The Montessori Child: A Parent's Guide to Raising Capable Children with Creative Minds and Compassionate Hearts

by Simone Davies, Junnifa Uzodike

From the bestselling authors of The Montessori Toddler and The Montessori Baby, this book guides parents through the principles of Montessori to enhance their children's development and foster respectful relationships with their families and the world.

When children are given independence, the tools to succeed, and the encouragement to build on their abilities, it’s amazing what they can achieve. The newest book in the bestselling Montessori series is an everything-you-need-to-know guide to raising your school-aged child (from 3–12 years old, with a bonus chapter for the teen years) in the Montessori way. Educators Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike provide an in-depth, practical guide to incorporating Montessori principles into readers’ everyday lives, with advice on everything from setting up your home in ways that encourage curiosity and independence to supporting your child’s social and moral development with a balance of limit-setting and age-appropriate freedoms.

The book includes dozens of hands-on activities to help foster your child's love of numbers and literacy, art and science, and ones that encourage community-building, social awareness, and connection with the natural world. The Montessori Child offers a powerful alternative for parents who feel that family life has gotten too complicated by showing parents how to make more intentional choices for your family, how to better understand the needs of your children, and support them as they develop their unique potential.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Education, Self Help, Family, Childrens, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading the previous two books I was excited for this one as I have an almost 3 year old child. I was highly disappointed when I saw the authors refer to woman as people who menstruate when talking about sex education. Encouraging parents to teach children sex is for pleasure and to masterbate in private. She takes her 10 year old sun to the red light district in Amsterdam and has a conversation about prostitution. There is also a whole section about gender identity and how to model gender pronouns to children.

[Christine Lepird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved The Montessori Toddler, so I had high hopes for this book, but I was a little disappointed.l
The good: they quoted other scholars and recommended other books when their strengths fell outside the author's. Also, they suggested many good options.
The bad: this book felt a lot more prescriptive than The Montessori Toddler, and I didn't really understand the motivation behind a lot of the recommendations. I wish the author spent more time on the "why" of certain behaviors and how they are important.

[The Bibliophile Doctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the previous book by the same author - The Montessori Toddler which has been sitting on my shelf and it's not that I don't want to read it, I really do as my kid is 2 years old now and being a FTM I wanted to learn as much as I could before I had a kid but alas, I couldn't manage that.


But it's never too late to learn how to do the right thing, even when it comes to parenting. Or better yet especially when it comes to parenting.

The Montessori child deals with all the Montessori methods with enough examples and the narrator has done the best job possible by narrating in a clear and rich voice. My only issue with this book is that it is too simplistic or very basic.

I can't be sure though as this is my first parenting book. I have read some parenthood books but not parenting books. Coz I did not really believe in that but I must say I was very wrong as Montessori child teaches far more than I could have imagined I will learn from a book.


I will definitely recommend it for every parent, guide, teacher out there so they can help the children around them in growing responsible adults.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette audio for the wonderful ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Audiobook rating : 5 stars
Book rating : 4 stars

[Lauren Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own the two others books in this series (The Montessori Baby & The Montessori Toddler), and honestly I can say they are all so fun and inspiring! Just the right mix of philosophy and practicality. This volume in particular truly changed the way I speak to my children and the way I view their development. The appendix of activities for 3-12 year olds is a treasure trove! Not a page is wasted, and each sentence seems to have a care & clarity about it that is hard to find. Such a pleasure to read. I’m not on board with all of the principles and ideology, but there was a lot to explore and think about.

[Brooklyn Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite parenting book so far - lovely developmental explanations for kiddo behaviors, frame of mind suggestions for parents as your kiddos grow, and practical ways to navigate parenting your child at each stage. In the tough moments of parenthood, this book helps me reframe the situation in a positive light and inspires me to focus on ways to grow within and motivate my kiddo.

[Edita Kazakevičienė · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Kai žvelgiame į vaikus pro Montessori didinamąjį stiklą, nelaikome jų tuščiais indeliais, kuriuos galima pripildyti arba paversti tuo, kuo norime. Priešingai, mes į juos žiūrime kaip į žmones, turinčius daug potencialo, vertus pagarbos ir gebančius dalyvauti savo pačių raidoje. Mūsų, pedagogų, tėvų ir globėjų, užduotis – stengtis suprasti, puoselėti ir atskleisti tai, ką mūsų vaikai jau turi."

