PARENTS'

LITERACY

LAWRENCE
2111835

EDUCATION

ISBN 0-609-80335-2
 Montessori
Read & Write
- 1\ Parents' Guide to Literacy for Children

Lynne Lawrence

THREE RIVERS PRESS

NEW YORK
 DEDICATION
To Steve, Tom and Jamie Contents
Project editor Isabel Moore
Goldie Introduction
Copyright © 1998 bv Lvnne Lawrence
About Maria Montessori 7
/\11 rights "eserved. No part of this book mav be
reproduced or transmitted in form or by :my me8n;;;, CHAPTER ONE
cIccrrnnlc or mechanical. 1nr!nding rhOWC0p)r1ng. reCOf(1-
lng, or by any ~nf0rmation ;1nd rctrlcval systern,
What you shouLd know about your child 12
\vlthout pC'rm1S"i1flTI in '\vritlng 6-om tht'" publisher.
CHAPTER Two
Published bvThree Rivers Press.
a division of Crov,rn Publi:;:her<). fnc.. Developing a Montessori approach 24
201 East 30th Street. New York. NY1 nn22
{'vtemher of the Crown Publishing Group
CHAPTER THREE

Originally ruhlishcrl hy Ebury Pre". 1998.

First US paperhack eeliti0n printed in 1998.
Preparing the way 39

R:md0111 Hou<)e, Inc. New York. Toronto. London. Sydntty, CHAPTER FOUR
Auckland
'vVW\,v.fand0mhou<;;;::.com First steps towards reading and writing 62

THREE RIVERS PRESS and co10phnl1

CHAPTER FIVE
of Cro\vn PuhIi<;hcfS, Inc

Printed in Italy
learning to write the letters 85

Library of Congress CJt;d0ging -in-Puhl cHlon 111t3 CHAPTER SIX

upon requt'sr
Starting to read 104
ISBN 0-609-80335-2

CHAPTER SEVEN
]09876 4321

Popcrbock Eelitinn
Reading for meaning 117

CHAPTER EIGHT

Creative and accurate writing 127

CHAPTER NINE

Templates and other resources 136

INVEX 158
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
uction
I should like to thank Billa Patell and Muriel Dwyer for
their support, c-nCQnragc'mcnr :md lfl<.;pintion over the--
last 20 years: Renilde r-,'\ontc"ori

the -world insF1T-ing those \VhD Montessori

educarion is an educatlon for life, ::md for taking time
out from a busy schedule to advise me on the
hiogr:lphy; ond Rmcmary ')"ssoon, wh,,,e und<:rstanding
of children·s hanchxTiting is outstanding :md \vho<.;~
passion is infectious l Jesse Scott,James Irwin and Eve
importance is bringing about, in J child, a desire
Lawrence kindly worked their way through rhe carll'
children master the arts of to read and write: this is the Holy Grail.
hook too, to Hilary \Vhire
for her shared lnrerf''1t :mrl expenise. I ;:1m very gratcfiJI reading and writing in an ctfortless Jnd enjoy- This book is not for just dipping into as the
to my editor I'lJbcl ?vloorc for her enthusiasm and able way. There are no big secrets to this - it is whim takes you. It charts a developmental
understanding :md 'Co photographer Ron Sutherland noc a question of money and it is not difficult. process with activities ,hat tit with the matura-
whose hc:wriful rhotogr:lphs proof of his :lhility to What am certain of, is that the process is easy tional process in a young mind. It is like
work well with children. Isabel. Ron and I had an and natural under the age of sLx.After sLx it is, at building a house on solid foundations, each
intense but hugely f'njoyJhk rime working ,-vith best, an uphill Struggle. brick upon another and tInally a roof. If you
children of the Maria 'v10ntcssori Children', Home This book is not written for mv peers or for build precarious tower on sand, may look
Thanks must also go to the childrcn, parents, studcnts the studems I teach; nor is it written to good for a while, but it will fall down.
and staff of the ]\!laria \ionressori Training Organization persuade sCf'ptics of the value of the Mome)Sori The foundations for literacy are love and
who colbhoratcd so enthusiastically, and to Scilla lown5
lJ1rroach, or to challenge any prevailing notions encoungcment. The basement is constructed
for help in compiling the f-ook lists, Finallv. I must thank
of what the hest method of teaching from the joy of being read to, knowledge of the
rny fJrnilv ~md :1il the ::~lpporr they so
reJding and writing. It is simplv written for world, a langmgc-rich environment. develop-
\vl1lingly as I \\TOtc this boole
those parents who want to offer practical help ment of the senses and control of the body. The
to their children along path to literacy. ground floor rooms arc made from an awareness
Many parents locked out of the process of the sounds in language. The upper Hoor is
of helping their child to read and write beCJuse created from the ability to attach symbols to
our cultural attitude t("lls them that it difficult sounds and the attic is made from the skill of
Publisher's note and that it is somerhing tor reachers to do. This using those symbols to express your own
really should not be so. The preparation for thoughts. The roof is reading and writing. In
The f'llhJisher \vould to thank S3.s~oon and \\lilliams reading and writing begins long before formal such house a child's mind can reside for a
for pcrmls';10n to u<;(' the Sassoon Tacri1c schooL and parents dre the first and best re\varding lifetime :md no hurricane can blow
on pages 142 to 15 L Every etlort has been made to gain [cJchers. down.
pernl1,)<:lOn other rublicT(ions qlJ0tcd in the text; SJll
I am also convinced that literacy is the only In each chapter of this book you will find
details of the SOurces of ail quote-d mJteTiJl
\Vav children to burst our of the cultural and important activities which are the huilding
RihliogrClphy
social hmdings which cO!1Stnin their lives, to lift blocks of literacy; they rdeet the kinds of acriv-
their sights and extend their horizons, and ities, but are not necessarily the as those,
ultimately to plav their part in advancing our thar go on in a Montessori school. In <lddition,
SOCIety. there are lots of games that are ideally suited tor
The ability to read and write is not, in itself, parents to engage in with their children at
a sufficient ambition. What is of supreme home.

