As a former first grade teacher, I was surprised how much I struggled with my own preschool aged children as a stay at home mom. I couldn’t figure out why my tried and true behavior management strategies weren’t successful with my own kiddos, specifically my three year old. She is a very active and very intelligent little learner and constantly seeks challenges/stimulation. I felt like I was just constantly correcting her for inappropriate actions/reactions. I started researching ways to modify our home environment and came across this book in reading about Montessori. It’s a game changer folks. I love this book. We now have actionable steps, strategies, and a philosophy that enables us to look at our childrens’ behavior—and without judgement—let it guide our interpretation of what is needed for learning and their overall happiness. Example: my daughter climbs. Everything. It felt like she was just trying to be a monkey because I told her no. Enter the wisdom of The Montessori Toddler: She is in a sensitive period for gross motor learning and is pushing the boundaries of her abilities to climb (exhibiting “maximum effort”). I set up a designated climbing space with challenging pillow/chair structure. Endless fun. It’s literally been over a month and it’s still exciting to her. She’s not trying to climb our kitchen shelves anymore. Bless.

One person found this helpful

As a former first grade teacher, I was surprised how much I struggled with my own preschool aged children as a stay at home mom. I couldn’t figure out why my tried and true behavior management strategies weren’t successful with my own kiddos, specifically my three year old. She is a very active and very intelligent little learner and constantly seeks challenges/stimulation. I felt like I was just constantly correcting her for inappropriate actions/reactions. I started researching ways to modify our home environment and came across this book in reading about Montessori. It’s a game changer folks. I love this book. We now have actionable steps, strategies, and a philosophy that enables us to look at our childrens’ behavior—and without judgement—let it guide our interpretation of what is needed for learning and their overall happiness. Example: my daughter climbs. Everything. It felt like she was just trying to be a monkey because I told her no. Enter the wisdom of The Montessori Toddler: She is in a sensitive period for gross motor learning and is pushing the boundaries of her abilities to climb (exhibiting “maximum effort”). I set up a designated climbing space with challenging pillow/chair structure. Endless fun. It’s literally been over a month and it’s still exciting to her. She’s not trying to climb our kitchen shelves anymore. Bless.

One person found this helpful

This is an excellent book!! While I do agree, there are some strange wording/writing style choices, the ideas and explanations behind them are truly inspiring. To the person who said they felt judged and worthless as a parent after reading this book: what book were you even reading?? So many times the author said "the goal is NOT perfection" and "this does not need to be implemented at 100%" and "do this at your child's and your own pace". (I'm paraphrasing, but the author is not harsh or judgemental AT ALL.) I especially love that she provides perspective on the Montessori practices, such as: why flash cards are a brilliant idea (and I agree because I attribute many of my passing test scores tests to flash cards), and why wooden toys can help toddlers master skills better than overwhelmingly busy electronic toys, etc.Overall, I LOVE this book and I am considering buying it for every parent I know.

As a former first grade teacher, I was surprised how much I struggled with my own preschool aged children as a stay at home mom. I couldn’t figure out why my tried and true behavior management strategies weren’t successful with my own kiddos, specifically my three year old. She is a very active and very intelligent little learner and constantly seeks challenges/stimulation. I felt like I was just constantly correcting her for inappropriate actions/reactions. I started researching ways to modify our home environment and came across this book in reading about Montessori. It’s a game changer folks. I love this book. We now have actionable steps, strategies, and a philosophy that enables us to look at our childrens’ behavior—and without judgement—let it guide our interpretation of what is needed for learning and their overall happiness. Example: my daughter climbs. Everything. It felt like she was just trying to be a monkey because I told her no. Enter the wisdom of The Montessori Toddler: She is in a sensitive period for gross motor learning and is pushing the boundaries of her abilities to climb (exhibiting “maximum effort”). I set up a designated climbing space with challenging pillow/chair structure. Endless fun. It’s literally been over a month and it’s still exciting to her. She’s not trying to climb our kitchen shelves anymore. Bless.

One person found this helpful

This is an excellent book!! While I do agree, there are some strange wording/writing style choices, the ideas and explanations behind them are truly inspiring. To the person who said they felt judged and worthless as a parent after reading this book: what book were you even reading?? So many times the author said "the goal is NOT perfection" and "this does not need to be implemented at 100%" and "do this at your child's and your own pace". (I'm paraphrasing, but the author is not harsh or judgemental AT ALL.) I especially love that she provides perspective on the Montessori practices, such as: why flash cards are a brilliant idea (and I agree because I attribute many of my passing test scores tests to flash cards), and why wooden toys can help toddlers master skills better than overwhelmingly busy electronic toys, etc.Overall, I LOVE this book and I am considering buying it for every parent I know.