Skaičiau šios autorės knygą „Montessori mažylis", kuri buvo labai naudinga. O naujausia knyga, kuri yra tarsi pastarosios tęsinys, skirta tėvams, auginantiems vaikus nuo 3 iki 12 m. Vienas didžiausių šių knygų privalumų yra tai, kad informacija apie Montessori principus pateikta labai glaustai, konkrečiai ir pagarbiai.

Be to, kaip ir ankstesnėje knygoje, čia svarbus praktinis aspektas: kokiomis priemonėmis ir kaip tęsti Montessori metodo taikymą namuose. Knygos turinys suskirstytas į 9 skyrius ir apimta skirtingas temas: nuo fizinio namų įrengimo iki pasiruošimo paauglystei.

Autorės didelį dėmesį skiria ne tik vaikų ugdymui, bet ir tėvų augimui. Ne veltui, Montessori filosofijoje, mokytojai vadinami vaiko vedliais, tad tą pačią nuostatą galima pritaikyti ir tėvams. Juk mes ir esame tie žmonės, kurie suformuoja pagrindinį pamatą mūsų vaikų gyvenime.

Simone Davies šią knygą rašė kartu su bendraautore Junnifa Uzodike ir tai suteikė įvairovės bei daugiakultūriškumo. Taip pat, knyga papildyta ištraukomis iš šeimų, gyvenančių pagal Montessori pasaulėžiūrą, istorijų. Knygos dizainas labai estetiškas ir suteikiantis įkvėpimo šeimyninei kasdienybei.

Lietuvių kalba išleistos Simone Davies knygos: „Montessori kūdikis" (2022 m.) ir „Montessori mažylis" (2021 m.).

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with all parenting books, be a filter not a sponge. I love Simone Davies. Her book the Montessori Toddler and podcast has been a big influence on the way I parent. I love her practical advice on how to raise kind, capable, curious, responsible kids. She has this amazing ability to write in a way that is convicting and motivating without guilt or shame. Also, like her other books, the art is lovely.

Unfortunately, this being the third book of hers that I’ve read - most of the material was already expressed in her other books. The Montessori Toddler has her decades of classroom experience as a source but for this one she and Junnifa seem to speculate and extrapolate from their individual children. The rest of the new material reminded of me of post-2020 HR training so… not great.

[Χρήστος Κούτσιανος · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ναι δεν υπάρχουν οδηγίες για να μεγαλώσει ένα παιδί, υπάρχουν όμως έρευνες και προτάσεις που μπορούμε να δοκιμάσουμε, να τις φιλτράρουμε από το γονεϊκό μας ένστικτο. Αυτό το βιβλίο ήταν το τρίτο στην σειρά που διάβασα με τα πρώτα δύο να είναι για τις ηλικίες (0-1) και (1-3) ετών, και οφείλω να ομολογήσω πως κάθε φορά που το έπιασα στα χέρια μου, μου έδινε τροφή για σκέψη. Απόλαυσα την ανάγνωση του και σίγουρα θα συμβουλευτώ ξανά τις σελίδες του.

[Emily Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The other books in this series are some of my all time favorite parenting books so I had high expectations for this one. It’s not a bad book but not a great one. I am very familiar with the concepts of raising a child in the Montessori method and was hoping for some deeper insight from this book especially on some of the tough situations that arise as children age. And while this book did touch on those problems (things like appropriate language, unsupervised outings, etc) many times the answers were incredibly vague and general. Other times I felt the authors allowed their personal political beliefs to override Montessori principles and layed them out for readers as fact rather than a way of doing things/interpreting the world. One example of this is in regard to a second plane child stealing. The author stated that the child must be dysregulated in order to steal. I found this claim appalling as it takes away all responsibility for the child’s choices away from the child and undermines the behaviors that are actually directly correlated to dysregulation (like being angry and yelling hurtful words while the temper is up). Stealing is generally a thought out intentional act because one values their own happiness over the happiness of others and a worldview of child rearing that is never ready to admit children do wrong things for wrong motives just like adults do is not one I respect, aligns with Montessori teaching or typically raises good people. That being said I think this book does cover a lot of ground and could be a good introduction to Montessori methods for someone with older children. However I don’t think it will be one I recommend or come back to like the first two books.

[Laurel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book did a great job laying out Montessori principles. In essence parents guide children, supporting their independence and creativity along the way. I liked some of the ideas such as having younger children take on more responsibility at a younger age, and then seeing that continue into adulthood.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really disappointed in this third book in the series. Checks all the boxes for being politically correct in 2024. I highly doubt very Catholic Maria Montessori would have signed off on all of this though.