INTRODUCTION
 Read each chapter before you embark on
helping your child rc:tding :md vvriting,
as it will give you teei for the overall
approJch, which requires you to foilow a
number of paralkl paths, As a rough guide you
will find that Chapten 1 and 2 relate to the
general Montessori JppTOJch; Chapter 3
provides actlvities that underpin reading and
writing; Chapter 4 contains three essential
activities that are the gareway to reading md
writing; Chapters and 6 must be read in
paraUel with each other as they deveiop Your
child's ability to read and write; Chapters 7 and i
8 must also be read in prallel as thev develop
more sophistioted skills in reading and writing;
and Chapter 9 contains advice on how to make
some of the activities referred to this book
and provides you \vith templates to
Please rcmC'mher you go that, in young
children of three or tour, reading does not
precede \vriting ~ these abilities pregress hand
in hand, with writing initially slightly ahead
leading the way, Children who have learned in
a Montec;sori cnvironn1cnt '>;tdrtlng at ahout t\yO
l~TRODU iON
and a half years 'old will, quite naturally, write
before they read,
I have written this book as an aid tor parents
to use at home, and although it is compler", in its
own right will also supplement any work
being done in schooL While parents are always
the main educators of a young child, the role of
the ..teacher is also important, A Montessori
environment for a young child is a very appro-
priate solution to the pressures of modern life
where parents seldom have the choice of being
at home full-time, However, Montessori is more
than just a kind of schoo!, it is an attitude, an
approach, and I hope that in reading this book
you may come to understand a little ;]hom this
approach and will feel inclined to tollow it with
your child,
Any shortcomings that you encounter in this
book will be mine; they do not reflect on the
Montessori approach,
If, as a result of reading this book, one parent
helps one child to learn to love reading and
writing then, tor me, wriring it will have been
worthwhile,
Lynne Lawrence
About Maria Montesso
aria Mo~t,:s:ori \;\;~s born in 1870 _in the
M town at Cmarvalle, Italy. Her tather,
Alessandro, made a career in the civil service
and her mother, Renilde Stopp;mi, was well
educated and forward looking, Their house was
apparently full of books for Renilde loved
reading, a passion which she passed on to her
:\1omcssori family moved to Rome in
1875 and the following year the young :\1aria
enrolled in the puhlic ,chool on the Via di San
Nicolo da Tolentino, As her education
progressed, she began to break through the
barriers that constrained women's careers
from 1886 ro 1890 she cOlltillL1t'd her studies at
the Regio lsti1'mo Tecnico Leonardo da Vinci
initially with the intention of hecoming an
engineer, unheard of tor a woman, At some
mnmem and for reasons she herself was unahle
to explain, she changed her mind about
engineering as a career and decided to become
a doctor of medicine,
At that time it was nnrhinkahle that a
woman should emer medical schooL However,
it seems that Pope Leo XIII interceded on her
behalf and in 1890 she enrolled at the
University of Rome, initially studying physics,
mathematics and the natural sciences; in 1892
she passed her exams, receiving the Diploma eli
Licenza, her passport to the Facultv of
Mcdic;ne~
At mediol school her male colkagues 'xer~
hostile to her presence and no dnuht somewhat
intimidatcd~ For [he sake of propriety, Maria
found herself excluded from anatomy and
di"ecring classes ~ it was comidercel unseemly
for a woman to look on a naked body in the
r:ompanv of her male colleagues ~ and so she
undertook her dissection work on her O\vn after
hours,
:\1o:1tessori's hiographer) rcbte the story ofa
seminal moment in her studies when, after an
isolated evening in the dissecting room, she
departed with the imention of ahandoning her
medical studies~ On her way horne she '.'las
confronted bv a beggar woman with a two year-
old child who was playing WIth a piece of
colored paper. She was deeply affected bv the
expression of harrinc" on the child's face ;1l1d
by its toral absorption in the activity with the
piece of paper, and later reJared that she was
moved bv emotions she could not herself
