The Montessori Toddler: A Parent’s Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being

This graceful guide to parenting toddlers within the Montessori educational philosophy teaches adults with the same spirit of gentleness, presenting a coherent, attractive system while simultaneously breaking its instruction down into small, understandable chunks that seem reasonable to master. Davies, a Montessori teacher in Amsterdam, presents a “new picture of the toddler” as an engaged, forgiving, and highly capable young human being. She begins by explaining Montessori principles, which encourage independence and practical skill-building in children within a carefully prepared classroom, then moves to an extensive list of typical activities. A section on applying these principles to make one’s household child-friendly stresses uncluttered simplicity, to ensure go-to items aren’t buried in the back of a closet. But the heart of Davies’s teaching lies not in home decor but in encouraging toddlers’ curiosity while helping them feel validated, and setting limits without making threats. Perhaps most importantly, Davies guides parents toward calmly “being the adult” without arbitrarily exercising power. Regardless of whether the family chooses a Montessori preschool, Davies’s primer, bolstered by her deep belief in the Montessori approach and respect for young children as they are, will be highly valuable for parents. (Mar.)