[Gyveno kartą Beatričė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kartais galvoju, ar tik aš savęs neapgaudinėju? Lentynose išrikiuotos knygos apie vaikų auklėjimą, įvairūs patarimų vadovai tėvams, o mūsų namuose būna ir pykčių, ir ašarų, ir pačių susikurtų taisyklių laužymo. Nėra taip lengva gyventi ‘perskaičiau ir padariau’ režimu, ar ne? Ir labai sunku leisti sau klysti, kai kalbame apie savo vaikus ir save, kaip tėvus. Guodžia tik tai, jog ši baimė padaryti kažką ne taip turi ir gerąją pusę: faktas, kad pergyveni dėl to, ar esi geras tėvas, reiškia, kad jau esi toks.

Tikriausiai dėl to aš taip ir mėgstu tokio tipo knygas - ypač ‘Pabučiuok mane’ seriją. Jos mane ne tik moko, bet ir ramina: visi darome klaidų ir that’s okay, keisk kažką pamažu, o ne viską iš karto. Skaitau jas ir žinau - net jei visko ir nepritaikysiu praktiškai, aš vis tiek žinosiu ir galėsiu daugiau, nei žinojau ir galėjau vakar.

‘Montessori vaikas’ - vadovas, kuris siūlo naują požiūrį į vaiką, vaikystę ir suaugusiojo vaidmenį. Akcentuoja santykį, ryšį ir skatina tėvus ne tik stebėti savo vaikus, bet ir juos iš tiesų matyti.

Patiko, kad knyga neskirta tik Montessori ugdytiniams ar šeimoms, kurių namai pilnai atitinka Montessori ‘standartus’. Saulė lanko valstybinį darželį ir jos kambarys yra įprastas keturmetės kambarys, bet šioje knygoje dešimtys pritaikomų patarimų. Tokių paprastų paprastų, kad dažnai pamirštame. O smagiausia, kad jie iš tiesų veikia.

Stipriausia knygos vieta - jos praktiškumas. Ir mes kalbame ne tik apie teoriją, bet ir sąrašus, lenteles su veiklų ir net frazių pavyzdžiais, lengvai pritaikomais praktikoje. ‘Montessori vaikas’ patarią KĄ ir KODĖL daryti ir - svarbiausia - pasako KAIP.

Taigi… ar aš save apgaudinėju? Kad skaitau, bet neįgyvendinu, stengiuosi, bet suklumpu, žymiuosi, bet užmirštu? Ne, turbūt ne. Aš mokausi.🙂

[Haniva Zahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ini dapat menjadi panduan bagi orang tua dengan anak dari usia 3 hingga 12 tahun. Belum semua bagian dari buku ini relevan untuk saya sebagai orang tua dengan anak usia dini, tetapi buku ini akan terus menemani saya hingga anak saya menjadi seorang remaja. Secara umum, buku ini menjelaskan tentang prinsip-prinsip Montessori yang dapat kita terapkan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Seringkali saya merasa perlu untuk belajar substansi dari sesuatu, sehingga kita tidak mengenal suatu pendekatan dari interpretasi orang-orang. Ternyata, Montessori tidak hanya tentang sekolah yang memfasilitasi anak belajar sesuai minat, Montessori juga bukan hanya tentang perabot rumah untuk anak, Montessori saya artikan sebagai sebuah pendekatan pengasuhan. Hal yang menarik dalam Montessori ada pendekatan yang lebih teknis dan kaku, tetapi ada juga pendekatan yang lebih umum. Pada akhirnya saya memahami mengapa pendekatan ini begitu dikenal di berbagai belahan dunia, tetapi semoga apa yang saya pelajari tidak hanya permukaannya saja.

[Rita P Smits · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found The Montessori Child less useful than The Montessori Toddler. There were too many repetitions, too many directives about the author's political and spiritual opinions (which, despite sharing, I don't think should necessarily have a place in this type of book).

And there were too few examples, of both situations and what to say/do when they occur. The final activity list is great but it feels neglected, lost all the way down in the last few pages of the book, and in such miniscule letters. I was also hoping to get more in the form of the actual curriculum for teaching at home (including how math and letters are introduced in the Montessori method), but there was none of that here. The real stories were completely useless, I would have not included them.

Still, there was enough here to justify the reading for anyone that wants to deep dive into Montessori past toddlerhood. I especially liked the information about the planes of development and general raising topics in chapter 7.

