Montessori Basics 2: A Guide to Montessori Books
I’m excited to continue my “Montessori Basics” series with this next post. I’ve assembled a list (with links) to the best printed resources for parents and teachers. The sources vary, since not every company carries every book. In most cases the titles are self-explanatory, but click on any link and you’ll be able to read a synopsis (and in Amazon’s case, reviews) of any book. Since products change, please let me know if you find any links that are outdated.
For Parents:
Montessori Play & Learn: A Parent’s Guide to Purposeful Play from 2 to 6 by Lesley Britton
Teaching Montessori in the Home: the Preschool Years by Elizabeth Hainstock
How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin
Basic Montessori Learning Activities for Under-Fives by David Gettman
Montessori Read and Write by Lynne Lawrence
Montessori from the Start by Paula Polk Lillard & Lynn Lillard Jessen
Special Needs:
Children Who Are Not Yet Peaceful: Preventing Exclusion in the Early Elementary Classroom by Donna Bryant Goertz
Autism: A Montessori Approach – Program Tracking Manual & Curriculum Guide by Michelle Lane
Books by Maria Montessori:
The Montessori Method
Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook
The Discovery of the Child
The Secret of Childhood
The Absorbent Mind
Biographies:
Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work by E.M. Standing
Montessori Theory:
Montessori in the Classroom by Paula Polk Lillard
Montessori: A Modern Approach by Paula Polk Lillard
Montessori Today by Paula Polk Lillard
The Essential Montessori by Elizabeth G. Hainstock
Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Lillard
Dear Lori
In your write-up about montessori basics for 6-9 yo’s, you mention that a bead set is a great material to purchase. Can you suggest what size set would be optimal (I’ve seen them in sets of 10, 20, or even 55 called a decanomial set). And can a large set of MAB blocks, perhaps combined with a set of cuisennaire rods, make a suitable substitute?
Thanks again for your brilliant blog, ideas and inspiration.
Joanna (h/s 6yo and 3yo)
I would recommend the 55 set if you can, just because there are activities (multiplication with bead bars, decanomial layout) where you’ll want more. As long as you’re buying them, why not get enough to do everything?
I would not recommend cuisinaire rods as a substitute, although you can use them in addition to the Montessori math curriculum. They’re kind of pricey too, if I remember correctly.
Thank you Lori.
I mentioned cuisenaire rods because I picked up an old set for a couple of dollars, so we’ve used it for simple addition and subtraction. But I can see that with a large bead set we will be able to do so much more.
Joanna
Good job finding some inexpensive cusinaire rods! You can probably use them for some bead stair activities, just not all. Thanks for your questions!