A 2023 report rated American children’s reading ability as woefully inadequate compared to other wealthy countries. Yet reading is fundamental to learning – first, the child “learns to read,” and subsequently, the child “reads to learn.” You must prioritize reading at the earliest levels, as it is (obviously) a foundational skill. At Learn And Play Montessori School, we believe in working hard with every child to that he or she becomes “above average,” (hopefully way above average), and becomes a fluent reader by the time they graduate from our preschool curriculum. We build a solid foundation of language skills with early phonetics instruction, learning how to write through Montessori activities. We also emphasize “fun,” as we strive to make reading “fun,” including hands-on learning experiences. This strategy helps students develop the skills and passion needed for reading in the future.
A positive early experience, as at our daycare and preschool, is the key to your child succeeding as they begin their academic journey. For example, the Montessori method teaches letter sounds before letter names. There is a strategy to how we teach learning. Children’s phonemic awareness will help them recognize and isolate individual sounds and later assist them with written language, fluency, and comprehension. This contrasts with how public schools often teach. They start teaching letter names, associating them with symbols, etc. We use this strategy, too, so as to correspond to the proper letter sound of the letter while at the same time introducing an alphabet in which students can correlate the right physical sound of a letter with its symbolic construct. This is just one of the many unique differences between a Learn And Play Montessori School and a public school.
Indeed, the Montessori method focuses on teaching writing skills before reading. We use hands-on materials like sandpaper letters to teach letter sounds and leverage the sense of touch to do this. As our students track the letter with their fingers, they also say the sound out loud. This dual reinforcement is key to success at learning. In addition, our students construct phonetic words with our Montessori Moveable Alphabet set. In this activity, they read words like “bat” and “sat” aloud and further develop their skills. This method helps establish the foundation for advanced reading as they build the confidence to read by sounding out new words they may encounter.
Our schools value the independence and creativity of each child. Inspired by Dr. Maria Montessori’s theory and methodology, students explore experiences at their own pace; all activities are oriented to foster a love of learning. Our child-centered approach enables teachers to assess which students are ready to progress with a more rigorous curriculum and which students may require additional support in their learning. At Learn And Play Montessori School, you can feel confident knowing that your child is being assisted by compassionate educators who are committed to helping them succeed!
Our students know they will be learning to listen, say words, and finally learn the skills they need to read at advanced levels. Our approach is literacy-based, hands-on, and phonetic for a reason: so that each and every child receives the necessary building blocks for academic successes throughout their lives. We at Learn And Play Montessori School take pride in fostering independent, able readers who are ready to excel in school and life.
If you’re curious about our curriculum and how it might assist your child, please reach out for a school tour. We’d love for you to tour a campus and see how the Montessori method works in practice.
