When teaching children about letters using the Montessori method, our focus is on the sounds the letters make rather than their names. Please see the phonetic alphabet below.
Sandpaper Letters
The Montessori Sandpaper Letters help children with letter recognition, pronunciation, printing, and early stages of reading. A letter is carefully traced with the index and middle fingers of the dominant hand, and the sound is then pronounced. The child will work diligently on this activity for a long period of time to secure a strong phonetic foundation before proceeding to the next language activity. After mastering the phonetic sound of the letter, the child is invited to trace the shape of the letter in a sand or rice box.
First Sounds
Once the child has had ample experience working with the Sandpaper Letters and is able to associate the sound (phonics) with the correct symbol, they are introduced to the First Sounds activity. Using this alphabet sheet, the child can now choose and lay out an object or picture that starts with the sounds/letters they recognize. This activity helps the child to isolate sounds and prepares them for reading and writing.
Pink Boxes (Word Building)
Once the child has had sufficient experience working with the First Sounds activity, and is able to isolate sounds, they are introduced to word building through the Pink Boxes. For this activity, the child selects a Pink Box that contains objects which are short phonetic words, like “pig.” The teacher places an object from the box on the tray and names it. The child then collects all the corresponding symbols to the sounds which make up the word, and places them (as heard) beside the object on a mat. It is important to note here that the child is not reading, but constructing words according to their sounds.
