“The development of language is part of the development of the personality, for words are the natural means of expressing thoughts and establishing understanding between people.” ~Maria Montessori

The development of writing skills is a two-fold process. First, the child must remember what the shape of the letter is with the corresponding sound and they also must develop the muscular skills necessary for using the pencil.  In an earlier blog post, we discussed the sensorial area of the classroom. In the sensorial area, the children are using the materials which helps prepare them for writing. When a child is expected to listen carefully to perceive differences in the sound cylinders, they are developing strong listening skills to hear the difference between the letter sounds. Vocabulary is growing as the children are introduced to more words. The different materials in the sensorial area are also helping to develop the muscles required for writing.

The Montessori materials in the language area help the children to first learn the shape and sound of a letter, and then develop the motor skill to move the pencil with control. Within the classroom, the children are learning to write by performing purposeful activities to prepare them indirectly and directly for handwriting.

The sandpaper letters are the very first step in learning the shapes of the letters and the sounds. The child is able to feel the shape, see the shape, and hear the sound the shape makes. The children are asked to trace the shape, which is an important step and will help to fix the shape of the letter in the child’s muscular memory.

The children are also invited to perfect their motor skills with the use of metal insets. They are learning control as they trace the different metal inset shapes and learn to fill in the outline with a colored pencil. It is interesting to watch the progression of the lines the children draw within the shape. At first, they are erratic and don’t stay in the lines. As time progresses, the lines become more intricate and controlled.

Once the child has worked with the metal insets and the sandpaper numbers extensively, they are then ready to begin writing. They learn that they are able to make words and numerals with a pencil. Maria Montessori calls this the “explosion into writing.” When the children develop writing in this progressive way, they are spared from many tedious hours of forced effort.  Maria Montessori believed learning should be a natural process and all the materials within the Montessori classroom promote the natural process of learning, which in turn, instills a love of learning within the children.

Important Dates:

January 21st-No school

January 30th-Kindergarten Re-Enrollment Information Night @ 5pm. This meeting is intended for parents of current pre-K students turning 5 prior to September 30th entering kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year.

January 31st- First Grade Re-Enrollment Information Night @ 5:00pm. This meeting is intended for parents of current kindergarten students entering 1st grade for the 2019-2020 school year.

February 1st-PTO Family Dance

SAVE THE DATE

February 5th-Parent-Child Night (Times below are recommended guidelines to avoid overcrowding, but please let us know if the other time is better for your family in order to attend.)

Last Name-A-M @ 4:15-5:00PM

Last Name-N-Z @ 5:00-5:45PM