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Dr Montessori's Own Handbook: Maria Montessori's Original Guide on the Learning Environment and Development of Children
Dr. Maria Montessori’s remarkable guide to early childhood development and education explains the philosophy of her method and features illustrated examples of her renowned techniques and exercises. First published in 1914, Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook is an illustrated guide to Maria Montessori’s alternative approach to education. The Italian physician’s method abandons traditional elements of classroom-based learning, such as tests, and focuses on encouraging the individual child’s natural interests and abilities. Following countless requests from teachers and parents alike, Montessori created this volume featuring a wealth of information on teaching and nurturing children as they develop. With a focus on children between the ages of three and six, this volume includes various activities, exercises, and ideas for classroom materials that can easily be obtained at home. This volume’s contents - The Method - Motor Education - Sensory Education - Language and Knowledge of the World - Freedom - Writing - The Reading of Music - Arithmetic - Moral Factors
119 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1914
539 people are currently reading
1979 people want to read
About the author
Maria Montessori
585 books711 followersMaria Montessori was an Italian physician, educator, philosopher, humanitarian and devout Catholic; she is best known for her philosophy and the Montessori method of education of children from birth to adolescence. Her educational method is in use today in a number of public as well as private schools throughout the world.
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July 3, 2010Available in public domain here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/29635
September 29, 2020
Just beautiful! A wonderful philosophy for rearing and schooling children, focusing on patiently nurturing the human spirit. Memo for next life: make sure Mom sends me to a Montessori school :)
Notes :
--------
“This kind of school… ought to be a real house; that is to say, a set of rooms with a garden of which the children are the masters.”
“In this way they may live almost entirely in the open air, and are protected at the same time from rain and sun.”
“Round the walls of the room are fixed blackboards at a low level, so that the children can write or draw on them…”
“… Above all, each child should have a little flower-pot, in which he may sow the seed of some indoor plant, to tend and cultivate it as it grows.”
“The child, if left without guidance, is disorderly in his movements, and these disorderly movements are the special characteristic of the little child… Once a direction is given to them, the child's movements are made towards a definite end, so that he himself grows quiet and contented, and becomes an active worker, a being calm and full of joy.”
“She teaches all the movements : how to sit, to rise from one's seat, to take up and lay down objects, and to offer them gracefully to others.”
“The children learn easily and show an interest and surprising care in the performance of these actions.”
“The instructions of the teacher consist then merely in a hint, a touch — enough to give a start to the child. The rest develops of itself.”
“This atmosphere of quiet activity develops a fellow-feeling, an attitude of mutual aid, and, most wonderful of all, an intelligent interest on the part of the older children in the progress of their little companions. It is enough just to set a child in these peaceful surroundings for him to feel perfectly at home.”
“The desire of the child to attain an end which he knows, leads him to correct himself. It is not a teacher who makes him notice his mistake and shows him how to correct it, but it is a complex work of the child's own intelligence which leads to such a result.”
"One day the child will arrange all the rods in their right order, and then, full of joy, he will call the teacher to come and admire them.”
“The little hand which touches, feels, and knows how to follow a determined outline is preparing itself, without knowing it, for writing.”
“At first I had intended to limit my teaching to the most important names, such as square, rectangle, circle. But the children wanted to know all the names, taking pleasure in learning even the most difficult, such as trapezium, and decagon. They also show great pleasure in listening to the
exact pronunciation of new words and in their repetition. Early childhood is, in fact, the age in which language is formed, and in which the sounds of a foreign language can be perfectly learned.”
“… He begins to make ’discoveries’ in his environment, recognizing forms, colors, and qualities already known to him… a great enthusiasm is aroused in him, and the world becomes for him a source of pleasure.”
“The father, a working man, who was present, was much impressed with the incident… Much moved, he said, ‘If I had been educated in that way I should not be now just an ordinary workman.’ "
“Perception of form comes from the combination of two sensations, tactile and muscular, muscular sensations being sensations of movement.”
“... Children take a great interest in the "Silence"; they seem to give themselves up to a kind of spell : they might be said to be wrapped in meditation. Little by little, as each child, watching himself, becomes more and more still, the silence deepens till it becomes absolute and can be felt, just as the twilight gradually deepens whilst the sun is setting.”
“Then it is that slight sounds, unnoticed before, are heard; the ticking of the clock, the chirp of a sparrow in the garden, the flight of a butterfly. The world becomes full of imperceptible sounds which invade that deep silence without disturbing it, just as the stars shine out in the dark sky without banishing the darkness of the night… the discovery of a new world where there is rest.”
“When the children have become acquainted with silence, their hearing is in a manner refined for the perception of sounds. Those sounds which are too loud become gradually displeasing to the ear of one who has known the pleasure of silence, and has discovered the world of delicate sounds.”
