After becoming a parent, one of the few “ah ha” moments I had was when I learned about the Montessori philosophy. My dear friend in France casually mentioned that she was using Montessori principles with her kids, even her newborn baby (like using Munari mobiles, if you’re curious). As a brand new mom, I couldn’t wait to get started homeschooling my son and thought I had a few years to wait. When I learned that Montessori was actually a parenting philosophy as well as an education philosophy, I dove in and learned all I could. These Montessori parenting books quite literally changed how I have parented my children and I hope you love them as much as I do!
The Montessori Toddler
The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies is by far, my favorite Montessori parenting book.
If you have toddler aged children, I consider it a must-read.
I had been following Simone Davies and her blog The Montessori Notebook for a quite a while and referred to it religiously.
She released this book on March 13, 2019 – my Amazon purchase history tells me I ordered the kindle version less than a month later.
What I love most about this book is that it will make you look around your home and have this burning desire to make it Montessori-friendly.
I immediately realized that all of the clutter, all of the “learning toys”, all of this stuff that I was stressing about every day was not only not necessary, but was detrimental to my children’s learning environment.
Davies goes through every room in your home and explains how to make it more Montessori. Contrary to what I thought, you can easily make these changes for cheap or even free.
A few other key points that she builds on is how we need to not interrupt our children when they’re working on something, allow them to figure things out on their own instead of offering help, and explains exactly what makes an activity Montessori.
She details how to show new activities to your child and then, if you’re anything like me, you have to “sit on your hands” to let them figure it out on their own to build their confidence and protect their natural curiosity and desire to learn.
The section that I have referred to time and time again though, is all about positive discipline the Montessori way, which is about setting limits and respecting and connecting with your child. Davies explains how to handle toddler tantrums that every child has.
I could go on and on about this book. If you have a child between the ages of 1 and 3, I think this one is a necessity.
The Montessori Baby
A few years later, Simone Davies released The Montessori Baby, geared toward new parents from conception through the first year of life.
Honestly, I truly wish this book had been published when I had my oldest in 2015.
It really explains how we should look at babies. How they aren’t these helpless little creatures, but are instead capable of understanding when they’re tired and need to sleep from a very young age.
Davies gives practical tips regarding how to set up your home for your new baby, how to prepare their room, and how to meet their needs the Montessori way.
The Montessori Method by Dr. Maria Montessori
I truly believe you will never meet someone who is passionate about the Montessori method that doesn’t own this book along with The Absorbent Mind.
The Montessori Method was written by Maria Montessori herself and details the importance of the environment on a child’s learning.
Montessori explains how she was able to observe children and learn how to facilitate their learning by providing materials that met them where they were in their learning process.
Much differently than a typical school with a curriculum that each child in the classroom has to follow simultaneously.
Montessori believed that children should be able to select their own activities and that this would preserve their natural curiosity and foster a love of learning.
She describes how this will create children that are “intrinsically motivated” to seek out their own education.
This is quite different from current public schools where children are presented information, expected to study it, and prove their newly acquired knowledge through a one-size-fits-all testing.
The Montessori Method is definitely not as easy a read as The Montessori Toddler or other books written more recently, but is a wealth of knowledge from the developer of the Montessori Method.
The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori
As someone who geeks out over all things psychological, I loved this book and kept flipping through the pages trying to soak in as much as I could as fast as I could.
In The Absorbent Mind, Dr. Montessori describes how there are distinct phases of development and outlines them. For example, from birth to around 3 years of age, children have an “unconscious absorbent mind” where they absorb the world around them without trying to manipulate it.
From ages 3 to 6, they have a more “conscious absorbent mind” where they try to direct their own experiences and engage with their environment differently.
This book is great if you want to understand more deeply the “why” behind Montessori’s philosophy.
How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin
How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way is a must for parents of young children for it’s content and for how easily digestible it is.
It is filled with pictures and real life examples of the Montessori method in action.
I actually kept this book in my car during a season of our lives when we were traveling a lot for my husband’s job. It is so easy to just pick up in a few minutes of spare time and skim a section.
In my opinion, this book is great for busy parents at the beginning of their Montessori journey – not quite ready to make over the entire house, but just looking for some practical ways to introduce more Montessori-inspired activities to children in their first six years of life.
Montessori: A Modern Approach by Paula Polk Lillard
The author is actually a Montessori teacher and has a background teaching in public schools.
She takes Dr. Montessori’s methods and boils them down into an understandable format detailing the prepared environment, the “why” behind the Montessori method on a child’s development, and the best ways to implement the ethos of Montessori in more modern times.
The book was written in the 70’s, so while not modern by today’s standards, the author does a great job of chipping away at some misconceptions people have about the Montessori method and practical advice to create a love of lifelong learning in children of all ages.
Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen
This book is geared toward parents of little kids and is one of the best Montessori books, in my opinion, because it dives into the Montessori sensitive periods in practical ways.
For example, it offers advice for different areas of the sensitive periods, like potty training.
The authors also explain the importance of sourcing child-sized furniture and utensils to help foster independence.
The next three books aren’t necessarily Montessori, but are three of the best books for different stages of childhood.
Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids by Dr. Laura Markham
I love this book. I keep it on my nightstand always and flip through it randomly for a refresher – even though I can probably quote most of it by memory at this point.
If you have any interest in positive parenting or positive discipline, this is an absolute must.
It is a great read that focuses on parenting through connection with your children and is a practical guide for how to get there – even if your current situation is so far from what this book teaches. It is never ever too late to change your approach.
I’m flipping through it trying to pick my favorite point to convey here. I think as a controlling person by nature, this book is perfect because it is SO challenging to implement, but is one of the evidence-based books that leaves no room for arguing the key principles of this parenting approach.
Sure you can yell at your kids and sometimes get the results you want, but if you’re undermining your relationship with them, what will be left when they eventually grow p and move out? Will they still WANT to respect you?
Will they want to see you in their free time? OR will they be happy to be away from the drama and have the freedom to finally be themselves?
My favorite part of this book is that it really does put the control in the hands of the parent.
Do you want your kids to do what you say? If you build a connected relationship with them through your behavior and just everyday life, your kids will genuinely want to listen to you. Not because they’re afraid of what will happen if they don’t, but because they will trust you and believe that you have their best interest at heart.
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Dr. Daniel Siegel
This is another evidence-based book that offers the research behind why parenting with connection works best.
I think this is another one of those books that you should always have available to flip through when you’re struggling with a new stage of parenting.
While it has a lot of science and research examples, they’re presented in such a way that it isn’t boring at all and is easily applied in your own home.
This is a parent’s guide for all ages and explains how the brain works all the way into your twenties.
In my opinion, this is a great book that every parent should read at least once. I also own No Drama Discipline from this author and highly recommend it, but The Whole Brain Child makes my top picks list, even though it isn’t necessarily Montessori.
I am highly confident that Dr. Montessori would approve.
Last but not least:
Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Oh how do I adequately convey how badly parents with more than one child need this book.
This parents’ guide on how to navigate fights between brothers and sisters with practical strategies. I think what I like most about this book is that it just serves as a reminder of things you already instinctively know.
Don’t compare your children, etc. I listened to this book as an audio book from my local library and felt like it gave me helpful tips to use with my oldest two kids when my boys were very little. Overall, Siblings Without Rivalry is a great resource for parents of young children.