Age 6-12

BOOK: “Please Help Me Do It Myself, Observation and Recordkeeping for the Montessori Primary and Elementary Class”

SusanMayclinStephenson9 Comments

Note: October 11-15, 2025 there was a free Amazon kindle download. It reached thousands of people in almost 100 countries. If you would like to be notified of free offers like this in the future sign up to receive these blog posts.

Even with the very best intentions Montessori teachers often feel the pressure to revert to the traditional TTI (teacher-text centered, adult scheduled) teaching rather than CC (child-centered, free choice) that is essential in authentic Montessori practice. This means giving group rather than individual lessons, gathering children in daily adult-led circle time, teachers making assignments rather than issuing invitations, and, at the 6-18 level, forgetting that the Montessori teacher’s role at this age is to assist the student in learning to create one’s own individual academic path, make one’s own work plans, and meet both state/country and personal goals. Montessori is not about learning to obey and let others do one’s thinking.

Thanks to my Montessori teacher trainers and mentors (Silvana Montanaro and Judi Orion (0-3), Hilla Patell and Muriel Dwyer (2.5-6+), Margaret Stephenson (7-12), Margot Waltuch who was my official AMI primary and elementary consultant, and our 6-12 course examiner Mario Montessori) I have enjoyed many years teaching 0-18, and consulting/lecturing in over thirty countries.

In the book Please Help Me Do It Myself, Observation and Recordkeeping for the Montessori Primary and Elementary Class, successful child-centered, concentration-protected practice is explained in great detail. Continue reading →

Book: Montessori for Family and Community

SusanMayclinStephenson1 Comment

Montessori for Family and Community

Engagingly written, this book makes the important elements of the Montessori approach accessible to a wide audience, using clear practical examples to explain profound developmental concepts.
—Lynne Lawrence, MBE, Executive Director of AMI,
the Association Montessori Internationale

154 pages: This is the book to begin with, for both parents and teachers. There are QR codes that lead to YouTube video clips the author has used in her work in thirty countries. They show the potential—especially in the first years—much more convincingly than words could (14 QR codes in the 0-3 section; 6 in the 3-6 section; and 3 more). There are pictures and practice from the author’s own teaching, and other authentic Montessori programs around the world.
Chapters:
Introduction . . . 1
Birth to Three Years . . . 10
Age Three to Six Years . . . 39
My Primary and Elementary Consultant and Mentors . . . 74
Age Six to Twelve Years . . . 81
Age Twelve to Eighteen Years . . . 115
Conclusion . . . 139
Maria Montessori . . . 140 Continue reading →

Montessori Language from Birth to Age 12+

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Speaking, Writing, and Reading

This blog posts contains excerpts from these two books.
CLICK: The Joyful Child: Montessori, Global Wisdom for Birth to Three+
CLICK: Child of the World: Montessori Global Education for Age 3-12+

At all ages, the adults and older children are the most important models for the young person’s developing language. Do we speak well and clearly and with good manners and joy to each other? Do we understand what might be the result of modeling cell phone use rather than reading books? Do we actually read and enjoy fiction and non-fiction books? Do we go to a library regularly? Are we writing with pens and pencils in the presence of young children who are going to want to imitate everything they see going on around them—in the home and in the community—as soon as they are able? Learning to be a good language model like this is part of becoming a Montessori teacher, and it is something we can provide at home. Continue reading →