“From this point the children gradually go on to perfect themselves; they walk lightly… with great care. The result of this is seen in the grace of carriage and of movement… It is not a grace taught externally for the sake of beauty or regard for the world, but one which is born of the pleasure felt by the spirit in immobility and silence. The soul of the child wishes to free itself from the irksomeness of sounds that are too loud, from obstacles to its peace during work. These children, with the grace of pages to a noble lord, are serving their spirits.”
“A profound silence can be obtained even when more than 50 children are crowded together in a small space…"
“The children gradually show increased power of inhibition; many of them, rather than disturb the silence, refrain from brushing a fly off the nose, or suppress a cough or sneeze.”
“These are qualities that must be acquired by all, if the environment is to become tranquil and free from disturbance.”
“Colors are divided according to tint and to richness of tone, silence is distinct from non-silence, noises from sounds, and everything has its own exact and appropriate name.”
“To keep alive that enthusiasm is the secret of real guidance, and it will not prove a difficult task, provided that the attitude towards the child's acts be that of respect, calm and waiting, and provided that he be left free in his movements and in his experiences.”
“Then we shall notice that the child has a personality which he is seeking to expand; he has initiative, he chooses his own work, persists in it, changes it according to his inner needs; he does not shirk effort, he rather goes in search of it, and with great joy overcomes obstacles within his capacity.”
“Let us have endless patience with his slow progress, and show enthusiasm and gladness at his successes. If we could say: We are respectful and courteous in our dealings with children…"
“What we all desire for ourselves, namely, not to be disturbed in our work, not to find hindrances to our efforts, to have good friends ready to help us in times of need, to see them rejoice with us, to be on terms of equality with them, to be able to confide and trust in them — this is what we need for happy companionship. In the same way children are human beings to whom respect is due,
superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.”
“… We expect them to be submissive and well-behaved, knowing all the time how strong is their instinct of imitation and how touching their faith in and admiration of us. They will imitate us in any case. Let us treat them, therefore, with all the kindness which we would wish to help to develop in them.”
“They are the inner cry of life, which wishes to unfold according to mysterious laws. We know very little of the way in which it unfolds. Certainly the child is growing into a man by force of a divine action similar to that by which from nothing he became a child.”
“… Each child feels the responsibility of the silence, of the prevention of harsh sounds, and he knows how to cooperate for the general good in keeping the environment, not only orderly, but quiet and calm… the road which leads them to mastery of themselves.”
"... If we give children the means of existence, the struggle for it disappears, and a vigorous expansion of life takes its place."
.
Notes :
--------
“This kind of school… ought to be a real house; that is to say, a set of rooms with a garden of which the children are the masters.”
“In this way they may live almost entirely in the open air, and are protected at the same time from rain and sun.”
“Round the walls of the room are fixed blackboards at a low level, so that the children can write or draw on them…”
“… Above all, each child should have a little flower-pot, in which he may sow the seed of some indoor plant, to tend and cultivate it as it grows.”
“The child, if left without guidance, is disorderly in his movements, and these disorderly movements are the special characteristic of the little child… Once a direction is given to them, the child's movements are made towards a definite end, so that he himself grows quiet and contented, and becomes an active worker, a being calm and full of joy.”
“She teaches all the movements : how to sit, to rise from one's seat, to take up and lay down objects, and to offer them gracefully to others.”
“The children learn easily and show an interest and surprising care in the performance of these actions.”
“The instructions of the teacher consist then merely in a hint, a touch — enough to give a start to the child. The rest develops of itself.”
“This atmosphere of quiet activity develops a fellow-feeling, an attitude of mutual aid, and, most wonderful of all, an intelligent interest on the part of the older children in the progress of their little companions. It is enough just to set a child in these peaceful surroundings for him to feel perfectly at home.”
“The desire of the child to attain an end which he knows, leads him to correct himself. It is not a teacher who makes him notice his mistake and shows him how to correct it, but it is a complex work of the child's own intelligence which leads to such a result.”
"One day the child will arrange all the rods in their right order, and then, full of joy, he will call the teacher to come and admire them.”
“The little hand which touches, feels, and knows how to follow a determined outline is preparing itself, without knowing it, for writing.”
“At first I had intended to limit my teaching to the most important names, such as square, rectangle, circle. But the children wanted to know all the names, taking pleasure in learning even the most difficult, such as trapezium, and decagon. They also show great pleasure in listening to the
exact pronunciation of new words and in their repetition. Early childhood is, in fact, the age in which language is formed, and in which the sounds of a foreign language can be perfectly learned.”
“… He begins to make ’discoveries’ in his environment, recognizing forms, colors, and qualities already known to him… a great enthusiasm is aroused in him, and the world becomes for him a source of pleasure.”
“The father, a working man, who was present, was much impressed with the incident… Much moved, he said, ‘If I had been educated in that way I should not be now just an ordinary workman.’ "
“Perception of form comes from the combination of two sensations, tactile and muscular, muscular sensations being sensations of movement.”
