How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way (Book Review)

How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way

If I could recommend one educational book to parents of children ages 5 and under, what would it be? After thinking about all the wonderful books I’ve read, one book stands out as the book I would recommend to any parent with a young child.

That book is How To Raise An Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin, President of the Montessori Foundation. It is an amazing book!

With a 2006 copyright, the book wasn’t around when I raised my children. I was lucky to have been trained as a Montessori teacher. With this book, you can easily use Montessori principles with your child without taking any Montessori training.

How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way is filled with lovely, full-color photos of children, making it enjoyable to look at as well as to read. Seldin describes Montessori, tells about sensitive periods (times when a child is particularly receptive to certain types of experiences), explains how to use Montessori principles at home, and gives guidelines for gently but firmly disciplining children.

I like that infants and toddlers aren’t ignored in the book. There’s a Montessori approach to infancy which allows the baby to safely explore and gain independence. In the book are directions for creating a “treasure basket” for your baby. The book gives ideas for adapting your house to make it child-friendly for your baby and later your preschooler.

Activities are described for daily living skills, sensory awareness, outdoor exploration, playing nature-based games, creating natural and cultural displays, and teaching math, language, and science concepts.

There are instructions for easily and inexpensively making the activities at home. There’s even a section on using Montessori principles to create a meaningful birthday celebration for your child.

How To Raise An Amazing Child the Montessori Way is truly an amazing book, whether you plan to homeschool, unschool, or send your child to school later on.

UPDATE: For preschoolers, I also recommend John Bowman’s fantastic and inexpensive eBook Montessori at Home.

For more information about Montessori, check out my About Montessori page and links at the bottom of the page. I also have a number of posts about infants and toddlers.