Montessori
The Montessori approach to education can work very well in the home environment. Learn about incorporating Montessori techniques at home, national support organizations, and how to find resources and materials.
Resources
Montessori Method
This book is Montessori's own exposition of the theory behind her innovative educational techniques. She shows parents, teachers and administrators how to "free a child to learn through his own efforts".
Basic Montessori: Learning Activities for Under-Fives
For the first time, Basic Montessori opens the celebrated philosophy and method to a more general public. David Gettman has devised a clear and modern explanation of Montessori's revolutionary ideas about early intellectual development, and provides a step-by-step guide to the Montessori learning activities most commonly used with under-fives. These include activities for introducing reading and writing, counting and decimal concepts, science, and geography, as well as activities that help develop the child's practical and sensorial skills.
Teach Me to Do It Myself: Montessori Activities for You and Your Child
Based on the key Montessori principle that children learn best through active experience, Teach Me to Do It Myself presents simple activities through which children explore and develop their skills. These skill areas include sensory perceptions, body coordination, language, understanding of numbers, and movement. This practical, color-illustrated parenting book is filled with activities and instructions for overseeing children as they carry out a variety of learning activities. Most activities will seem simple to parents, because once mastered, adults perform them automatically. However, toddlers experience a sense of accomplishment and self-worth when they learn to perform them independently. The many activities start with dressing and personal hygiene, then go on to include . . .
  • Pouring activities
  • Threading and sewing activities
  • Peg activities
  • Cutting with scissors
  • Sorting activities by touch
  • A color matching game
  • Making musical scales with bottles and water
  • Using alphabet tiles to make words
  • Growing things in a window box
  • Making finger puppetsActivities are described in detail and include checklists of needed items, as well as variations and related activities for children to try.
  • Montessori Play And Learn : A Parent's Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six
    We all want the best possible starts in life for our children, and one of the best possible starts in life, educationally, is the "method" pioneered by Maria Montessori and taught successfully today throughout the world.

    Now, Lesley Britton, the leading Montessori practitioner in England for more than twenty years, will show parents how to bring Montessori home. If you would like to facilitate the development of your child's unique personality, make it possible for him to develop to his full intellectual capacity, and help him become socially and emotionally well adjusted, then this is the book for you.

    Montessori Play and Learn is packed with ideas, activities, and games that can fit into your normal routine and help supplement preschool learning for your child. For planning your home, introducing your child to the supermarket or the neighborhood, and helping him discover other people and cultures, this book provides valuable tips and insights that help parents and children grow and learn together.
    -- Create hundreds of learning opportunities from everyday life
    -- Learn dozens of games and activities to help prepare children for mathematics, reading, science, and writing
    -- Make your home environment as stimulating for your child as the best Montessori preschool.
    The Absorbent Mind
    In response to the crisis in American education, more than five thousand public and private schools across the nation have adopted the timeless Montessori Method of teaching, of which this book is the cornerstone. Written by the women whose name is synonymous worldwide with child development theory, The Absorbent Mind takes its title from the phrase that the inspired Italian doctor coined to characterize the child's most crucial developmental stage: the first six years.

    A new foreword by John Chattin-McNichols, Ph.D., President of the American Montessori Society, places this classic book in a contemporary context, offering an intelligent discussion of current thinking in child education.
    Montessori: A Modern Approach
    Montessori: A Modern Approach has been called the single best book for anyone -- educator, childcare professional, and especially parent -- seeking answers to the questions: What is the Montessori method? Are its revolutionary ideas about early childhood education relevant to today's world? And most important, especially for today's dual-career couples. Is a Montessori education right for my child?

    Paula Polk Lillard writes both as a trained educators and as a concerned parent -- she has many years as a public school teacher, but it was her enthusiasm for the education her own child experienced in a Montessori school that led her to become a leading voice in the Montessori movement in this country.