“... Children take a great interest in the "Silence"; they seem to give themselves up to a kind of spell : they might be said to be wrapped in meditation. Little by little, as each child, watching himself, becomes more and more still, the silence deepens till it becomes absolute and can be felt, just as the twilight gradually deepens whilst the sun is setting.”
“Then it is that slight sounds, unnoticed before, are heard; the ticking of the clock, the chirp of a sparrow in the garden, the flight of a butterfly. The world becomes full of imperceptible sounds which invade that deep silence without disturbing it, just as the stars shine out in the dark sky without banishing the darkness of the night… the discovery of a new world where there is rest.”
“When the children have become acquainted with silence, their hearing is in a manner refined for the perception of sounds. Those sounds which are too loud become gradually displeasing to the ear of one who has known the pleasure of silence, and has discovered the world of delicate sounds.”
“From this point the children gradually go on to perfect themselves; they walk lightly… with great care. The result of this is seen in the grace of carriage and of movement… It is not a grace taught externally for the sake of beauty or regard for the world, but one which is born of the pleasure felt by the spirit in immobility and silence. The soul of the child wishes to free itself from the irksomeness of sounds that are too loud, from obstacles to its peace during work. These children, with the grace of pages to a noble lord, are serving their spirits.”
“A profound silence can be obtained even when more than 50 children are crowded together in a small space…"
“The children gradually show increased power of inhibition; many of them, rather than disturb the silence, refrain from brushing a fly off the nose, or suppress a cough or sneeze.”
“These are qualities that must be acquired by all, if the environment is to become tranquil and free from disturbance.”
“Colors are divided according to tint and to richness of tone, silence is distinct from non-silence, noises from sounds, and everything has its own exact and appropriate name.”
“To keep alive that enthusiasm is the secret of real guidance, and it will not prove a difficult task, provided that the attitude towards the child's acts be that of respect, calm and waiting, and provided that he be left free in his movements and in his experiences.”
“Then we shall notice that the child has a personality which he is seeking to expand; he has initiative, he chooses his own work, persists in it, changes it according to his inner needs; he does not shirk effort, he rather goes in search of it, and with great joy overcomes obstacles within his capacity.”
“Let us have endless patience with his slow progress, and show enthusiasm and gladness at his successes. If we could say: We are respectful and courteous in our dealings with children…"
“What we all desire for ourselves, namely, not to be disturbed in our work, not to find hindrances to our efforts, to have good friends ready to help us in times of need, to see them rejoice with us, to be on terms of equality with them, to be able to confide and trust in them — this is what we need for happy companionship. In the same way children are human beings to whom respect is due,
superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.”
“… We expect them to be submissive and well-behaved, knowing all the time how strong is their instinct of imitation and how touching their faith in and admiration of us. They will imitate us in any case. Let us treat them, therefore, with all the kindness which we would wish to help to develop in them.”
“They are the inner cry of life, which wishes to unfold according to mysterious laws. We know very little of the way in which it unfolds. Certainly the child is growing into a man by force of a divine action similar to that by which from nothing he became a child.”
“… Each child feels the responsibility of the silence, of the prevention of harsh sounds, and he knows how to cooperate for the general good in keeping the environment, not only orderly, but quiet and calm… the road which leads them to mastery of themselves.”
"... If we give children the means of existence, the struggle for it disappears, and a vigorous expansion of life takes its place."
.
October 31, 2017
This was a very interesting book. It gives an insight into Montessori’s ideas and teaching methods. The book had me convinced that her “scientific” methods being administered nowadays in preschools are a great base for education.
January 6, 2020
Hugely insightful, and delivered in such an accessible way.
P.s. the huge read dates (Oct 19-Jan 20) is primarily because I took a month off of reading Montessori materials when I submitted my application of training!
P.s. the huge read dates (Oct 19-Jan 20) is primarily because I took a month off of reading Montessori materials when I submitted my application of training!
January 9, 2021
A well-written and concise resource that explains the materials and philosophy found in a Montessori primary aged classroom (3-6 years old). I wish I had read this three years ago when I first started teaching at a Montessori school.
August 3, 2015
Dr. Montessori revolutionised the way children were educated in the late 19th and early 20th century. Her method involved both the 'physiological and psychical development of the child', divided into three parts:
Motor education
Sensory education
Language
Her first innovation was to provide children with a learning environment adapted to their needs, i.e. introducing child size furniture they could easily use and move around themselves. Her teachers were trained to adopt a largely non-interventionist approach to teaching, which would lead to 'auto-education' for the children through trial and error alongside imitation of each other.
She also produced a range of simple but ingenious learning products which she manufactured and sold, but they could be easily replicated by any school unable to afford them. These mainly involved shapes and numbers and differing shapes and colours.
