This post contains Amazon affiliate links (at no cost to you).
I’m very excited to announce that my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy is out! It’s designed for teaching children ages 2-12 and is available at Amazon for Kindle. But you don’t need a Kindle to read it. If you don’t have a Kindle or tablet, there’s a free Kindle reading app for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC. Of course, if you have a Kindle or a tablet, you can easily read it on that device as well. There’s also a free Kindle Cloud Reader that lets you read Kindle books online in your browser.
Why did I write this book? Teaching manners to young children has been a passion of mine for years. I was taught that good manners were very important, and I was always grateful my parents raised me that way. Having good manners wasn’t an elitist concept … it was simply a way of being kind and respectful toward others. And that’s how manners are viewed in Montessori education. They’re also viewed as important in helping children respect and feel good about themselves. Having good manners gives children both joy and a high level of self-confidence.
About Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy
Do you recognize the models on the cover of my book? They’re the wonderful Jennifer and her son from Think Ten Media Group.
My eBook is in two parts. Part 1 is about Montessori education and grace and courtesy. There are suggestions for parents and teachers of preschoolers and parents and teachers of elementary-age children. Teaching good manners to your own children or to your students is easier than you’d think. I also tell about my master’s dissertation, which was a study of Montessori grace and courtesy lessons used in a traditional day nursery in England.
Part 2 is the “Miss Manners” part. I give etiquette rules that are important for preschoolers through 12 year olds to learn. The book is fully indexed, so you can use it as a reference to look up any etiquette topic you have a question about. Yes, adults can learn from this, too! (I learned new etiquette rules and became more confident in others while doing the initial research for the book!)
Here are the topics covered in Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy:
PART I: USING THE MONTESSORI METHOD TO TEACH GRACE AND COURTESY
WHY USE THE MONTESSORI METHOD?
CHAPTER 1: THE PRESCHOOL CHILD
Montessori’s Ideas
Methods for Parents and Teachers
My Research Experience
CHAPTER 2: THE ELEMENTARY-AGE CHILD
Montessori’s Ideas
Methods for Parents and Teachers
PART II: BASIC SOCIAL GRACES
RULES OF ETIQUETTE
CHAPTER 3: INTRODUCTIONS
When to Introduce People
Basic Rules of Introduction
Other Points of Introduction
Responding to an Introduction
Introducing Yourself
CHAPTER 4: GREETINGS AND FAREWELLS
Greeting Someone in a Public Place
Greeting Someone in Your Home
Saying Farewell
CHAPTER 5: CONVERSATIONS
Beginning a Conversation
Participating in a Conversation
Ending a Conversation
CHAPTER 6: SAYING “PLEASE,” “THANK YOU,” AND “YOU’RE “WELCOME”
“Please”
“Thank You”
“You’re Welcome”
CHAPTER 7: SAYING “EXCUSE ME” AND “I’M SORRY”
“Excuse Me”
“I’m Sorry”
CHAPTER 8: COPING WITH PROBLEMS IN PUBLIC
Coughing or Sneezing
Nose Blowing
Yawning or Burping
Gum Chewing
Grooming
CHAPTER 9: BATHROOM MANNERS
Bathroom Manners for Private Bathrooms
Bathroom Manners for Public Rest Rooms
CHAPTER 10: CLEANING UP AFTER YOURSELF
At Home
At Someone Else’s House
At a Public Place
CHAPTER 11: HAVING FRIENDS VISIT
Extending Invitations
Having a Friend Visit
Giving a Party
CHAPTER 12: BEING A GUEST AT SOMEONE’S HOUSE
Accepting or Declining an Invitation
Visiting Someone or Spending the Night at Someone’s House
Attending a Party at Someone’s House
CHAPTER 13: TABLE MANNERS
The Beginning of the Meal
The Setting
How to Use a Knife, Fork, and Spoon
How to Eat Different Foods
Serving
Problems at the Table
The End of the Meal
CHAPTER 14: TELEPHONE MANNERS
Answering the Telephone
Phoning Others
Cell/Mobile Phone Etiquette
CHAPTER 15: LETTER WRITING
Personal Letters
Greeting Cards
Invitations
Acceptances and Regrets
Thank-You Notes
Letters of Congratulation
Letters of Condolence
Letters of Apology
Business Letters
E-Mails
CHAPTER 16: GAMES AND SPORTS
Lessons for Games
Lessons for Sports
CHAPTER 17: SHOWING RESPECT
Showing Respect for Everyone
Showing Respect for Adults
Showing Respect for Children
Showing Respect for Yourself
The topics are divided into smaller sections so that you can teach preschoolers just a bit at a time.
You can look inside the book on Amazon as well. The Kindle version has 142 pages and is available for $6.99. Again, if you don’t have a Kindle or tablet, there’s a free Kindle reading app for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC. There’s also a free Kindle Cloud Reader that lets you read Kindle books online in your browser.
Please check out Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy! I hope you get as much joy from teaching grace and courtesy as I’ve gotten. 🙂
UPDATE on 12/8/13: I’m SO EXCITED that Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy has become a best-seller! It’s the #1 homeschooling book on Amazon! HUGE THANKS to everyone who’s purchased my book! You can read reviews of it on Amazon. 🙂
UPDATE ON 12/8/14: Free Grace and Courtesy Printable {Manners Matching Cards} (post includes links to book reviews)
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
The Montessori at Home! eBook and Montessori at Home! eBook and Materials Bundle are AMAZING resources! You can learn more about them here. Buy them in the Living Montessori Now shop.
If this is your first time visiting Living Montessori Now, welcome! If you haven’t already, please join us on our Living Montessori Now Facebook page where you’ll find a Free Printable of the Day and lots of inspiration and ideas for parenting and teaching! And please follow me on Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards), Instagram, and YouTube. You can find me on bloglovin’ and Twitter, too.
And don’t forget one of the best ways to follow me by signing up for my weekly newsletter. You’ll receive some awesome freebies in the process!
Leave a Reply