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Video: You can teach Jumpstart to Reading ABC
with a Montessori 3-Part Lesson.
Video: How to Teach Letter Sounds
A demonstration of tracing the letters and isolating the letter sounds.
Jumpstart to Reading ABC is fun! It's not just about teaching the alphabet, but fostering a love of learning in your child.
Early reading skills open incredible doors for your child! Why not give them a jump-start?
Teach the shapes and sounds of letters with Dr. Maria Montessori's proven method!
Jumpstart to Reading ABC is an affordable alternative to the Montessori Sandpaper Letters. It includes an easy guide with instructions for how to present each letter and how to check the child's comprehension in a way that builds confidence.
Recommended for children ages 2.5, 3, 4, 5, and 6 years old, you can start Jumpstart to Reading ABC as soon as your child shows interest. Many children who have regular "read-aloud time" show interest in letters around 3.5 years old.
Jumpstart to Reading can be your homeschool reading curriculum for preschoolers, or a support curriculum for struggling readers at any age. English Language Arts at home has never been easier!
How to use Jumpstart to Reading ABC:
The Montessori Method is an easy and effective way to teach your child to read.
Here’s how to use this book to give your child a JUMPSTART to READING:
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Teach the letter sounds (not the letter names) one or two at a time. For example, teach “m” as “/mmm/” not as “em”. Be sure to isolate the sound, for example, “t” is an airy /ttt/ sound and not “tuh” nor “tee”.
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Position the book so the child can clearly see and model tracing the letter slowly (as if you’re writing it) with two fingers while saying the letter’s sound. This encourages the child to notice the letter’s shape and associate that letter with its sound.
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Invite the child to copy you, tracing the letter and saying the sound. Tracing helps the child internalize the shape and prepares them for later writing.
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Use the pictures to practice hearing the sound in words. For example, “Mmm is for mouse. Mmm is for mama. Mmm is for monkey.”
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Check for comprehension in a way that builds the child’s confidence. “Where is the monkey?” [Child points to image.] “Where is the /mmm/?” [Child points to the letter “m”.]
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Ask the child to produce the information. “What is this?” [Child answers, “a monkey.”] “What is this?” [Child answers “/mmm/.”]
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Start each learning session by briefly reviewing the letters the child has already learned. If they’ve forgotten a letter, practice that letter again before moving on. Don’t rush. Younger children can take up to a year to master the sounds of the alphabet. Older children may master them more quickly.
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Practice only 1-3 letters per day, and stop if the child loses interest. Keep sessions short, fun, and interesting.
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If the child stays interested, add fun activities like copying the letters, drawing the pictures, and looking for the letters in the environment. You can download our ABC worksheets for pencil tracing here.
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When the child has learned all the letters, support them in sounding out the three-letter words at the back of the book.
Have fun!
More important than teaching the alphabet
is fostering the child’s love of learning.
Tamara Rittershaus, Montessori Reading Teacher