Living Montessori Now

Montessori Inspiration for Parents and Teachers

In What Order Should You Introduce Letters to Your Preschooler?

By 46 Comments

Should you introduce letters to your preschooler in their order in the alphabet? Surprisingly, no. There are actually better ways to introduce the letters of the alphabet.

In Montessori education, letters are introduced by phonetic sounds rather than letter names. And they’re not introduced in their order within the alphabet. Instead, they’re introduced in an order that allows the child to make many words with the letters he or she has learned.

In What Order Should You Introduce Letters to Your Preschooler?

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There are variations among Montessori schools, so there isn’t a definite order that must be used. Any of the following orders will give a good foundation for reading.

Here’s the order used in Montessori schools where I worked (introducing the letters 2, 3, or 4 at a time) as well as suggested in Montessori Matters by Sister Mary Ellen Carinato et al:

s  m  t  a  p  f  c

r  b  l  i  g  n  d

h  j  k  w  o  u  v

y  z  x  q  e

Here’s the order suggested in How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin:

First set: c  m  a  t 

Second set: s  r  i  p

Third set: b  f  o  g 

Fourth set: h  j  u  l

Fifth set: d  w  e  n

Sixth set: k  q  v  x  y  z 

Here’s an order used in some other Montessori schools:

First set: m  s  a  t

Second set: b  f  o  x

Third set: w  i  g   l  j

Fourth set: c  u  p  z

Fifth set: h  e  n  r  d

Sixth set: v  k  q  y

And here’s another order used by some Montessori schools:

First set: r a m f

Second set: b i t g 

Third set: p o n l

Fourth set: h u s c  

Fifth set: d e x q y

Sixth set: z v w j k

This order was suggested in the post “Are Sandpaper Letters Enough?” by Cathie Perolman at the Trillium Montessori blog.

Red- s, m, a, t
Orange- c, r, i, p
Yellow- b,f,o, g
Green- h,j,u,l
Blue- d,w,e,n
Purple- kqvxyz

Some Montessorians use one of the above orders but first introduce the first letter of the child’s name. Of course, that works best if the child’s name starts with a simple phonetic sound rather than a phonogram like “ch.”

Teach Letter Sounds Using Montessori Principles

 

 

See my post and YouTube video “Teach Letter Sounds to Your Child Using Montessori Principles” for more about order of introduction and how to pronounce each letter sound.

Sandpaper Letter with Salt Tray (Photo from Peaceful Parenting)

Sandpaper Letter with Salt Tray (Photo from Peaceful Parenting) – One of the Ideas in My “Inexpensive and DIY Sandpaper Letters” Post

You’ll find many ideas for buying or making as well as presenting sandpaper letters in my “Inexpensive and DIY Sandpaper Letters” post.

DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics for Preschoolers

You’ll find a more thorough list of Montessori phonics activities in my “DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics for Preschoolers.”

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    Thank you so much for your post!

    My daughter’s preschool introduced letters out of order as well, but I like the Montessori method a little better. I will definitely be incorporating that method into my lessons!

    Thanks again!

    Reply

  4. Joy says

    Wow! This is awesome! I have a 1st grader who has difficulties saying some letters. I am also working with my Kindergartner with letters. I think I will use this method and go back over the letters with them again.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love helping out with the Hip Homeschool hop!

    Reply

    • Deb Chitwood says

      Thanks, Joy! Yes, using one of these orders does work well. For a child who’s ready, even the first 4 sounds in any of the above lists can be rearranged to make 3-letter phonetic words. Then you can sound out the letters in the word and begin blending sounds into words.

      Reply

  5. Mama Mia says

    hi deb! i’m very happy that i chanced upon your group in the mommy bloggers club. for if not, i wouldn’t have seen this very informative site of yours. i’ve always been interested and open to the montessori way of teaching. i almost became a montessori teacher but had to turn down the offer to teach in order to join the corporate world. but that’s such a long story. and i’m a stay-at-home mom now.

    anyway, i will make sure to come back to this site and refer to the principles every now and then. i know, it will only further enhance my efforts in teaching my little girl.

    great job, deb! Godspeed!

    Reply

  6. Michelle says

    This is so interesting! My youngest is struggling with learning her letters. I will definilty try these groupings out. Very timely as always!!! My oldest starts preschool this week so I’ll have some one on one time to work with her! I unplugged for the Holiday weekend so I see I’ve got some reading to catch up on here!

