15 MONTESSORI BOOKS (for parents and teachers): Since 1971, I have been writing about my own teaching experience (with children and young adults, ages 2-18), what I have learned as a consultant and speaker in 30 countries, and while examining for AMI teachers’ courses. The books are available from many sources, schools, training centers, Amazon, CLICK: Books on Amazon, the publisher, CLICK: Michael Olaf Publishing, and even internationally, for example translated in such places as Romania, CLICK: Romanian translations

BLOG: Since 2015, I have shared much of my own teaching, parenting, grandparenting, and international experiences in thirty countries in this blog.

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Joy and Purpose, the Infant-Toddler Years
(book #1 of the Montessori for Family and Community series, titles for 3-6, 6-12, and 12-18, to be published in 2026)
Human beings enter the world with inborn instincts as to their physical, mental, spiritual purpose. When their attempts to fulfill these are observed, understood, and supported, the result is Joy. This short book contains QR codes leading to the short videos used by the author to illustrate several of these accomplishments.

I share this book with my AMI Montessori students in India and Vietnam.
—Julia Hilson, AMI Montessori 0-3 teacher trainer

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Montessori for Family and Community
Ideas for using tested practices to support the optimum development of children and young adults from birth through the high school or secondary years in such a way that they will get in touch with their own authentic self, learn in enjoyable, and become adults that will contribute to a better world.
Information for parents of children who will never be able to attend a Montessori school, for those who are preparing their children to attend one, and to support at home what children are doing in a Montessori school. QR codes, especially at 0-3 level, lead to short video clips on YouTube to understand the child’s potential.

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

This is fascinating stuff and quite aligned with how I understand things, Evolutionary Wisdom.
—Gabor Maté, MD, Canadian psychiatrist and author

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Aid to Life, Montessori Beyond the Classroom
An experience of teaching “Montessori” in a private girls’ school in Peru with no Montessori materials; a newspaper column; homeschooling experiences for age 6-19; Montessori help in Nepal, Tibet, Sikkim, Russia, Morocco: EsF (Educateurs sans Frontieres) Thailand: ideas for the home for ages 0-18; a grandparenting literary experience; observation of a typical day in a Montessori primary class (age 2.5-6.5) in London.

This is a wonderful book about Montessori and how it’s being used in many countries, from Peru to Morocco, Nepal and beyond. I have told several people that they absolutely should read it.
—Victoria Barrès, AMI representative to UNESCO, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Paris, France)

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Beginnings, Montessori Birth to Three Comparison with Traditions in Bhutan
Welcomed by new parents-to-be who are overwhelmed by parenting advice because here they can compare two well-tested parenting methods and decide what aligns with their own hopes.

For parent-to-be inundated by “advice from experts” to compare two tested methods and decide what resonates personally.
—AMI Montessori teacher and teacher trainer

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Child of the World: Montessori, Global Education for Age 3-12+
A brief overview of theory and practice in the Montessori primary, age 2.5-6.5 classroom. The same for the elementary class for ages 6-12. Other chapters: stages of development; the young adult; the adult; preparing the environment; parenting and teaching

Stephenson’s volume is a wonderful resource for parents seeking thoughtful, sound advice on raising well-grounded children in a chaotic world. Presenting Montessori principles in clear and eloquent prose, Stephenson’s legacy will be a tremendous service to generations of parents to come.  
—Angeline Lillard, PhD, Professor of Psychology, U. of Virginia, author of Montessori, The Science behind the Genius

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Glimpses of Aged Care through a Montessori Lens
Created by Anne Kelly, head of the AMI Montessori for Dementia, Disability, and Aging training program, and Susan Mayclin Stephenson. They share their unique and complimentary experiences and attitudes toward the last stage of life. This book is enlightening and helpful in cultures where discussions of old age and death are avoided and, as a result, there is little or no preparation.

I have read many books Susan has written. This one, without a doubt, is not just informative but mostly importantly reflective. Prepared environment is such a universal concept in Montessori. It is such a delight to see how the concept is applied to aging and dementia community. It also gave me opportunity to contemplate about my own tradition and how aged people are being treated.
This is an easy yet profound read.
—Tengchien, Yu, AMI Montessori Teacher Trainer

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Montessori and Mindfulness
When practiced authentically, Montessori students spend most of the day being mindful and in the moment. External mindful practices, valuable in other situations, would get in the way. Chapters include: support and impediments of mindfulness; flow; mindful work, walking, music, exploration; born to be good, and a chapter on mindfulness contributed by the psychologist Dr. Angeline Lillard.

This book has the magic of leading the reader to be able to understand how Montessori environments offer the practice of “mindfulness” in such a natural and authentic way through work, concentration and being part of all the wonderful experiences, as children and also as adults.
—Cecilia Elguero, Director of Training, AMI Instituto Montessori Internacional de Queretaro, Mexico

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Montessori Cosmic Education, The Child’s Discovery of a Global Vision and a Cosmic Task
A brief introduction to a main Montessori education purpose, which is learning about the world and the interconnectedness of all life, and the search for, and discovery of, one’s unique contribution to the world. Ideas for birth through 6-12 years of age are presented.

Grounded in experience Stephenson manages to convey the essence of one of Maria Montessori’s fundamental principles—the interdependent nature of life and the very concrete steps to helping children express their natural tendency to live well with others and take care of the planet.
—Lynne Lawrence, AMI Executive Director

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Montessori Homeschooling, One Family’s Story
This documentation of a homeschool experiment through elementary, middle, and high school is an inspiration to parents and teachers with only traditional education experience who hope for something more practical, enjoyable, and successful for their children and students.

