Designed for use by parents to further the emotional, social, and intellectual development of their 2- to 6-year old children, this book describes the Montessori method of early childhood education and provides sample activities and games to develop children's skills in the home, the neighborhood, and the world. Following introductory sections advocating an active role for parents in their children's education, the method's fundamental beliefs concerning child development are described, and issues related to the implementation of the method are discussed. These issues include considerations of the role of parents in children's personality development, social and emotional adjustment, and intellectual development. The next section describes planning the home to enhance child development, including suggestions for the child's bedroom, the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the hall and stairs, and games and activities for use in the home. Suggestions for exploring the neighborhood, including the backyard, the parks, the countryside, city neighborhoods, and schools are then provided, and related games and activities are described. The final section discusses ways parents can broaden their children's horizons by exploring the world, including the use of globes to explore the human family, trips and explorations, consideration of the universe, and related games and activities. (BCY)