This is an excellent book!! While I do agree, there are some strange wording/writing style choices, the ideas and explanations behind them are truly inspiring. To the person who said they felt judged and worthless as a parent after reading this book: what book were you even reading?? So many times the author said "the goal is NOT perfection" and "this does not need to be implemented at 100%" and "do this at your child's and your own pace". (I'm paraphrasing, but the author is not harsh or judgemental AT ALL.) I especially love that she provides perspective on the Montessori practices, such as: why flash cards are a brilliant idea (and I agree because I attribute many of my passing test scores tests to flash cards), and why wooden toys can help toddlers master skills better than overwhelmingly busy electronic toys, etc.Overall, I LOVE this book and I am considering buying it for every parent I know.

This is an excellent book!! While I do agree, there are some strange wording/writing style choices, the ideas and explanations behind them are truly inspiring. To the person who said they felt judged and worthless as a parent after reading this book: what book were you even reading?? So many times the author said "the goal is NOT perfection" and "this does not need to be implemented at 100%" and "do this at your child's and your own pace". (I'm paraphrasing, but the author is not harsh or judgemental AT ALL.) I especially love that she provides perspective on the Montessori practices, such as: why flash cards are a brilliant idea (and I agree because I attribute many of my passing test scores tests to flash cards), and why wooden toys can help toddlers master skills better than overwhelmingly busy electronic toys, etc.Overall, I LOVE this book and I am considering buying it for every parent I know.

As a former first grade teacher, I was surprised how much I struggled with my own preschool aged children as a stay at home mom. I couldn’t figure out why my tried and true behavior management strategies weren’t successful with my own kiddos, specifically my three year old. She is a very active and very intelligent little learner and constantly seeks challenges/stimulation. I felt like I was just constantly correcting her for inappropriate actions/reactions. I started researching ways to modify our home environment and came across this book in reading about Montessori. It’s a game changer folks. I love this book. We now have actionable steps, strategies, and a philosophy that enables us to look at our childrens’ behavior—and without judgement—let it guide our interpretation of what is needed for learning and their overall happiness. Example: my daughter climbs. Everything. It felt like she was just trying to be a monkey because I told her no. Enter the wisdom of The Montessori Toddler: She is in a sensitive period for gross motor learning and is pushing the boundaries of her abilities to climb (exhibiting “maximum effort”). I set up a designated climbing space with challenging pillow/chair structure. Endless fun. It’s literally been over a month and it’s still exciting to her. She’s not trying to climb our kitchen shelves anymore. Bless.

One person found this helpful

This is an excellent book!! While I do agree, there are some strange wording/writing style choices, the ideas and explanations behind them are truly inspiring. To the person who said they felt judged and worthless as a parent after reading this book: what book were you even reading?? So many times the author said "the goal is NOT perfection" and "this does not need to be implemented at 100%" and "do this at your child's and your own pace". (I'm paraphrasing, but the author is not harsh or judgemental AT ALL.) I especially love that she provides perspective on the Montessori practices, such as: why flash cards are a brilliant idea (and I agree because I attribute many of my passing test scores tests to flash cards), and why wooden toys can help toddlers master skills better than overwhelmingly busy electronic toys, etc.Overall, I LOVE this book and I am considering buying it for every parent I know.

As a former first grade teacher, I was surprised how much I struggled with my own preschool aged children as a stay at home mom. I couldn’t figure out why my tried and true behavior management strategies weren’t successful with my own kiddos, specifically my three year old. She is a very active and very intelligent little learner and constantly seeks challenges/stimulation. I felt like I was just constantly correcting her for inappropriate actions/reactions. I started researching ways to modify our home environment and came across this book in reading about Montessori. It’s a game changer folks. I love this book. We now have actionable steps, strategies, and a philosophy that enables us to look at our childrens’ behavior—and without judgement—let it guide our interpretation of what is needed for learning and their overall happiness. Example: my daughter climbs. Everything. It felt like she was just trying to be a monkey because I told her no. Enter the wisdom of The Montessori Toddler: She is in a sensitive period for gross motor learning and is pushing the boundaries of her abilities to climb (exhibiting “maximum effort”). I set up a designated climbing space with challenging pillow/chair structure. Endless fun. It’s literally been over a month and it’s still exciting to her. She’s not trying to climb our kitchen shelves anymore. Bless.

One person found this helpful