    Reply

  8. Jessie says

    This is so interesting. My last school used Recipe For Reading, I was not a fan. I use the first list as well, from my AMS training. My town’s public school uses Handwriting Without Tears. All have different reasoning. The glory about working with your own child is your ability to adjust to their needs. For now, I’m going in order from my training. Great post!

    Reply

  9. heather says

    This is great! I forgot all about this. I am doing prek at home and did a-d and was just about to look up the “sets” online. Would you mind giving me permission to use this in my next magazine & online? BTW – here from MomLopp Follow Fridays… now following you 🙂

    Reply

  10. Jackie says

    Hi, I’m here from the mom loop. I found this to be an interesting post. As a former reading recovery teacher, we introduced letters starting with the ones that the child seemed to have some control of, so it was different for each child (of course, we were working 1 on 1). I think that it’s interesting how this method varies, gives me something to think about. I’m interested in learning more about Montessori methods now that I’m a SAHM to two little boys.

    Reply

    • Deb Chitwood says

      Thanks for your comment, Jackie! I love hearing how different teachers approach introducing letters. Within Montessori, there are definitely some variations among both training programs and schools. As long as they’re following Montessori principles, most of the variations aren’t important.

      Reply

  11. MariaC says

    This is a very interesting topic. As an English Language Arts teacher, I agree that learning the sound that letters make is more important than knowing the order they come in the alphabet, initially in their learning. I wonder how much of a difference it makes, however, whether we teach them the letter sounds in alphabet order or in a random order?

    Reply

    • Deb Chitwood says

      Thanks so much for your comment, Maria! Teaching letter sounds in one of the Montessori orders helps the child form words quickly. But many people obviously have had success introducing letter sounds in alphabetical order. I really don’t think the exact order is an essential focus, but I do think using one of the orders from Montessori education is helpful.

      Reply

    • KateG says

      I have to say, as a mom to a learning reader who is very creative, she tends to memorize it when its taught in order, and she really isn’t *learning* it. I can definitely see the benefit this method will be in teaching her more effectively. Thanks!

      Reply

  12. Leah says

    This got my attention as I am reading a book by Ruth Beechick and liked the idea of teaching the phonetic sounds rather than the letter names to my 2 and 3 yr. old girls. I love that you shared the orders to present the letters. I am printing this out to put in my preschool binder. Thank you!

    Reply

  14. jengod says

    I can’t believe I never thought of introducing the letters and sounds out of order. SO smart. Thank you for sharing this info!

    Reply

  15. DianeMargaret says

    I think the Bob Books use the second list. I didn’t know it was a specific METHOD but I recognize the list from the list of “letter sounds” they put in the front of each book!
    My daughter is 2 and already knows her alphabet forwards and backwards. People are either upset or in complete awe that a 2 year old can read. I’m using the Bob Books to get her to start reading the LITTLE (and very important) words inbetween…and, the, has, etc.!
    We started using the Your Baby Can Read program when she was 6 month and it seems to have worked but we started putting alphabet things up EVERYWHERE too. She even has a sheet covered in the alphabet! LOL. I figured there are 52 weeks and 26 letters so we focused on a letter for 2 weeks (pointing out anything that started with the letter and writing on her “wall” when we got home.
    I’ve basically been winging it!!!
    I’ve been poking around looking for a real method or curriculum to start at the beginning of the year for her! I think I’m liking the sound of the Montessori Method more and more!!!

    Reply

  16. Leanna says

    My son just turned 6 in September and has started Kinder. He is having a hard time with learning his letters. Is it too late to start working with him on this method?

    Reply

  17. Tiffany says

    Our now two-and-a-half year old picked up the letter sounds and names before it even occurred to us to show her. I think it just depends on how much stimulation on both fronts they are getting. I look at it like a second or third language; if you show them both at the same time in a natural fashion they probably won’t have confusion; it will just be another way the world is to them.

    Reply

    • Deb says

      Thanks for your comment, Tiffany! You have a very bright little girl! Most children don’t have any problem being introduced to both sounds and letter names at the same time. But for some children it does create confusion, which is why we introduce the sounds in Montessori education. Most children seem to pick up the letter names without problem. Of course, each child is unique, and it’s nice that you can do what works best with your own child. 🙂

      Reply

  18. Amy G says

    Thanks for this info! one question (and hopefully i’m not missing something!) In what order do you display them in the classroom (i.e. when they are stored in the box)? Thanks!

    Reply

  19. Lynda says

    How do you introduce letter sounds for letters (such as a) that have multiple sounds? Do you just start with one sound? If so, which one, and when do you introduce the other sounds? Thanks so much!

    Reply

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