    Her book offers the clearest and most concise statement of the Montessori method of child development and education available today.
    Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook
    A short, illustrated guide to the use of Montessori classroom materials. Describes how to set up a "children's house" - an environment for learning where children can be their own masters.
    Secret of Childhood
    Maria Montessori describes the child with warmth and the exactness of a scientist. She also discusses the array of materials and techniques needed to release his learning potential.
    Discovery of the Child
    Maria Montessori went beyond the conventions of the day to seek a new way of knowing and loving a child. In THE DISCOVERY OF THE CHILD, she describes the nature of the child and her method of working more fully with the child's urge to learn. With 16 pages of photographs.
    Tomorrows Child
    Tomorrow's Child magazine offers insights and information that helps parents to feel confident that Montessori will prepare their children for the real world. It will help you understand and appreciate Montessori and apply it in your home.
    What is the Montessori Method?
    Montessori Spindle Box
    Make this counting spindle board with simple materials from around your home. Teaches counting and grouping.
    Building a Montessori Homeschooling Co-op
    Two of the daunting things about trying to develop a Montessori program in the home are the amount of space required, and the expense of the equipment. Enter the Montessori Homeschooling Community Co-op! There is a call to community, especially among Christians, that we all hear and desire, something that maintains trust and intimacy within a larger group. And that call is being answered as small groups of parents are joining together to create Montessori homeschooling communities.
    Preschool Math: Teaching Numbers Greater than 10
    How to make a homemade version of the Montessori seguin board, a board with lots of 10s in a column.
    Montessori Teen Board
    This Montessori Teen Board is an easy and inexpensive way to effectively teach the teens (the numbers 10-19)
    Montessori Homeschooling Questions and Answers
    Basic information about using the Montessori Method at home.
    40 Awesome Number Activities for Preschoolers
    Number activities for preschoolers don't have to be boring and just worksheets. Make them fun so your preschooler will love math. These number activities help with identifying numbers, counting and one to one correspondence.
    5 DIY Manipulatives for Preschool and Kindergarten
    These manipulatives are easy to make at home. They provide early learning supplies for anyone on a budget.
    Montessori Homeschool Curriculum
    Montessori for the Earth
    Montessori for the Earth offers online Montessori and homeschool lessons and activities. The Montessori On-Line Distance Learning programs are designed for parents and homeschoolers, teachers and assistants, educators, administrators, and college students who want to learn about (or review) Montessori education and curriculum so they can incorporate it into their home, classroom, or college studies.
    Montessori Resources & Materials
    Montessori Materials
    The Montessori Materials Group offers many Montessori materials to download including classified cards, templates, word lists, puzzle cards, art cards, leaf nomenclature, maps, music and more. You may alter the contents of these files to suit your educational needs. The website also offers a discussion group at Yahoo Groups.
    Montessori Concepts
    Montessori Concepts carries learning materials for those using the Montessori Method of education. Product categories include Math, Language, Geography, Sensory, Practical, Botany, and more.
    Michael Olaf Montessori Company
    The Michael Olaf Montessori Company provides practical advice for using Montessori philosophy in all kinds of settings. "Montessori Materials" are not the most important aspect of this method of education. Too many objects in the classroom or home create what is commonly known as the "supermarket effect," which scatters the child's energy and interferes with concentration and optimum development. The list of essential materials offered by Michael Olaf grows intentionally shorter every year and everything is well tested. They focus on helping parents and teachers create simple, beautiful, educational environments that foster creativity, independence of thought and action, a positive self-image, joy, and a spirit of service to others and to the environment. They also offer two e-books, "The Joyful Child" and "Child of the World," discussing the Montessori method.
    Lisa Nolan Montessori
    Montessori for the Earth offers affordable on-line Montessori and homeschool programs and ebooks for parents, homeschool, teachers, and aides by a certified Montessori teacher. Their Montessori on-line Distance Learning programs are designed for parents and homeschoolers, teachers and assistants, educators, administrators, and college students who want to learn about (or review) Montessori education and curriculum so they can incorporate it into their home, classroom, or college studies.
    Montessori for the Earth
    Montessori for the Earth offers online Montessori and homeschool lessons and activities. The Montessori On-Line Distance Learning programs are designed for parents and homeschoolers, teachers and assistants, educators, administrators, and college students who want to learn about (or review) Montessori education and curriculum so they can incorporate it into their home, classroom, or college studies.
    Support for Homeschooling Using the Montessori Method
    Montessori Homeschooling Groups
    This webpage was created at the request of parents, for the purpose of communication between, and with, families who are using Montessori philosophy, practice, materials, to homeschool their children.
    Homeschooling Catholic Montessori
    Here is a place for home schoolers, using Montessori Method in their home education, to share and learn.
    American Montessori Homeschoolers Co-op
    A forum for communication for organized or established co-op's and individuals interested in organizing a Montessori Homeschool Co-op. Established Co-op's can share ideas and those interested in creating a co-op can get valuable advice and information.
    The Montessori Foundation, The International Montessori Council, & The Montessori Family Alliance
    The Montessori Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Montessori education in the US and abroad. The goals of the Montessori Foundation are to inspire and support the development of strong, successful Montessori schools around the world and to provide clear answers to the questions that parents and educators ask about the Montessori approach. You'll find lots of resources here. 
    Montessori Materials
    Looking for resources to use in your homeschool? Montessori Materials provides printable material for all homeschoolers, especially those using the Montessori method, to download and use at home, including grammar cards, spanish matching cards, world maps, and more.
    Christian Montessori Homeschoolers
    This group is for those who use the Montessori method for part or all of their homeschooling efforts for all age groups. This is primarily a Christian group, though others are welcome to join.
    Montessori Preschool At Home
    This group is for parents (and teachers) to share ideas and experiences in teaching preschool children using the methods of Maria Montessori.
    Livable Learning
    Livable Learning helps the homeschooler and parent “Prepare the Home Environment” for learning. They discuss the order of the home, how to organize student learning materials, and the spiritual preparation of the teacher. The foundation of Livable Learning is Montessori education, however the basic principles will benefit any homeschooling family.
    Association Montessori Internationale
    The Association Montessori Internationale was founded in 1929 by Dr. Maria Montessori to maintain the integrity of her life's work, and to ensure that it would be perpetuated after her death. AMI's activities include providing guidance for AMI training courses, coordinating a Training of Trainers program, encouraging the creation of Montessori schools, guiding the manufacturers recognized by AMI in the production of approved Montessori materials, overseeing the publication of Dr. Montessori's books, organizing congresses and study conferences, and affiliating Montessori Societies.
    Living Math Forum
    This is an on-topic list dedicated to the discussion of "living math" - mathematics education using living books and materials, as opposed to traditional curricula as the primary learning tool. Discussion applies to mathematics learning from birth to adult self education, with the understanding that arithmetic is only one feature of mathematics as a whole. Math history topics will apply as well. Educators using Charlotte Mason, Thomas Jefferson Ed (relaxed classical), Montessori, Waldorf and unschooling methods may benefit from the exchange of ideas.
    Looking for Another State?
    Featured Resources

