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The back to school season is always a nice reminder about the importance of reading daily with our little ones (it’s said that children need 10,000 hours of reading before they reach kindergarten!). Whether or not your little one’s education is Montessori-based, parents can implement this style of teaching at home from birth.
Tatyana Gubin, co-founder of CozyKin, the Montessori-inspired nanny share solution for at-home childcare says, “At CozyKin, we implement a Montessori-inspired curriculum with all our little ones and often parents ask how they can reinforce this type of learning at home. While there are many ways this can be done, picking up the right book can be a great start.”
Montessori is an approach to education based on the principle that children should drive the learning process. Gubin suggests, “owning only a few books to be cherished is better than having a bookshelf filled with unworthy titles.” And, “follow your child’s lead. If they show interest in trains, get books that feature trains.”
CozyKin, the leading Montessori-inspired nanny share service, has quickly become the go-to childcare choice for new and expectant parents in Boston and New York. By working with families to find the right match of a like-minded family and pairing the little ones together with the right nanny, CozyKin is creating a modern childcare structure that offers parents the best of both worlds: the personalization of a nanny matched with the socialization and Montessori-inspired curriculum of a daycare.
Newborn to 3 Months
1 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'Black & White' by Tana Hoban
"Anything Black and White to help develop visual perception. Simple lines and bolder patterns are easier for your little one to see, appreciate and focus on"
2 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'Art for Baby'
"A collection of fascinating black-andwhite images created by some of the world’s leading modern artists. Each one has been specially selected to help babies begin to recognize pictures and connect with the world around them."
3-6 Months
3 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'Look, Look!' by Peter Linenthal
"Help maintain focus and allow more patterns to spark interest as compared to the original black and white books. Your little one will spend so much time examining each picture and their elements."
4 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes' by Mem Fox
"Language development is also crucial at this stage. Little ones are also noticing patterns and grouping words together which makes rhyming sequences easier to process because they have more order. They include easy colors that are not too harsh or bright for your little one’s eyes."
6-12 Months
5 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'Touch and Feel: Farm'
Your little one is craving to interact with their environment. Their main way to do so are mouthing items and feeling them. At this age, they’re beginning to explore textures, especially in their food!
6 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'Hands Can' by Cheryl Willis Hudson
"Around 4 months, your little one will fully discover their hands as a part of their body and under their control. Practicing grip, picking up items, feeding themselves, all are pieces that strengthen their hand muscles. When they fully utilize all of their fingers together around months 7 and 8, they realize the full potential of everything their hands can do."
7 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'Global Babies' by The Global Fund for Children
"Montessori focuses on raising more global children. Dr. Montessori believed that children with a strong positive sense of self, and a respectful positive attitude toward others, could become the basis for a new society."
1-2 Years Old
8 of 14 Image Credits: Barnes & Noble
'Eating the Rainbow' by Rena D. Grossman
"Your little one will be exploring all different foods at this age and will be using food to stimulate their brain. Every meal will be a sensory experience, motor development, and cognitive development when they begin matching different colors, textures, and start feeding themselves."
9 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'First 100 Words' by Rodger Priddy
"Your little one is going through a language explosion right now and you can feed their curiosity by teaching them more words for them to express themselves. One of the biggest themes in Montessori is “Help me help myself.” By teaching your little one more words, you help them label their behaviors and give them more independence to ask for what they need."
10 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'I Can' by Helen Oxenbury
"This is often called the “Age of Maximum Effort” where children want to do all of the activities themselves. For the first time, they can run, climb, leap, help, clean, and practice self-care. The Picture a child just learning to button his own coat. It seems to take forever, and the coat may not be perfectly aligned or have every button done up, but the look of delight on the child’s face once she is finished is worth the wait. This is them practicing self-construction."
3-4 Years
11 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'The Whole Science for Toddlers Series' by American Museum of Natural History
"Fantasy is tough for toddlers to process. There is so much misunderstanding about fantasy at this age, science helps children find the wonder in the world in a way that is authentic and allows for sensorial exploration that is representative of the real world."
12 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'Little Kids First Big Book of Animals' by Catherine D. Hughes
"The National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals is an adorable animal reference sure to be welcomed by parents and librarians alike. Filled with fluffy and scaly creatures big and small, this appealing book introduces the youngest explorers to the world of wildlife, using a child-friendly format."
5-6 Years
13 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'Before After' by Matthias Arégui and Anne-Margot Ramstein
"Children at this age are fascinated with cause and effect and slowly understand consequences of seemingly random events."
14 of 14 Image Credits: Amazon
'A Seed Is Sleepy' by Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long
"This gorgeous book from award-winning artist Sylvia Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston offers children a beautiful and informative look at the intricate, complex, and often surprising world of seeds."