After reading this simple handbook, I feel fairly confident that even a clueless bachelor like me could educate a bunch of kids to an agreeable standard. It doesn't surprise me that her methods are still the cornerstone of children's education today.
In my country of England alone an award named after her is the accepted accreditation, and a website in her name, www.dailymontessori.com, is still maintained.
This single piece of advice speaks volumes: 'never be the obstacle between the child and his experience.'
And not a single reference to spanking either!
Motor education
Sensory education
Language
Her first innovation was to provide children with a learning environment adapted to their needs, i.e. introducing child size furniture they could easily use and move around themselves. Her teachers were trained to adopt a largely non-interventionist approach to teaching, which would lead to 'auto-education' for the children through trial and error alongside imitation of each other.
She also produced a range of simple but ingenious learning products which she manufactured and sold, but they could be easily replicated by any school unable to afford them. These mainly involved shapes and numbers and differing shapes and colours.
After reading this simple handbook, I feel fairly confident that even a clueless bachelor like me could educate a bunch of kids to an agreeable standard. It doesn't surprise me that her methods are still the cornerstone of children's education today.
In my country of England alone an award named after her is the accepted accreditation, and a website in her name, www.dailymontessori.com, is still maintained.
This single piece of advice speaks volumes: 'never be the obstacle between the child and his experience.'
And not a single reference to spanking either!
March 12, 2016
Not really an engaging read, as the writing style felt a bit dry and even weird at some points. However the underlying ideas are undoubtedly interesting, by themselves and in relation to their historical context. It's a short book that can be read in an afternoon, so it's worth going over it, even more so considering the influence of Dr. Montessori's philosophy and method had in future generations. Would recommend to anyone interested in education and parenting.
March 6, 2022
Just finished this book. Buku parenting yang ringan dan daging banget isinya. Selalu dan selalu membuka pikiran bagi pembacanya 💜
January 27, 2021
Buku ini menarik sekali, apalagi bagiku pribadi yang clueless tentang pendidikan anak.
Awal aku membaca buku ini berangkat dari pertanyaan di kepala: "anak ini harus diapain siiiih? :')"
Tiap pembelajaran dijabarkan dengan detail serta diberi penjelasan dari sisi psikologi yang logis kenapa begini kenapa begitu.
Barang-barang yang digunakan juga mudah ditemukan di sekitar kita, atau bisa juga bikin sendiri.
Bagian terakhirnya juga diuraikan (walau menurutku kurang banyak, karena penjelasannya pasti sangat kompleks) perdebatan tentang sifat alami awal dari manusia, bagaimana label "baik" dan "jahat/nakal" tercipta dan alasan-alasannya.
Jadi tertarik mencari tahu tentang metode pengajaran anak yang lain.
Awal aku membaca buku ini berangkat dari pertanyaan di kepala: "anak ini harus diapain siiiih? :')"
Tiap pembelajaran dijabarkan dengan detail serta diberi penjelasan dari sisi psikologi yang logis kenapa begini kenapa begitu.
Barang-barang yang digunakan juga mudah ditemukan di sekitar kita, atau bisa juga bikin sendiri.
Bagian terakhirnya juga diuraikan (walau menurutku kurang banyak, karena penjelasannya pasti sangat kompleks) perdebatan tentang sifat alami awal dari manusia, bagaimana label "baik" dan "jahat/nakal" tercipta dan alasan-alasannya.
Jadi tertarik mencari tahu tentang metode pengajaran anak yang lain.
May 27, 2023
I’m a pretty new age guy.. but I don’t wanna conflate what I’ve already conflated here. I intended to give a four before the “moral factors” bit at the end, and considering what’s a remarkably ubiquitous influence. Just the compassion and humanity of listening to the child, the person warrants it
Read
August 6, 2024“Never be the obstacle between the child and his experience”
October 14, 2020
Wow. Boleh dibilang buku ini praktis sekali dalam menjelaskan metode Montessori. Enak dibaca, aplikatif dan mencerahkan! rasanya bener-bener ingin langsung uji coba.
March 18, 2017
Good overview of the Montessori Method of guiding children to learn, and observing them as they learn.
#2 in 2017
#2 in 2017
September 1, 2025
Beautiful. I’m so glad this woman existed and shared her work with the world. The last chapter is so heartwarming and encouraging
October 10, 2017
Excellent and helpful primer.
November 9, 2015
I really just picked this up on happenstance. I was moseying along the library shelves and saw it and thought, "huh."
Now I have two very different kids whom I love equally when they're both around and they ask. I have been very hands on with both of them at home before school and now with homework for the older one and still do the whole Every moment is a teachable moment thing. I don't know, I was raised this way by my dad.
Dr. Montessori creates an environment for kids to excel in. She paints a picture of calm, cool, and collected. This sounds like a place I would want my kids to go to in their young years to give them a solid educated foundation without the stress of public school's obsession with obedience.