    As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this site.

    Morning by Morning : How We Home-Schooled Our African-American Sons to the Ivy League
    Home schooling has long been regarded as a last resort, particularly by African-American families. But in this inspirational and practical memoir, Paula Penn-Nabrit shares her intimate experiences of home-schooling her three sons, Charles, Damon, and Evan. Paula and her husband, C. Madison, decided to home-school their children after racial incidents at public and private schools led them to the conclusion that the traditional educational system would be damaging to their sons’ self-esteem...
    A Child's Story of America
    This text reads like a story book more than a history textbook. This book has a decidedly Christian bent. Students are given a comprehensive overview of U.S. history from Columbus to the present. Review questions are included throughout, as well as helpful maps. The text contains numerous pictures and large print. An optional test packet and answer key is available.
    The Exhausted School: Bending the Bars of Traditional Education
    These 13 essays, presented at the 1993 National Grassroots Speakout on the Right to School Choice, illustrate how education reform actually works. Written by award-winning teachers and their students, these essays present successful teaching methods that work in both traditional and nontraditional classroom settings. “Gatto’s voice is strong and unique.” — Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul
    Minds More Awake: The Vison of Charlotte Mason
    Anne E. White explores what is known as the Charlotte Mason, based on the educational philosophy of the 19th century British educator. The goal is to set a child on the path to an intentional, purposeful life. White explores both the practical and philosophical understanding the Mason's practices. White includes lots of examples of how to use these ideas in your own homeschooling. 
    Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book Of Homeschooling
    The classic work on teaching children at home, updated for today's new laws, new lifestyles, and a new generation of homeschooling parents. Today more than one and a half million children are being taught at home by their own parents. In this expanded edition of the book that helped launch the whole movement, Pat Farenga has distilled John Holt's timeless understanding of the ways children come to understand the world and added up-to-the-moment practical advice. Rather than proposing that pare...