Montessori at Home: Reading

/
Copy of White Photo International Women's Day Instagram Post.png

Language is everywhere. Opportunities to support a child’s literacy development is all around, whether they are an infant or an emerging reader.

Within the context of Montessori, children read spontaneously and with joy. A quick online search can make a parent feel overwhelmed with all the activities built around teaching children how to read. Here are a few ways you can support your child’s literacy development at home:

  • Play games with sounds. I Spy games with letter sounds help children understand that words are made from sounds. This will give them a strong foundation for when they are introduced to the graphic symbols. Children are naturally drawn to games with language. Simply rhyming words may seem boring to an adult, but an activity like this is very engaging to a young child and requires no materials.

  • Offer rich vocabulary. Children have an unlimited capacity for language and no word is too big. Give a name for everything around you, from ingredients you are cooking with to flowers you come across outside. A strong vocabulary builds a strong foundation for reading.

  • Give them opportunities to “write". In the classroom, we use a Movable Alphabet for children to express their thoughts before they master the mechanics of handwriting. At home, offer opportunities for your child to associate written words with meaning. Let them help with the grocery list. Let them write letters to friends and family. Even if they are only writing scribbles, they are associating written word with thought.

  • Read! Read great books with your children every day. If your child is an emergent reader, let them read to you. Non-readers can read to you by interpreting the pictures and having a conversation about the story. This is called dialogic reading. Dialogic reading builds oral skills, increases vocabulary and supports print awareness.