The handbook is brief, but I picked up quite a few things that I should have done with my older one and that I still can do with my youngest. It fits with my way of raising my kids on education; but I don't really fit my kids for a Montessori teacher. I'm too hands on. I didn't let my older one figure stuff out because it took too long. The younger one can do a lot of things the eldest couldn't or had a hard time with because I (in my mind ignored because there's only one me constraints) let the younger one do it.
A hundred years ago this lady was saying, leave the kids alone and give them the tools and direction to figure it out. Duh, right? Right? It's so obvious! This is probably why my second kid is much more adventurous and physically confident. I didn't hamper and brow beat and necessitate every little thing go according to my plan. But, my eldest is calmer and more emotionally confident because mommy was always there. Take your pick.
My second kid would also destroy the Child's House described in this handbook, so...
But the book! the handbook is great. It could be utilized at home, and kind of sounds like a controlled environment mixed with a perfect teacher is the key. really. Love the kid enough to let them struggle through, give them enough of the proper material to learn through play. calm. cool. time consuming. loving.
I'm very interested in reading more on the materials. The method is amazing. It would absolutely take a devoted, loving, respected and treasured teacher. This is where America fails, honestly. We don't value our teachers and it all trickles down.
Now I have two very different kids whom I love equally when they're both around and they ask. I have been very hands on with both of them at home before school and now with homework for the older one and still do the whole Every moment is a teachable moment thing. I don't know, I was raised this way by my dad.
Dr. Montessori creates an environment for kids to excel in. She paints a picture of calm, cool, and collected. This sounds like a place I would want my kids to go to in their young years to give them a solid educated foundation without the stress of public school's obsession with obedience.
The handbook is brief, but I picked up quite a few things that I should have done with my older one and that I still can do with my youngest. It fits with my way of raising my kids on education; but I don't really fit my kids for a Montessori teacher. I'm too hands on. I didn't let my older one figure stuff out because it took too long. The younger one can do a lot of things the eldest couldn't or had a hard time with because I (in my mind ignored because there's only one me constraints) let the younger one do it.
A hundred years ago this lady was saying, leave the kids alone and give them the tools and direction to figure it out. Duh, right? Right? It's so obvious! This is probably why my second kid is much more adventurous and physically confident. I didn't hamper and brow beat and necessitate every little thing go according to my plan. But, my eldest is calmer and more emotionally confident because mommy was always there. Take your pick.
My second kid would also destroy the Child's House described in this handbook, so...
But the book! the handbook is great. It could be utilized at home, and kind of sounds like a controlled environment mixed with a perfect teacher is the key. really. Love the kid enough to let them struggle through, give them enough of the proper material to learn through play. calm. cool. time consuming. loving.
I'm very interested in reading more on the materials. The method is amazing. It would absolutely take a devoted, loving, respected and treasured teacher. This is where America fails, honestly. We don't value our teachers and it all trickles down.
April 17, 2022
I like the ideas in math and was familiar with some of them like the beads towards the end. This is meant for children no older then 5 years of age. Once they hit older age this method can and will become problematic not only socially for them but educationally. Once you read age of 6 years of age on and are taught, you're in control of your education once in normal school there will be a lot of behavior issues on top learning but if I only look at it from that age point Maria had a point for 0-5 years of age. I couldn't give a higher rating due to context and the fact it is used for older children too now a days but its great if your interested in just learning about it.
April 2, 2015
I've always been interested in Montessori. I really loved how it describes how to do lesson with the child and with specific examples.
February 19, 2020
Great with some good practical toys ideas. I
Great ideas. Many specific instructions on how to convey and simulation.
It was getting a little dragging towards the end.
Great ideas. Many specific instructions on how to convey and simulation.
It was getting a little dragging towards the end.
Read
March 11, 2022Not so much a review as a reflection.
I am familiar with Montessori from my ECE program at college and I have visited Montessori classrooms when I was doing Mad Science. I taught at a school where we had inherited Montessori materials from a previous school one of of directors ran. I know most of the materials.
The idea of materials that are self correcting and allow for children to problem solve makes sense to me. What stood out though was how controlled it all is. Her method is very regimented in how things should be done. Once a child has learned How To Do the Thing, then the adult is to get out of their way and let them do it but there's very little space for imagination or open ended work in the system.
I lean Reggio personally so open ended creative work is one of those early childhood experiences that I think is incredibly important. Roleplay and loose parts and creative art are ways of letting children communicate and explore their world on their own terms. Making cube towers has a place but I think kids need a space to use the cubes to build a city even if it isn't directly teaching them the graduations of size and shape.
Now, this particular handbook is about the didactic materials themselves and is aimed at parents who want to know more so there may very well be missing pieces of the full curriculum.
She's persuasive though. Tracing shapes and then filling them in with parallel lines sounds like a tedious activity to me but her point is that in learning to represent exact forms with precision, you are better prepared to write where you must represent exact forms to make letters. It is not a creative activity. As a professor said "coloring has some benefit for fine motor development but it isn't art."
