Montessori Reading Tips for your Preschooler

The world has moved into a digital age where words on a screen are inescapable. In order to give your preschooler the best advantage later, helping them learn to read at an early age is important. The student guides at school will do their best to help out, but reading often begins at home.

Make Books Available

If your child isn’t exposed to the written word, there is nothing to encourage learning to read. Make a practice of buying a book every time you are shopping for something that your children can do. Better yet, subscribe to a children’s book subscription service, and encourage excitement when a new book arrives.

Read Along

Reading to (and later along with) your child is the best way to encourage them to enjoy books. Read slowly and clearly, with a cheerful inflection in your voice. If the child gets involved on a single page, stay there and discuss it. Point to the words that are visibly connected to the story and show them how they work together. Encourage your child to say the words with you, or even trace their finger along as you read them together.

Phonetics Make a Difference

The letters D-O-G do not sound like “dog” when pronounced by their names. A better approach is to sound out the word clearly so that your child can identify the phonic sounds which come from letter combinations. “Duh-aw-guh” is an oversimplification, but it helps your child recognize the association between the whole word and individual letters. Helping them understand that letter names are different than the way they are pronounced in words eliminates a lot of learning confusion.

Children Will Mimic You

Read books. Just as they will play with a phone in imitation of you, they will also explore books in an effort to find out why you are interested in them. Even though your child can’t read the words in a grown-up novel, give them an old book so they can explore the words. Experience is the best teacher for everything, and learning to read is no different.

Try any ideas which come to mind, and reuse the ones which seem to work. The most effective way to teach your child to read is to make reading part of their every day routine. Language and reading go together, which is why reading is a priority in Montessori curriculums.  To learn more about the Montessori method, contact the Montessori School of Flagstaff Westside Campus today.