explain to turn around and return directly to
the dissecting room, Perhaps in the activity of
this poverty-stricken child she had found her
vocatlOl1,
In 1896 Maria Montessori grJdmtcd trom
the Uniycrsitv of Rome with top honors as the
first woman donor:n Italy. She was immediate-
ly ('mploycd in the San Giovanni Hospital
attached to the University. Later that vear she
was asked to represent Italy at an International
Congress tor \Vomen 's Rights, and in speech
to the Congress she developed a thesis tor social
A 0 lV1/\R! /\ i"v10
reform, arguing that women should be entitled
to equal wages with men.
In Novemher 1896 :'v10ntcssori added the
appointment as surgical assist:lnt at Santo
Spiriw Hospitdl in Rome to her portfolio of
tasks. Much of her work there was with the
poor, and particularly with the children of the
poor. As a doctor she was noted for the way in
which she "tended" her patients, making sure
they were warm and properly fed as well as
,jiagnosing :md treating their illnesses. In 1897
,he vohmtccred to join research project at
psychiauic clinic of the University of Rome
and it was here that she worked alongside
Gimscppe Montcs:mo, with whom a romance
was to develop.
lis part of her work for the clinic she would
visit Rome's asylums for the insane, seeking
'l]hjecrs for treatment at the clinic. She relates
how. on one such visit when she saw a group of
children a bare unfurnished room, she
realized that their cnvironment deprived them
of the sensorial stimulation tor which they
naturally craved. thereby contributing w their
condition. She began to read all she could on
the suhject of mcntJily retarded children, and
particlllctr she studied the gro\lndhrcaking work
of two early 19th century Frenchmcn. Jean-
Marc-Gaspard Itard and Edouard Seguin; she
was so keen to understand their work properly
that she tr:mslatcd it henelf from French into
Italian.
During the 1897-98 university terms she
mught to expand her kno,vledge of education
by comses in pedagogy and studied
the work of Rousseau. Pcst:Jlozzi Jnd Froebel.
Froebel had in 1837 estahlished a school for
voung children a radical innovation.
which he called Kleinkinderbcschadh-
s::ngsanmlt. ,m appropriate but nther un-vyicldy
nde that has given way to the modern word
Froebel, convinced of the value
early learning. developed a series
13 (; U : .. M.~ Fll,~ Nt 0 NT E S SOft I
toys or apparams which he called "gifts" and
these anticipated the development of Montes-
sori's materials.
In 1897 Montessori was asked to address the
Narional Medical Congress in Turin. where she
advocated the conrroversi::ti theory that the lack
of adequate care for rctJrded and disturbed
children was a cause of their delinquency. She
cxpnded on this in 1898 and in September of
that addressed the National Pedagogical
Congress in Turin, presenting vision of social
progress and political economy rooted in
commonly supported educational me~si]rcs.The
notion of social reform through education was
an idea that was to develop and mature in
:\1ont~;ssori's thinking throughout her life.
Bv the end of 1898 a committee had been
formed to generate funds for a national
medical-pcdagogiccal institution, the National
League for the Education of Retarded Children.
As a representative of the League, J\1ontessori
embarked upon a lecture tour in 1899 which
gave her the opportunity of svnthC'Q7mrr her
arguments ror the emancipation of women, the
i :llleviation of poverty. the education yery
young children and the tOtlndation of a peacenll
and prosperous civilization. Were she alive todav
promoting such ideas she would be considered
ahead of her time, so it is worth reflecting for a
momC'nt that she was a young woman of
0.venty-seven speaking out a century ago.
:vlomessori's involvemcm with the National ABOVE Maria Montessori. Maria gave birth to child, a boy named lv1ano,
League for the Education of Retarded Children who was put into the care of a family who lived
led to her appointment as co-director with in the countrvside near Rome. Maria visited the
Giusseppe Montesano of a new institution observing by day and writing up notes by child often. but was not until he was older
called the Orthophrenic School. This school night. She acknmvlcdged this period as hemg that Mario came to know that lvlaria was his