I can see where she's coming from but I'm still stuck on "Where is the art?"
The voice in this is old timey which makes some of the phrasing hilarious. "Will defend himself with all his might from an adult who seeks to help" is exactly the experience of trying to dress a toddler who wants to do it all by themselves.
I also like the way she differentiates "culture" and "education" though I don't know that I would choose those words foe the concepts. Culture is knowledge passed down through cultures like reading and writing and arithmetic. Education is the fundamental skills under that. I've also seen it referred to as Naive Physics or Naive Biology. Before you can learn about gravity in a classroom, you have to dump stuff on the floor and really get that it always goes down. You need to observe animals and plants before you can start learning their names. The idea that you need to learn to handle materials and do activities with precision before you can write makes perfect sense.
It was really interesting to actually get into the theory and the original source material.
I am familiar with Montessori from my ECE program at college and I have visited Montessori classrooms when I was doing Mad Science. I taught at a school where we had inherited Montessori materials from a previous school one of of directors ran. I know most of the materials.
The idea of materials that are self correcting and allow for children to problem solve makes sense to me. What stood out though was how controlled it all is. Her method is very regimented in how things should be done. Once a child has learned How To Do the Thing, then the adult is to get out of their way and let them do it but there's very little space for imagination or open ended work in the system.
I lean Reggio personally so open ended creative work is one of those early childhood experiences that I think is incredibly important. Roleplay and loose parts and creative art are ways of letting children communicate and explore their world on their own terms. Making cube towers has a place but I think kids need a space to use the cubes to build a city even if it isn't directly teaching them the graduations of size and shape.
Now, this particular handbook is about the didactic materials themselves and is aimed at parents who want to know more so there may very well be missing pieces of the full curriculum.
She's persuasive though. Tracing shapes and then filling them in with parallel lines sounds like a tedious activity to me but her point is that in learning to represent exact forms with precision, you are better prepared to write where you must represent exact forms to make letters. It is not a creative activity. As a professor said "coloring has some benefit for fine motor development but it isn't art."
I can see where she's coming from but I'm still stuck on "Where is the art?"
The voice in this is old timey which makes some of the phrasing hilarious. "Will defend himself with all his might from an adult who seeks to help" is exactly the experience of trying to dress a toddler who wants to do it all by themselves.
I also like the way she differentiates "culture" and "education" though I don't know that I would choose those words foe the concepts. Culture is knowledge passed down through cultures like reading and writing and arithmetic. Education is the fundamental skills under that. I've also seen it referred to as Naive Physics or Naive Biology. Before you can learn about gravity in a classroom, you have to dump stuff on the floor and really get that it always goes down. You need to observe animals and plants before you can start learning their names. The idea that you need to learn to handle materials and do activities with precision before you can write makes perfect sense.
It was really interesting to actually get into the theory and the original source material.
April 22, 2023
What a bunch of pseudo-science psychobabble voodoo. Okay. Ever since I first asked my mom about the Montessori school near our grocery store, and my mom told me that Montessori had some weird backgrounds to it, I’ve always been a bit askance about the system. (Said wording, “the system” is used extremely frequently in this book.) When I got my teaching degree, I don’t remember studying too much about it, but again, just that it was a very humanistic view to education. Now, in the very unique culture of Bay Area California, Montessori reigns supreme with all the crunchy moms, and is all things to aspire to. But I think people just mean Melissa and Doug wooden toys and hands-on learning, not the crazy psychology side of it. Because, it’s a little crazy.
If we look at the time frame when this came out, and we think about what else was going on in the world, with Darwin’s natural selection, and Amy Semple McPherson, and Hitler’s ideal race, and eugenics, and population control, and all of that, this book makes sense. It’s an automaton-form of creating silent little robot children, and educating them primarily through pink and brown wooden shapes and sandpaper letters. Quietly. With no words on the part of the teacher. At the very end of the book, Montessori uses the word that had been playing in my head the whole time: laboratory. All of this was to use the children as little test creatures in her education laboratory. There is some messed-up teaching in her method. One quote that stuck with me was that the children were to be “serving their spirits.” The closest I can reckon my problem with this whole system is that yoga is more than just stretches. Montessori education is more than just a system of tactile learning, if one is to truly use the Montessori style. And it’s downright WEIRD.
If we look at the time frame when this came out, and we think about what else was going on in the world, with Darwin’s natural selection, and Amy Semple McPherson, and Hitler’s ideal race, and eugenics, and population control, and all of that, this book makes sense. It’s an automaton-form of creating silent little robot children, and educating them primarily through pink and brown wooden shapes and sandpaper letters. Quietly. With no words on the part of the teacher. At the very end of the book, Montessori uses the word that had been playing in my head the whole time: laboratory. All of this was to use the children as little test creatures in her education laboratory. There is some messed-up teaching in her method. One quote that stuck with me was that the children were to be “serving their spirits.” The closest I can reckon my problem with this whole system is that yoga is more than just stretches. Montessori education is more than just a system of tactile learning, if one is to truly use the Montessori style. And it’s downright WEIRD.
