The process of reading and writing using the Montessori method

Author: Elisabet Rodriguez Dominguez | Speech therapist and director of a speech, psychology, and neurologopedia center, and a dyslexia specialist @cler_logopedia



The Montessori Method is currently an inspiring process for parents, teachers, and therapists. Maria Montessori, the creator of the Montessori Method, encourages us to trust children; they are the protagonists of their own learning, fostering their autonomy and respecting their interests in a particular skill.

Maria invites us to change the role of the adult who offers and teaches to a role of accompaniment, understanding concepts such as 'education' or 'school' in a different way.

The Montessori method is applicable in many areas (homes, schools, etc.), including the reading and writing process.

The world of literacy is one of the MAIN CONCERNS among parents at school. Currently, there are schools that promote such learning in the classroom, but they are becoming fewer. However, reality shows us that things don't work that way. Children are not prepared for the complex and lengthy process of learning literacy simply because they start a school year, whether in grades 4-5 or primary school.

In the field of the reading and writing process, the Montessori method promotes the development and acquisition of reading and writing through manipulative and sequenced activities, preparing an appropriate environment and, ABOVE ALL, adapting to the MATURATIONAL and COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT of each child, REGARDLESS of their age.



Cognitive abilities are those related to information processing (attention, perception, memory, concentration, problem solving, self-regulation (e.g. sitting).

Through play and materials appropriate to the child's level, they will acquire and develop reading and writing skills, a very complex and lengthy process that each child must complete at their own pace.

When a child shows interest in letters, it is ideal to introduce materials related to the world of reading and writing.

In our society, we've internalized the idea that a baby won't speak at five months old. We've accepted that they'll do so autonomously and gradually, depending on their cognitive ability. This is an example we've all internalized, as exactly the same thing happens with the process of reading and writing. They'll do it autonomously and gradually, in their own time, if we give them the right tools and allow them the space, time, and cognitive development.

Where do I start?

Not many years ago, we were taught to recite the alphabet from A to Z with the NAME of the letters, but it has been proven that such learning caused children more difficulties during the reading and writing process, especially in children who suffered from Reading and Writing Disorders (dyslexia).

In the Montessori method, it begins with the acquisition of phonological awareness of sounds, that is, we associate each letter with a sound.

/M/ = mmmm /S/ = sssssss

Children will become aware that words are made up of several sounds and will later begin to relate a sound to its spelling (letter).

It is very important to understand that the Montessori method uses very manipulative and sensory activities, activating all of children's information input pathways (sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell).

Letters are not only known through sight, but we offer children sensory materials in an appropriate order such as:

• Sandpaper letters, children follow the stroke of the letter with their finger and feel a different texture.
• Sensory trays of colored sand or salt, where they can draw letters with their fingers, becoming familiar with the spellings.
• Montessori boards, we have 3 types and we must follow the correct order
• The movable alphabet will be an essential part of this process.

Children must understand, at their own pace, that we can manipulate, move, and combine these phonemes to create new words, which can be modified, interchanged... it's an acquisition that requires time, practice, and patience.

It's important to present motivating activities that spark children's curiosity, engage them, and help them maintain their attention and concentration. Any new knowledge introduced in a motivating way is so positively received by children that learning is more effective.

To read correctly, you need to know how to handle letters, play with them, rearrange them, recognize their spelling, their sounds, their relationships, and the relationships between them, and combine them with each other. This complex process offers countless manipulative and sensory proposals ideal for promoting this process in a fun way.

Remember the viral TikTok of the boy reading the sound of each letter in "welcome"? His dad asks, "What does it say?" The boy says, "Carpet." Knowing how to read doesn't mean knowing the names of the letters. Knowing how to read is being able to connect letters, syllables, and words quickly and, above all, with comprehension. Without comprehension, there is no reading.

With the right materials and respecting each child's timing and opportunity, they will gain the benefits of any learning experience.