Having a learner attend a Montessori style school has had numerous benefits for my family - to say the least, chore time (old words we no longer have to use as these tasks become a natural part of life) is more peaceful and successful. Even more beneficial has been the increase in communication and respect for one another. Peace at home has been one of my favorite phrases to promote the positives of embracing Montessori Philosophy.
With that said, there is no denying the struggle that still exists: I'm still guilty of the occasional "good job" or of interrupting my child when she is talking - both things I keep at the front of my mind and continue to work on. What I've found most helpful is reading about Dr. Montessori and her approach to education. Reading is always a good choice - who wouldn't want to trade a few hours here and there for decades of knowledge?
Here are some great resources for supporting Montessori parenting!
This bestselling guide rejects "quick-fix" solutions and focuses on helping kids develop their own self-discipline by owning up to their mistakes, thinking through solutions, and correcting their misdeeds while leaving their dignity intact.
A parent's guide to building independence, creativity, and confidence in their children using Montessori learning techniques, written by Montessori president Tim Seldin.
This Montessori book for parents outlines the key principles of this parenting approach and shows you how you can easily apply this at home. It provides a valuable starting point for parents to help them create a family life inspired by the ethos of Montessori.
Faber and King, each a parenting expert in her own right, share their wisdom accumulated over years of conducting How To Talk workshops with parents, teachers, and pediatricians. With a lively combination of storytelling, cartoons, and observations from their workshops, they provide concrete tools and tips that will transform your relationship with the children in your life.
Dr Tsabary inspires parents to get back in touch with their emotions and shed the layers of baggage they have inherited during their own life and are unconsciously heaping on their children. As they become 'conscious' in their parenting, parents can transform their relationship with their offspring and raise happy, well-adjusted children.
Charting the progress of twelve children in a real Texas classroom, educator Donna Goertz shows how positive change can occur given the proper environment. In each case she describes a child's transformation from destructive troublemaker to responsible citizen of the classroom community.
Montessori Madness! explains why the incremental steps politicians and administrators continue to propose are incremental steps in the wrong direction. This book asks parents to take a look at one thirty-minute observation at a Montessori school.
Lillard presents the research behind nine insights that are foundations of Montessori education, describing how each of these insights is applied in the Montessori classroom. In reading this book, parents and teachers alike will develop a clear understanding of what happens in a Montessori classroom and, more importantly, why it happens and why it works.
In this parenting guidebook, you’ll find day-to-day exercises for parents to improve their parenting skills, along with success stories from parents worldwide who have benefited from the Positive Discipline philosophy.
Written by the woman 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.
World-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck explains why it's not just our abilities and talent that bring us success-but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. She makes clear why praising intelligence and ability doesn't foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success.
Since its publication in 1993, this groundbreaking book has persuaded countless parents, teachers, and managers that attempts to manipulate people with incentives may seem to work in the short run, but they ultimately fail and even do lasting harm. Drawing from hundreds of studies, Kohn demonstrates that we actually do inferior work when we are enticed with money, grades, or other incentives—and are apt to lose interest in whatever we were bribed to do.