Inside Escuela: Montesssori Materials
The Printed Alphabet
Dr. Maria Montessori developed the materials we see in the classroom through years of careful observation and experimentation giving us carefully designed items that naturally support the child’s mind at each stage of development. The Printed Alphabet is a material designed to support children who are emergent writers. Many children develop the ideas they want to express through writing long before their handwriting skills catch up.“This great interest in writing came from the ideas the children wanted to express. If they had no ideas, they would not have written.”
– Dr. Maria Montessori, The London Lectures, p.37
– Dr. Maria Montessori, The London Lectures, p.37
Dr. Montessori understood that the magic of writing for children is the amazing ability to share one’s thoughts with the world around them. This material allows children to perform this act without waiting for their handwriting skills to catch up; with this material they can lay out their ideas quickly. Older children often later copy this work to paper.
Learn more about how handwriting develops in the classroom next week!
Want to support your child’s writing at home? Here are some ideas:
- Invite your child to make the week’s grocery list.
- Write down stories your child dictates so they experience the joy of seeing their ideas in written form.
- Help your child to write thank you notes, invitations, or cards for relatives.