Each chapter describes one year of home schooling from kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is encyclopedic in detail and charmed with honesty about failures and successes. This is quite a span, with the right kind of limited stimulus exposed at the right ages and stages and leading to wider independence. It comes through with the widest scope at adolescence. They had four guidelines: keep the developmental stage in mind, prepare the environment and offer the work, observe to see if it is working, and lastly, adapt and “follow the child”. This Montessori-inspired home-schooling centered in the family ended with Michael’s acceptance at Brown University. It is more than a fairy tale; it is a triumph for all families to witness.
—David Kahn, Director Emeritus of NAMTA, North American Montessori Teachers Association, adolescent education speaker and consultant

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No Checkmate, Montessori Chess lessons for Age 3-90+
A Montessori way of teaching chess is just one example of how to follow a child’s interest and stage of development when teaching any skill. Examples are grace and courtesy of handling the chess pieces; social aspect of the game; practical life— polishing/dusting the pieces, setting up the environment; language, using the three-period-lesson to learn the names of the pieces; mastering the game by building up one difficulty at a time. It is based on the author’s years of teaching chess to young children.

Susan covers every detail of making this game meaningful and fun for the adult and even the very young.
— Rita Zener, PhD, AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) Teacher Trainer

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Chess book. I had a child in my elementary class who was determined to teach every child to play chess however she found it hard to slow down and would get frustrated that they could not just pick up the game after a simple explanation of what each piece does. I gave her your book from our class library and it significantly improved her chess teaching and also her relationships with others.
—Rachel Ammundsen, Montessori teacher, Dublin, Ireland

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Please Help Me Do It Myself, Observation and Recordkeeping for the Primary and Elementary Class
Montessori practice requires a scientist’s ability to observe carefully, record observations, think, make an individual plan for each child, and act on this plan—and then continue to observe and adapt depending on the child’s choices and mastery. At the 6-12 level the author shares how her students themselves mastered record keeping, planning, learning to make and meet goals (including local state/country requirements) and manage time. Additional primary class chapters: general knowledge book of the teacher; formal language book; beginning a new class; first six weeks in a continuing class; moving to a new environment; parent communication; human needs and tendencies; becoming a young adult.

Having been out of the classroom for two years, as I read this book I thought to myself “It is though I am in a Montessori refresher course”. Thank you for writing this book.
—Adebanke Foloye, Nigerian AMI 3-6 and 6-12 teacher

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The Joyful Child: Montessori, Global Wisdom for Birth to Three
Five chapters with information and support for development in the first years of life; ten chapters on the development in the second two years. Also, preparing the environment; parenting and teaching; the Montessori approach to weaning; the Montessori 0-3 or Assistants to Infancy parent/teacher training. This is the most translated book of this series and has brought Montessori to parents in many places.

Teachers and administrators at all levels will see preschool, elementary, and adolescent students with new eyes when they understand the potential of children in the first 3 years of life.
—David Kahn, NAMTA, North American Montessori Teachers Association

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The Music Environment for All Ages, Montessori Foundations for the Creative Personality
Part of the “Brief Montessori Introductions” series, a version of this title was published by AMI (Association Montessori Internationale and NAMTA (North American Montessori Teachers Association) in the AMI Journal 2014-2015 issue: The Montessori Foundations for the Creative Personality. It gives parents and other educators an overview of the value and practice of music in the different stages of life: 0-3, 3-6, 6-12, 12-18, and even for the elderly.

We recommend this book in our AMI 0-3 course in Vietnam and in other countries.
—Julia Hilson, AMI Board Member and teacher trainer

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The Red Corolla, Montessori Cosmic Education (for age 3-6+)
Chapters include cosmic education; the work of the adult; the work of the child; culture from birth to age twelve; the music environment; and a Montessori glossary. There are universally tested cultural activities for this age: physics, botany, zoology, history, geography, art, music. In each area there is specific practical life work, sensorial exploration, lessons, sometimes artwork, and always the language that follows the experiences. All this information is based on lectures delivered in an AMI primary diploma course by the author.

Here are the lectures delivered in an AMI primary diploma course by the author.
What I like about this book is the possibility that it will give to teachers who have not learned in their training this way of presenting the various cultural areas—art, music, geography, biology, and physics—to young children. That is, how to offer it in such a way that the child freely chooses to absorb the materials. Scattered throughout the book is information on approaching various ages of children, not just the young one.
—Rita Zener, PhD, AMI Montessori Teacher Trainer

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The Universal Child, Guided by Nature

Simple, elegant, inspiring. Susan Stephenson carries Dr. Montessori’s vision of education for peace forward with this lovely, simple book about what we can all recognize as universal in our make-up as human beings. Those things that ought to (and can) bring us to a place of great respect for children through positive, intelligent engagement with them the world over.
—Gioconda Bellonci, Montessori parent and teacher

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To see book covers and more details of each title: CLICK: 1st Montessori Books

AMAZON: All of the above books are available—some as audio and kindle versions as well as print— on Amazon around the world. ALSO: Look for these titles at Montessori conferences, at the Nienhuis exhibit and from the publisher: CLICK: Michael Olaf

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NOTE: Because of the many illustrations in some titles, print books are more satisfying than kindle or audio books.

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Home page, CLICK: Susan