The internet seems full of all these resources of Montessori babies, toddlers, and even preschoolers. You can find tons of examples on social media, blogs, and even books on how to parent, educate, and prepare for young children. Then, magically, they hit age 6 and they enter the second plane of development and it feels like you're completely alone. The older your children get, the harder it is to find solid information about Montessori parenting.
I've been guilty of it too. You'll notice that articles about my older children are much rarer the older they become. And, there's a couple of reasons for that. One, their interests just become much more specialized, so they don't feel applicable to other people. Therefore, not as many people are interested in reading them. Two, the older they get, the more I want to ensure we are protecting their privacy.
Resources for the Montessori Second Plane of Development
But, I do want to share some Montessori second plane resources* because there's no reason you should feel like you have to stop parenting with Montessori as your children age. But, I know that it can feel super isolating without having those examples there on how to approach these older kids.
Here are a few resources to learn about the Second Plane of Development:
Books
From Childhood to Adolescence, Maria Montessori
To Educate the Human Potential, Maria Montessori
Both of these are great to read Montessori's own words, but know that they both include lengthy sections on Cosmic educational theory, which are interesting, but maybe not super applicable to parenting in 2022.
At the Heart of Montessori: The Elementary School Child - I like this one a lot, it's sole focus is on second plane and it's easy to read and includes both general and school focused information.
Child of the World, Montessori Global Education For Age 3-12+ - this book is good overview of the academic and social needs of elementary students, but still much of it is focused on the first plane. There is a little more emphasis on classroom than home.
Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom - great book but focus is more on the academic pieces, specifically the great lessons, of Montessori at this age.
The Deep Well of Time - this book isn't focused on the elementary child as much as storytelling, the way in which we reach the child in the elementary years. I have found that practicing some of this story telling has been important for me in approaching parenting issues with my kids in this age.
Video
Montessori Guide on Vimeo has some videos featuring elementary classrooms with information on children at this age. But not specifically geared toward parenting.
There are also many options available on YouTube, particularly if you're looking for a specific presentation of a material.
Blogs
Like I said there are far fewer blogs that write about the day-to-day life of parenting elementary aged Montessori children. If you do find them, they often focus more on homeschooling than parenting. But there are a few that touch on the elementary aged child, and homeschooling or not they can be give valuable insight in how to approach children in the second plane of development.
Montessori Daoshi - This is my go-to for more in-depth looks at second (and third) plane of development
Mainly Montessori - Lots of articles here on the elementary child
Momtessori Life - glimpses of parenting children with Montessori in the second plane of development
Montessori Kiwi - a series on parenting in the second plane
How We Montessori - lots of articles here with activities and books helpful to the second plane
Villa Di Maria - a school blog with both looks at lower and upper elementary, leans school but theres parenting info to gleam
Eltern Vom Mars - glimpses of life with elementary kids
The Kavanaugh Report - here's all of my articles on the second plane!
*I'm sure that there are others that could be listed that maybe I don't know about. But these are the resources that I have used as my kids move into and through the second plane of development. There are also social media resources available and resources for homeschooling. For the purposes of this article, I choose those most helpful for parenting with Montessori.
Are there any resources you would add to this list?