took children with a broad specuum of different the time she truly came to understand mother. Certainly a strong bond was maint:l\fll,d
disorders and disabilities, and by July 1900 these pedagogy, and it was here that she first devel- and in later vears he ,ollahorated :md
children \verc showing such progress that official oped ideas tor her ",dllcarional materials. gomg with his mother, corlt1DUmg her work aiter her
visits were made from various important insntu- beyond the ideas of Seguin, Itard and death.
tions. Montessori spent tWO working at the Froebe!. In 1901 Maria leEr [he Orthophrenic School
Onhophrcnic School. She brought a scientific The relationship with Giusscppc :'viontcsano and immersed herself in her own studies l!1(Q
analytical attitude to her work. teaching and had developed into a love affair, and in 1898 educational philosophy :md anthropology;
U R r
 suh,c'1ucnth~ in 1904, she wok up post in the
Pedagogic School of the University of Rome
which she held until 1908.
Rome during this period was growing very
rapidly and in the of specui:Jtivc dc\'Ciop-
ment some construction companies and
13nciowncrs were falling into bankruptcy,
leaving untlnishl"d hllilding projects which
quickly attracted squatters. Onl" 'l1ch develop-
ml"nr stood in the San Lorenzo district behvccn
the old Roman wall and the cemeterv. The
building project was rescued by a group of
wealthy bankers, the Beni Stabili gronp, who
undertook a basic restorJtion creating a
iencmcnr block containing indi\'idual apart-
ments, which soon occupied by
impoverished working f1ml1ies. With parents
out at work all day, the younger children
wrnked havoc on the newly completed
huilding, and Beni Stahili s011ght help from Dr.
;\1ontcssori to provide ways of occnpying the
children so that they would not damage the
premises
!'v1ontt";sori grasped the opportunity of
working with normal children and. bringing
some of the educatioml materials she had
developed at the Orthophrenic School, she
f>sobii,hco her firs( Casa dei Bamhini or
"Children's House." Within three months a
second Casa was opened. There was no expec-
tation that she would achieve ;mything with
[hese children, which gave her the opportunity
to experiment. She put many things into [he
children's environment hut kept those that
engaged them.What Monte,sori to rC;llize
was tlut children who were placed in an
env-:ronrncnt ;;ctlvitit'~ de'slgned (0
suppon their natural development had the
po\ver to educate thcn1sclvcs. She \vas to refer
II mcrhi1d of Edliraticl1, I
little r-fiildr(,tl a dr,1l1rC to liv('.!
11) ABO
It is a t(,stament to her insight thar contem-
porary discoveri,,, ahont the ,vay chilrlren groy\·.
develop and learn consistemlv reinforce her
conclusions.
The children in the CJsa made extraoroimry
progress and soon five-year-olds were writing
and reading. News of Ivlontessorj's new
approach spread rapidly and visitors arrived 1:0
see for themselves how she was such
~ results. In the summer of 1909 she gave the tIrst
training course in her approach to early educa-
tion to about one hundred students. notes
trom this period developed into The Montessori
Me1:hod, which was 'llhsequcmly published in
the United States in 1912 and has become one
of the most influential hooks ;:over written in the
field of education.
On December 20,1912, her mother died at
the age of sevemy-two. Maria was deeply
affected by this event, and in the year t()llowing
her mother's death she brought her son Mario
to Rome to be with her.
A period of great exp~l1Sion in (he Montes-
sori approach now followed. Montessori
societies, training programs and schools sprang
to life all over the world, and a period of travel
with public speaking and lecturing occupied
'vlontC';sori, much of it in the United States, but
also in Britain and Holland. Thomas Edison and
Alexanoer Graham Bell had invited her to the
U.S. where;} hurgeoning !\1ontessori mo\-cment
was underway; Bell himself was the president of
the American !\Ilomessori Society and JVhrgaret
Wilson, daughter of the then President of the
United States, was its secretary. Much of the
expansion. hmvcver, was ill-t()lmrko oisrort-
ed by the evems of World War 1. It lTlUSt have
been very difficult for Maria, who had no
independent income, to remain in tollch with
the broad spectrum of devl"]opment that was