September 30, 2022
Ini buku tentang metode Montessori pertama yang saya baca. Saya mulai dulu dari yang ditulis oleh Ibu dokter Maria Montessori (saya tahu beliau berlatar belakang pendidikan dokter, namun saya tidak tahu apa beliau juga sampai ke jenjang Doktoral, penting ga penting sih ini hehe).
Sebelum membaca buku ini saya sempat berdiskusi bersama bang A, bang kenapa ya metode montessori begitu tenar? Seringkali dianggap sebagai satu-satunya metode pendidikan anak usia dini yang baik? Bang A menjawab karena gemas peralatan yang digunakan, karena disesuaikan dengan ukuran tubuh anak, sehingga bisa digunakan secara mandiri. Buku ini menjelaskan juga tentang Children's House yang saya juga bayangkan wah menyenangkan sekali sepertinya berada di sana. Saya membayangkan kalau daycare/TPA atau sekolah PAUD yang menganut Montessori berarti akan semenyenangkan ini ya?
Selain ini, buku ini membahas sedikit tentang aparatus? alat2 belajar yang sejalan dengan metode Montessori. Saya baru sekali belajar filosofinya dan tertarik untuk membaca buku-buku yang lainnya.
Saya suka bagian guru mengajarkan anak untuk tenang dan diam, hal ini sejalan dengan melatih meditasi bagi anak-anak. Untuk anak-anak yang aktif bergerak, baik juga ketika anak berlatih diam dan tenang. Selain itu, dengan diam dan tenang ditujukan untuk mempertajam fokus anak pada stimulus di lingkungan sekitarnya.
Sebelum membaca buku ini saya sempat berdiskusi bersama bang A, bang kenapa ya metode montessori begitu tenar? Seringkali dianggap sebagai satu-satunya metode pendidikan anak usia dini yang baik? Bang A menjawab karena gemas peralatan yang digunakan, karena disesuaikan dengan ukuran tubuh anak, sehingga bisa digunakan secara mandiri. Buku ini menjelaskan juga tentang Children's House yang saya juga bayangkan wah menyenangkan sekali sepertinya berada di sana. Saya membayangkan kalau daycare/TPA atau sekolah PAUD yang menganut Montessori berarti akan semenyenangkan ini ya?
Selain ini, buku ini membahas sedikit tentang aparatus? alat2 belajar yang sejalan dengan metode Montessori. Saya baru sekali belajar filosofinya dan tertarik untuk membaca buku-buku yang lainnya.
Saya suka bagian guru mengajarkan anak untuk tenang dan diam, hal ini sejalan dengan melatih meditasi bagi anak-anak. Untuk anak-anak yang aktif bergerak, baik juga ketika anak berlatih diam dan tenang. Selain itu, dengan diam dan tenang ditujukan untuk mempertajam fokus anak pada stimulus di lingkungan sekitarnya.
September 25, 2025
This was my first introduction to the Montessori system and it did not disappoint.
It's a brief volume but packed with details about learning activities which may be done by children of ages three to six. This includes learning about shapes (2d as well as 3d), colours (a large variety of shades), tactile and aural experience and finally language, all this achieved by the time a child turns four years of age. All this work then leads to writing and arithmetic.
The use of the word "work" is meaningful in the above, since the principle here is to treat this learning as work for the children. The teachers role is then to organise the learning activities and give the children freedom to do it, stepping in only when necessary.
Does it work? Based on Dr. Montessori's own experience, it works exceedingly well and the children behave in a very mature way once they are provided the means to explore the world in this way, something they are naturally highly inclined to do.
As a parent, I would qualify that somewhat but still agree that the learning described in this handbook are all really good ideas. My main question at the end of the book is mainly why these ideas are not widely or even universally adopted in preschool/nursery/kindergarten settings today.
It's a brief volume but packed with details about learning activities which may be done by children of ages three to six. This includes learning about shapes (2d as well as 3d), colours (a large variety of shades), tactile and aural experience and finally language, all this achieved by the time a child turns four years of age. All this work then leads to writing and arithmetic.
The use of the word "work" is meaningful in the above, since the principle here is to treat this learning as work for the children. The teachers role is then to organise the learning activities and give the children freedom to do it, stepping in only when necessary.
Does it work? Based on Dr. Montessori's own experience, it works exceedingly well and the children behave in a very mature way once they are provided the means to explore the world in this way, something they are naturally highly inclined to do.
