We do a lot of reading in our home, so I have compiled a list of our favourite Montessori books for children from birth to age six. Reading is the best way to instil a love for language and knowledge in children. It is also such a great way to bond with the kids, without getting involved in their actual play.

While language is naturally absorbed by children below three just from their environment, there are many pre-reading activities we can do with them to develop a love for reading and prepare them for the actual task. Read on for a step-by-step progression on pre-reading activities for your toddlers and preschoolers.

We have tried to keep screen usage in our home to a minimum, especially before the age of three. To maintain this, we end up playing lots of games together as a family, especially on the weekends.

Here are some of our favourites, I’ll split them by age into toddler friendly games, and games for preschoolers.

A sensitive period is a phase or window in a child’s development where he has an inner compulsion to master a certain skill.

During these windows, a child seeks and absorbs the particular skill unconsciously and with very little effort. Montessori identified eleven sensitive periods from birth through the age of six, as illustrated in the diagram below.

Children are human beings, just like us. They experience a whole range of emotions, but unlike us, aren’t able to identify their feelings and regulate their responses. Here are some useful strategies to help deal with your child’s big feelings.

Montessori is no longer just an educational philosophy but rather, a way of life.

The following fundamental principles will help you get started on applying the Montessori method in your own home.

The fifth month has been a relatively quiet month in terms of Montessori activities, since Dayna has been experimenting with her vocal cords a lot and working on rolling over.

At four months, Dayna isn’t a newborn anymore. Her newborn reflexes have faded and she is developing her own little personality. I have noticed that she is more easily distracted as she observes everything going on in her environment. She has started to babble more, laugh (occasionally) and roll on her side too.

The third month is when your baby gets more social and starts to engage with you. You’ll likely get your first intentional smile and even some cooing and gurgling sounds in response to things you say. Play time gets more fun as babies have better head and neck control, and stronger abdominal muscles. 

In the second month, babies spend more time awake and alert. Their brains expand in size and complexity and they begin to pay more attention to their surroundings and the language around them.

Montessori visual mobiles have been designed to provide developmentally appropriate stimulation to infants.

While Montessori was originally designed for school-aged children, there are lots of advantages to implementing its principles from birth.

A new baby in the home is a major change for everyone, and probably even more so for your first child. Here are some tips to make this monumental transition easier on your little one.