Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy Is Out!

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!

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