going on in her name in so many parts of the
world, and she developed a growing concern
about her legacy that was to c111minatc in the
cstahlishmcm of the Association Monte5'ori
internationale (AMI) in 1929 in Denmark.
Todav ANI! monitors the standards of 45 full-
time training schools around the world for
teachers of children !Tom 0-3.3-6 and 6-12.
On returning from America in 1917. and
after Mario's marriage to his firs( wife Helen
Christie, she based herself in Barcelona, Spain
where a Seminari Laboratori di Pcdagogia had
been created for Her son and his new wife
joined her and her four grandchildren were
born there: tWO boys, Ivlario and Rolando,
and two girls, Marilena and Renilde. Renilde,
her youngest grandchild, is today the General
Secretarv of AMI.
Maria nursed· an ambition to create a
permanent center for research :wd oevclopmcm
into her ~pproach to earl:: years education, but
any possibility of this happening her hfNime
in Spain was thwarted by the rise of fascism in
Europe. By 1933 all Montessori schools in
Germany had been closed and effigy of her
was burned above 3. bonfire of her books ll1
Berlin: the Third Montessori Congress, q;hed-
uled for Berlin in 1934. was cmcclled. In the
same year, after Montessori refused· to
operate with r\1ussolini\ pLms to incorporate
Italian Montessori schools into fascist youth
movement. he closed them all down. The
outbreak of CIvil in Spain forced the family
to ahanoon their horne in Barcelona and they
sailed to England in the summer of 1936. From
England the tnveled to F!olland to stay
in the familv home of Ada Pierson, [he
of a Dutch banker. Mano, by now
estranged from his first wife, was la[er to
marry Ada.
Plans were made to create a model school
and research center at Laren in Holland. and
with Amsterdam now the headquaners of AMI
the future for the ~1onte"oris looked promis-
ing. In 1939 Mario and Maria embarked on a
Journey to India to give a three-month tnining
course in f\'hdras followed by a krtmc tour; they
were not to return f()[ nearly seven years. \Vith
the outhreak of war, as Italian citizens, Iv1ario was
interned and Maria put under hOllse arreSL She
i spent the summer in Kodaik;mal :md expcn-
ence guided her thinking toward nature of
the relationship between all living things, a
theme she was to develop until the end of her
life and which became known as cosmic "duca-
tion, an approach for children bNv,:ccn six :md
12. Montessori was well looked after in India,
where she met Gandhi, Nehru and Tagore. Her
70th birthday request co the Indi:m government
- that I'vlario should be released and restored to
her was granted, and together they gave
courses to which hundreds of stuoents
i In I'L+6 they returned to Holland and to the
gnndchildrcn who had spent the war years in
the care Ada Pierson. In 1947 Montecsori,
now 76, Jddrcssed UNESCO on the theme
"Eduotion ~nd In 1949 she reccived the
i first of three nommatiol1S for the Nobel Peace
Prize and at the UNESCO Conference in
i Florence in 1950, the Director General Jaime
I Torres Bodet procbimcd her as the symbol for
eduCJtion and world peace.
Her last public nl(T;WCmrnt was in London
in 1951 when she attended the Ninth Interna-
tional MontessOTl Congress. On May 6, 1952, in
the house of the Pierson family in Holland, she
died in company of her beloved son Mario
to whom she bcqucJthed the legacy of her
work.
That work continues in all parts of the
world and with children from all cuitures
i and backgrounds, and it as relevant today as it
ever was.
r\130L'T JV1/\RlA 1"v10NTESSORl 11
CHAPTER ONE
you should know
urchild
is one of the most fJscinaring of
attributes. \Ve watch it develop in
voung children but as undcrltand very little
about the proceS'. We do now know that
voices, particularly those of the mother and
father, are points of reference for a newborn
child: songs sung to a fetus in the womb will
have a calming "Hect a distraught newborn
baby as she recognizes something that is
familiar. After birth, the attraction a child has
coward bnguage, even when ,he cannot
'.JndcntJnc1 a \\'orc1} is
As a parent you are the first and most
important teacher of your child. The more in
tune you are with the way ,he develops. there-
fore, the more successful you \,vill be in
providing what she needs. Language develop-
