Book Review - Montessori From The Start

This informative and enlightening book, which I am going to share with you today, is entitled: "Montessori From The Start", written by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen (Schocken Books, 2003)

Most of us, especially parents, have heard of Dr. Maria Montessori and her unique and amazing education method in educating young kids. But how about employing the benefits of Dr. Montessori's insights to benefit your child since birth? Is there any way where parents can apply the Montessori's method during their child's early childhood years to prepare them for a better start in life?

Recognizing the need, the founders of the Forest Bluff School in Lake Bluff Illinois, Paula Polk Lillard and her daughter, Lynn Lillard Jessen, both highly experienced educators, consolidated and condensed their years of experience in their teaching of the Montessori method into this book, entitled "Montessori From The Start".

This book, written based on the authors' insights and experience with working with young minds, provides practical and useful advice on how to use Montessori's theories to create a set of comprehensive approaches to raising infants. In addition, the authors have also provided valuable guidance for the creation of a beautiful and serviceable learning environment that will aid in the development of the infant's focus and concentration. Considering the kid's "sensitive periods", the authors have also introduced concepts and related activities for the development of such skills, such as dressing, food preparation and toilet training.

Infants, at the moment when they enter into this world, are already little sponges that are capable of soaking up information. How they are handled since birth has already an impact on how they will turn out in the future.

For example, drawing from one of the areas mentioned in the book, language development is essential as it wll influence the infant's understanding of what is happening around him and his ability to convey to others of his needs. Thus, the quality of the language to which the infant is exposed to permantly alters both his brain structure and its function. It is then essential, that the infant be given specific linguistic aid from birth, some of which includes good grammar, quantity of vocabulary and clear pronunciation by the care giver.

As the infant can only make sense of language when he relates directly with people, thus, one has to interact with the infant as one is speaking and face-to-face interaction is preferred (TV and VCDs are found to be less useful as they seem). Speech should be made simple and clear though and repetitions are required for reinforcement. Naming game is a good activity that parents can have with their infant.

This book is definitely a must read for parents who want to raise calm, capable and confident children.

Annie