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Montessori sandpaper letters {101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet}

August 28, 2015 by Katie 2 Comments

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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.

Click here if you want more information about teaching the alphabet in a fun, hands-on, and multi-sensory way. 

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.

Have questions about teaching the alphabet? We’ve got answers! Click here to learn more.

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.

Follow Katie @ Gift of Curiosity’s board Learning Letters on Pinterest.

Products mentioned in this post:

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2 Comments

Comments

  1. Beth says

    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
    • Katie SG says

      August 30, 2015 at 10:15 am

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

      Reply

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