As the grandma of a 12-month old, I’ve had LOTS of fun reading books to a baby over the last year. For my gift guide today, I want to share some of my favorite Montessori-friendly books for babies.
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Montessori-friendly books for babies have realistic images. The books might have real pictures or drawings, but they don’t have fantasy or smiling or talking animals. Because babies are learning about their world, it’s most helpful for their books to show reality.
(Note: I’m not a strict Montessorian. I use a majority of Montessori-friendly books for children under age 3, but I use some others as well. Even though they wouldn’t fit with Montessori philosophy in having realistic images, I made sure my kids and grandbaby had certain classic books like Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.)
Following are some of my favorite picks for Montessori-friendly books for babies:
Babies love books about babies. And I love Global Babies. Since Zoey is a multicultural baby, I especially appreciate the Global Fund for Children books of beautiful babies from around the world. (The second link isn’t working right. If you click “Go” when you reach Amazon, the search will fix itself.)
Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers is a sweet book about all the things babies do.
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox (Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury) is another of my favorite books about babies. It’s another sweet book about babies around the world.
I See, I Hear, and I Touch are books that give an introduction to the senses . Other books by Helen Oxenbury give babies more activities they can identify with.
My First Signs (Baby Signing) is a fun and helpful book for babies who are learning sign language. For American babies, I like to use American Sign Language (ASL), and this book is based on ASL. I just think it’s important to find a book based on the version of sign language you’re teaching your baby.
DK’s Baby Touch and Feel Animals and any of the DK Baby Touch and Feel books are wonderful. They typically include photos with textured pages. I have a number of books from this series because Zoey loves them so much. They’re often the first books she gets from her book shelf.
My First Words: Let’s Get Talking! and other books in the Tabbed Board Books: My First series by DK Publishing are favorites of Zoey’s, too. These are great for following a special interest or finding books to fit with a theme. When I focused on farm animal matching, I purchased My First Farm: Let’s Get Working! We both had a lot of fun with it.
I’m a real Raffi fan. Yes, I still have lots of Raffi cassette tapes from when my kids were little. So, Zoey is one of the few babies who listens to cassette tapes regularly! Zoey and I also have fun when I read/sing Wheels on the Bus (Raffi Songs to Read). I love that it helps bring the song to life.
See also my Very Best Montessori-Friendly Books for Babies and Toddlers.
All My Gift Guides
You’ll find some of my favorite Montessori toys for babies and toddlers, featuring a number of toys from For Small Hands in my Best Gifts for Kids: Montessori-Friendly Baby and Toddler Toys.
You can find some of my favorite books for babies … available on Amazon here: Montessori-Friendly Books for Babies {Gift Guide}
You can find some of my favorite CDs for babies and toddlers here: Favorite CDs for Babies and Toddlers {Gift Guide}
If you’re looking for Montessori-friendly toys that will be appealing to toddlers 15-36 months old, they’re in my Best Gifts for Kids: Montessori-Friendly Toys for Toddlers.
If you have a preschooler, don’t miss this: Best Gifts for Kids: Montessori-Friendly Toys for Preschoolers.
Gift Guide: The Best Classic Children’s Books for Preschoolers has some of my favorite books.
You’ll find lots of ideas for Montessori homeschoolers here: Gift Guide for Montessori Homeschoolers
Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets and More for Montessori Homeschoolers {Gift Guide} has more ideas for Montessori homeschoolers.
Favorite Handmade Learning Materials for Preschoolers from Etsy {Gift Guide} has lots of absolutely gorgeous materials.
You’ll find lots of Montessori-friendly Advent calendars here: Favorite Montessori-Friendly Advent Calendars {Gift Guide}.
You’ll find lots of special gift ideas in The Best Gifts for Montessori Teachers.
PREPARING MONTESSORI SPACES IN YOUR HOME
See “How to Create a Montessori-Friendly Home” for ideas for a number of levels. Here are some of my main home environment posts here:
- How to Prepare a Montessori Baby Room at Home (roundup post)
- How to Prepare a Montessori Toddler Environment at Home (roundup post)
- Preparing a Montessori Newborn Baby Space at Home
- How to Use Montessori Mobiles to Encourage a Newborn Baby’s Development and Delight
- Preparing a Montessori Baby Space with Shelves at Home
- Preparing a Montessori Baby Space in Your Living Room
- Preparing a Montessori Baby-Toddler Space at Home
- Preparing Montessori Toddler Spaces at Home (includes my Montessori toilet learning setup)
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 2 Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 2½ Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 3 Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 3½ Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 4 Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 4½ Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 5 Year Old
- How to Prepare Themed Montessori Shelves
- How to Prepare a Montessori Home Environment for Afterschooling
- Create an Attractive Home Environment from Montessori at Home!
- How to Set Up a Montessori Homeschool Classroom
- How to Prepare Montessori Homeschool Spaces for Babies through First Graders
- How to Prepare a Montessori Space in Your Living Room for Toddlers Through Early Elementary
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
The Montessori at Home! eBook and Montessori at Home! eBook and Materials Bundle are AMAZING resources! You can learn more about them here. Buy them in the Living Montessori Now shop.
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Gift Guides for Kids
I’m one of more-than-75 bloggers participating in the Ultimate Gift Guide roundup, a list of the Best Gifts for Kids: 75+ Gift Lists. The Ultimate Gift Guide roundup was organized by Erica from What Do We Do All Day? Be sure to check out her post for links to all the gift lists!
We love the Global Babies books! There’s a whole series. I just wrote a post about using them with my daughter http://glimmersnaps.com/diverse-people-interest-basket/
Found you through the Mom’s Library link up! I’m a librarian and blogger and love this post! I’ll be sharing across my networks.
I’ve been looking for a list like this – thank you so much for sharing! I have pinned, and will be off to amazon to purchase a couple that we don’t have! Thanks 🙂
My First Words by DK was a favorite of both of my boys! Nice list! Thanks for sharing.
This list is just what I was looking for my 16 months daughter…many of this montessori inspired books are also translated in our language (italian) 🙂
nicely explained….
it is worth reading for me. I really liked this post and surely will share this article with my friends and loved once.It will really gonna help all the mothers with children.