[Jordan Houghton · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, “The Montessori Baby” and “The Montessori Toddler” are awesome resources I come back to time and time again. Full of practical activities, examples, practical sentence or conversation starters for correction or discipline, and beautiful pictures of how people implement Montessori practices in their homes. This book fell so flat. Perhaps it could be a good resource if you have older children and haven’t read or implemented any Montessori in your home so far. But it just seemed like a bunch of fluff to me. It had some examples of dialogue I took note of, but other than that it was just pumping out another book for me.

[Kaili_Nicolee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! The Montessori Child is such a helpful guide for parents who want to bring Montessori into everyday life without feeling overwhelmed. The advice feels doable, and I loved how the authors focus on connection and respect, not just setting up activities or buying materials. It gave me lots of ideas for supporting independence and creating a calmer home.

My only small gripe is that some parts felt a little repetitive, and I wished there were more examples for families with multiple kids. I recommend for parents who want a practical, gentle approach!

[Shelby Bethke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The curation and mindfulness of Montessori really appeals to me, especially in the midst of toddler chaos I currently find myself, but at the end of the day I think it's mostly the idea of Montessori I like. I prefer more whimsy and fantasy in day-to-day life so maybe I'm more Waldorf? Regardless I highly recommend listening to this on audiobook while wading through the previously mentioned chaos. Being calming narrated to about order and routines honestly helped navigate the smaller problems that cropped up.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, and it was very easy to read. Great, easy tone. There's lots of white space and much of the material is in list form. It works really well to just grab a quick tip and move on. Or you can read the whole book and maybe transform your life and the life of your kid(s) for the better. Mostly for the younger kids, but I read it as my kid was getting ready for high school (kinda a reminder to keep our lives Montessori) and there was plenty of relevant information for me too.

[Elise Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very thorough depiction of how to apply Montessori methods to your family at every stage. It gives you the knowledge to pick and choose the practices that work best for your specific family. If we all apply just a few of these, imagine how lovely your family dynamics could be. Isn't that what we as parents want? Do you really want to be that parent who consistently yells, threatens, disrespects, and isn't honest with your children?

[Emslo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gentle and practical guide for parenting with a Montessori lens. Lots of diverse examples, specific considerations, and helpful reminders about what is most important provided. Raising independent, considerate, and responsible humans starts with observations, finding ways to promote our kids’ growth, and affirming their development and role in our family, their community, and the world. It would be a good book to come back to when my daughter is 6, and again at age 12.

[Ashleyandetc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simone and Junnifa bring Montessori principles to parents in a practical, and easy to understand, book. I would have given this book 5 stars, but it is dense and reads like a textbook. Also, some things are too wordy and others don’t give enough. Despite this, I look forward to revisiting this book many times in the years to come!

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn’t feel like anything new; I enjoyed The Montessori Toddler much more. I didn’t realize when purchasing the book that “child” is up to 24 years old, so there were a lot of ideas and suggestions for kids 12 and up that I can come back to later. I wanted more information/practical ideas for my 4 year old and half the book was focused on preteen+.

[Rita MP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apesar de ser o 3ª livro desta série, foi o primeiro que li. Gostei, nada de muito novo por já ter ideia do q é a filosofia Montessori mas bem escrito e organizado, linguagem fácil e principalmente com orientações fáceis de aplicar no dia a dia. As tabelas finais podem ser confusas por abrangerem idades tão diferentes mas são uma compilação de ideias aplicáveis =)

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simone made a mistake joining forces with Junnifa for this book. I read The Montessori Toddler which was mostly good and helpful. This book was a huge disappointment. Woke propoganda galore. It’s a crying shame that what Maria Montessori developed has mostly been adopted by left-wing “progressives.”

[Andy Weiler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good intro to the Montessori concept. Book felt preachy, but I guess they wanted to get their point across. I found I use a lot of these strategies in my classroom but overall this book is for raising kids.

[Ashley Sciacca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avery’s pre-k teacher recommended because she runs a Montessori program. I enjoyed most parts of this book because of the specific examples it gave to best support growth and development. Some parts were repetitive or felt like generic parenting tips.

[Alyssa Biviano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one because, unlike the Baby and Toddler books that focused on toys and activities, this was much more about fostering growth, independence, and respect and learning about this plane of development. Already noticing a difference in my 3yo with just a few easy changes.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids are capable than more than you think. Slow down and give them the space to do things for themselves and explore the world, and you'll be surprised by what they know. The gift of a love of learning is one of the greatest gifts we can give.

[Ashley (scatteredthistle) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cool book that I wish I'd had when I first started homeschooling my kids. Such an inspiring look at creating a creative and compassionate learning environment where kids can grow and prosper.

[Marianna Milkis-Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the very specific phrases and scenarios provided