As a parent, I would qualify that somewhat but still agree that the learning described in this handbook are all really good ideas. My main question at the end of the book is mainly why these ideas are not widely or even universally adopted in preschool/nursery/kindergarten settings today.
November 27, 2022
Membaca buku ini sebagai awal sebelum membaca buku-buku lain dengan topik serupa atas pertimbangan penulisnya adalah dokter Maria Montessori. Gaya penulisan buku ini terasa datar (beberapa aneh setelah diterjemahkan), namun saya dapat memaklumi mengingat buku ini ditulis pada awal 1900an.
Sebagian besar isi buku ini berfokus pada material (alat bantu) dan tujuan penggunaan alat bantu tersebut dibandingkan membahas "filosofi montessori" secara mendalam. Meskipun demikian, terdapat beberapa takeaways yang membekas setelah selesai membaca: bahwa guru lebih banyak sebagai observer yang memberi anak kebebasan, tentang 3 tahap pembelajaran, serta lesson of silence yang diharapkan dapat menumbuhkan semangat sosial anak. Selain itu guru juga diharapkan bersabar terhadap kemajuan anak yang lambat dan merayakan setiap keberhasilan anak.
Sebagian besar isi buku ini berfokus pada material (alat bantu) dan tujuan penggunaan alat bantu tersebut dibandingkan membahas "filosofi montessori" secara mendalam. Meskipun demikian, terdapat beberapa takeaways yang membekas setelah selesai membaca: bahwa guru lebih banyak sebagai observer yang memberi anak kebebasan, tentang 3 tahap pembelajaran, serta lesson of silence yang diharapkan dapat menumbuhkan semangat sosial anak. Selain itu guru juga diharapkan bersabar terhadap kemajuan anak yang lambat dan merayakan setiap keberhasilan anak.
November 21, 2017
Excellent book not only for those wishing to train as Montessori teachers, but for everyone curious about how does Montessori Method work, how the lessons were designed and the scienfic method behind all her design. Loved it!
“As a rule, however, we do not respect our children. We try to force them to follow us without regard to their special needs. We are overbearing with them, and above all, rude; and then we expect them to be submissive and well-behaved, knowing all the time how strong is their instinct of imitation and how touching their faith in and admiration of us. They will imitate us in any case. Let us treat them, therefore, with all the kindness which we would wish to help to develop in them.”
“As a rule, however, we do not respect our children. We try to force them to follow us without regard to their special needs. We are overbearing with them, and above all, rude; and then we expect them to be submissive and well-behaved, knowing all the time how strong is their instinct of imitation and how touching their faith in and admiration of us. They will imitate us in any case. Let us treat them, therefore, with all the kindness which we would wish to help to develop in them.”
August 12, 2021
To those new to this method, the most important lessons here are at the beginning and end that, in short chapters, begin to describe Dr. Montessori's philosophy toward children, growth, confidence, and independence.
Personally, I went to a Montessori school before kindergarten at a public school, and my mom was a Montessori school teacher for 34 years. To that end, this book helped me understand her even more, and gave me some insights into the very materials I used myself and also saw in my mom's school.
Edward Miller did a fine job with the narration.
This book focuses on descriptions of many of the materials and goals of using them rather than the entire "Montessori Method." I may pick up a different book to learn more about that someday!
Personally, I went to a Montessori school before kindergarten at a public school, and my mom was a Montessori school teacher for 34 years. To that end, this book helped me understand her even more, and gave me some insights into the very materials I used myself and also saw in my mom's school.
Edward Miller did a fine job with the narration.
This book focuses on descriptions of many of the materials and goals of using them rather than the entire "Montessori Method." I may pick up a different book to learn more about that someday!
January 10, 2022
A good summary of some of the materials found in a Montessori Children’s House. Disappointingly little discussion of the mathematical materials, and most materials are described in a fairly simple way which will not provide much additional knowledge to anyone with a basic understanding of the materials. However, the book serves as a good introduction, and is also excellent in showing how one skill is needed as a precursor to others, and the difficulty in using one material without having built the foundations required.
May 3, 2024
An interesting resource for anyone interested in this particular philosophy of education, or in comparing some of its methods with another philosophy and its methods. It truly is a handbook, describing in detail, and in illustration, many of the hands-on materials developed by Dr. Montessori and used in a Montessori classroom. This is not meant to be a complete explanation of her philosophy, for that you must read her other works. This book contains charming photos of children using the materials.
January 8, 2025
Linguagem clara e prática. A autora começa por explicar brevemente o seu método, a quem se aplica e como montar e organizar o espaço. Dentro deste enquadramento começa a percorrer vários brinquedos utilizados , a que idade da criança se adequa, o que é esperado da criança e como é que o adulto se deve comportar. Tudo isto sustentado na sua experiência na casa di bambini. Identifiquei-me muito com a metodologia e filosofia. Tenho o mesmo ponto de vista e irei refinar a minha postura de guia conforme aconselhado no livro.
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