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Montessori sandpaper letters {101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet}

2 Comments Preschool, Kindergarten

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This post may contain affiliate ads at no cost to you. See my disclosures for more information.

The next installment in my 101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet Series is a long overdue post about one of the most basic, but also effective, tools I like to use for teaching my kids how to form their letters: Montessori sandpaper letters!

When I was first starting to educate my kids at home, I was very inspired by the Montessori way of doing education. I learned early on about the use of sandpaper letters in the language area of the Montessori classroom, and I decided to invest in a set of uppercase and lowercase sandpaper letter cards.

Sandpaper letters have been a staple tool in Montessori education for a very long time, in part because of the wonderful sensory experience they provide to kids who are learning to form their letters.

How I use Montessori sandpaper letters as a foundational tool for teaching my kids proper letter formation. || Gift of Curiosity

So what are sandpaper letters? Quite simply, they are cards generally made from thick cardstock or thin wood with a letter embossed on them using sandpaper. They allow a child to quite literally feel the letter as they run their fingers over the card.

How I use Montessori sandpaper letters as a foundational tool for teaching my kids proper letter formation. || Gift of Curiosity

When my daughter is learning a new letter, I pull out the appropriate sandpaper letter and I work with her to trace the letter with her finger. I make sure she traces the letter the same way she would write it.

How I use Montessori sandpaper letters as a foundational tool for teaching my kids proper letter formation. || Gift of Curiosity

I generally have her trace the letter several times. And after tracing the sandpaper letter, I often have her practice writing the letter in another way (see all my posts from the 101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet series for more ideas.)

How I use Montessori sandpaper letters as a foundational tool for teaching my kids proper letter formation. || Gift of Curiosity

And that is how we use Montessori sandpaper letters to teach letter formation!

101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet: Hands-on, multi-sensory activities for teaching the alphabet to children ages 2 to 7.

More ways to teach to the alphabet

More alphabet posts from Gift of Curiosity:

  • Letter hunt sensory bin
  • Making letters with straws and play dough
  • I spy letter hunt
  • Spaghetti letters
  • Letter puzzles
  • Making “alphabet soup”
  • Smash the puffy letters
  • Mini letter hunt with a magnifying glass
  • Kinetic sand letters
  • Letter hopscotch
  • Letter hop
  • Yarn wrapped letters
  • Letter tic-tac-toe


You can find more ways to teach the alphabet on my Literacy Activities for Kids page and my Letter Learning Pinterest board.

Filed Under: Alphabet, Preschool, Kindergarten, Montessori Tagged With: Montessori

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Reader Interactions

2 Comments

  1. Beth

    August 30, 2015 at 5:15 am

    Katy, thanks for including links to Amazon for purchasing your highlighted teaching tools – it’s a real time saver!

    Reply to this comment
    • Katie SG

      August 30, 2015 at 10:15 am

      My pleasure! (And boy do I love Amazon!)

      Reply to this comment

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