new parent, I needed something to introduce myself to Montessori instruction. I plan to enroll my 36 month old soon, but at this time, she is fine in the care of her grandparents and in the evenings, with myself. Until she begins Montessori, I want to begin instilling some of the instructions. I ordered this book along with one other you will notice in my reviewed items. Both books are very good in my opinion, and all that I need. Even if I never enroll her in daycare, preschool, this is adequate. It gives great ideas that a parent or caregiver can share while with the child. Very good quality book.Update....2013...my child is now 9 years old and let me update my thoughts. I have always placed education as one of top priority in the list of most important focuses for my daughter (others being health, family, morals, respect to self and others, religion). I have been an advocate for my child especially in school, making certain she receives the education she should. I have been in the principal's office many many times by choice to discuss education. From the time I received this book, I did enroll my child into Montessori at age 4(researched all the schools in the area very carefully as if it were a university for my child). She attended Montessori for 2 years and now attends a public school, with enhanced tutoring and extracurricular sports afterschool balancing the education and growth process. Again, looking back, I do recommend this book.

Pretty quick read. Perfect for Montessori newbies. Even has DIY instructions since materials can be expensive store bought. Some people may think it's outdated(i.e. polishing shoes), but there are some good suggestions all around. I like that it even gives a span of years in which a child should be able to do the activity. My son is a smart cookie and knew his colors and shapes by 2 years old, but I know it takes longer for some kids. I like that Montessori encourages parents to follow the child instead of comparing.

A few months ago I decided to implement a Montessori curriculum at home for my almost 3 year old. I am a certified K-8 teacher, so I had some familiarity with the Montessori method. I've decided to purchase a Montessori curriculum to follow (do an Internet search for "Montessori curriculum" and you will find quite a few), since I don't feel I have enough of the experience and knowledge to create my own. This was one of the first books I bought, in an effort to become familiar with the method. It's much shorter than I thought, however it is full of very valuable information.The introduction to the book provides a short overview of the method and its success, but if you are looking for an in depth coverage of the Montessori method, look elsewhere. I purchased this along with "Montessori in the Classroom," "The Essential Montessori," and "The Montessori Method." Instead of looking at this book as the "be all, end all" book, I saw it more as a piece of the foundation that I was trying to create.Many of the materials mentioned in the book are no longer available, but a quick internet search can usually turn up what you are looking for. Some of the activities seemed like common sense to me (learning to push in a chair, washing your hands, etc.), but for someone completely new to the method they make sense. As adults, it's often easy for us to forget that many of these daily activities don't come naturally. It was a good reminder that we can't have high expectations for these routines, unless we specifically teach them.The one thing that I felt was lacking was the method for presenting the materials. Luckily, I was able to find a more in depth description in other books (see above). She lists a few short steps (usually about 3-5) for introducing the materials, but she doesn't make it as explicit as I would have liked. There also aren't many extension activities listed. Generally, there is one (sometimes two) activties listed for each material. I would have like to see more variations and extensions. I do like how she lists the control of error for each material. It became very clear to me that all of the Montessori materials allow students to be self taught. It becomes very evident when they've made a mistakes, so children are more likely to self correct without teacher intervention.This is definitely a great supplement to a beginning Montessori library. I can see myself using this quite a bit as we begin the school year, but as we become familiar with the method, I see myself passing it along to someone else. It's definitely a good starting point for teaching Montessori in the home, but the material is quickly mastered.

I really loved this book. A quick and easy read. One I need to revisit since I didn’t bother to take notes the first time I read it. If you’re new to Montessori, like I am, this book will come in handy. Especially if you’ve decided to homeschool and have no idea where the heck to start.

This book really opened my mind to teaching the early school years at home. Preschools all around are more and more competitive and they only focus on academics. This book teaches that first the child needs to master the world around him/her and then they will become great students. The example exercizes the book gives are all great. Another plus, is that monst of the activities can be done with things that you may already have around the house. I really liked this book and my daughter has caught on to the learning and she really loves our school sessions at home.