Language is experienced in every area of the class from Practical Life to Music to Art. Many language concepts and skills such as part-to-whole, front-to-back, patterns, or fine motor skills, are learned through the use of activities in other areas of the room. They are building blocks for reading and writing.
As the children’s interest and skills develop, they move through a carefully graded series of exercises, learning to use a pencil, then form letters correctly, and finally write words.
Reading begins with the joy of books! Print awareness, sounds, word building, as well as more advanced concepts such sentence structure and grammar are all available in a Montessori language environment. The reading program uses a phonetic approach, supplemented by whole language experiences.
To aid the children in writing, it helps to encourage them to learn to use their hands in many ways such as buttoning, zipping, wringing, stirring, etc., in real life situations like dressing, washing, cooking, or helping in cleaning. The biggest motivator to help a child read is to read to him/her everyday. It helps to read a variety of books: fiction, poetry, folktales, science, and so on. This enriches their vocabulary and opens their world to new uses of language.