ment in ail children follows specific and
patterns. once you underst:lnd
what is h:;ppcning you will feci confident about
the help that you can otfer your o\Nn child.
To help to write and read well, you v"ill
need to begin to develop her ability to commu-
nicate with others about the things that she
knows. It will be essential for her to have good
voc:tbuhry, to able to express herself contl-
ientIy ;ll1d to have heard a variety of sources of
rich lnterestlng Research no\-v
shows that children with these good verbal skills
find reading and writing easier.
If you wish your child to become a good
and "writer" you will need to prepare
You SHUCLD KNOW ABOCT Yo
the ground well in advance of these abilities
developing, and you will need to spend time
I building up all the skilIs that required for
these two complex processes.
, Don't be tempted to rush her. Your aim is to
i help develop a love of reading and writing
i so that throughout her she will choose [Q
read and choose to write. If chilclrcn d<:vdop a
love of books and of reading, the'lNorId's
knowledge becomes avaihble to them, all the
i stories, myths and legends, in fact and fiction.
Each time they open a book they will become a
time-traveler. For a moment, real time is
suspC'ndcd as they become engaged in the story.
A book can take them to explore worlds known
and unknown. can help them travel forward and
backward in time. Children who become good
readers will haNe the power to pursue their own
interests beyond the limited information avail-
able from the adults around them. and children
who become good writers will haNe ways of
expressing their thoughts and teelings in more
tangIble and lasting torms.
There are many things thaI need to be done
betore vour child can read or write and it is
helpJ1.l1 if you do not have in mind a definite age
for her to have m;lStereQ these skills.
Preparing vour child to read and write
means that you must first start to prepare for
RIGHT If you can help your child
then not only will she be able to
choose to do 50 throughout her life.
CHI LD
reading and writing "[cadiness," and to do this
you must haVe' some kn(),ylcoge of the basic
:vlonrcssori principlcs that applv to child oevei-
opment in this area.
In the tlrst SLX years of life all children:
• Have ;10 :lbsnrbent mind.
• Have moments of acute toward
their environment, which are called "sensitive
periods."
• Have strong urges to communic:ltc, (0 be
independent ,mo to explore.
• Learn primarilv through their senses and
through movement.
The absorbent mind
A child in the first six years of her life has a
lTlind that functions very differently trom an
adult mind: it appears to absorb vast JmOlmts of
information without any effort on the part of
the child. How does a child injnst three vears
manage to create all the basic clements of
bnguJgc?
,~,t birth she cannot speak any bnguage, yet
by three she has formed [he basis of her
and by six has command of a wide
vo(·ahubry. Of C01me bnguage will srill develop
alter but not in the same way. We also know
[hat provided a child has an opportunity to hear
I:mgl1:1gc in this period, she will learn not just
one hngmgc hut as as she is exposed to. In
many parts of the world children of six arc tluem
111 as manv as three different bngLuges: children
in Kenya. for example, may come to a i'v10nres-
,ori school at the age of three knowing a tribal
such Kikuyu, their African bngnagc
Sv\:ahIli. and English. Could you an adult, in
three short years, do as much? Not only do the
Kenyan children learn the vocabubry of each
they can also produce perfect sounds.
No matter how long you took as an adult to
learn a
you would never quite pedect
the sounds in [he way that a child can.
For the first three years of life a child is able
simply to take in information from her
surrounding environment withont <~F,cn1'nHl1-
tion and \vitho\H effort. creating and huilding all
the basic huilding hlocks of her personality md
forming her mind. From the age of three on, she
is still able to take in information but bringsw
this an element of choice and selectivity, and
theretore makes a more COYlSciOlll exploration of
the world around her.
Imagine that a child's mind is like a sponge:
if you place a sponge in water it will soak up the
water, whether is it clean or dirtv.A child's mind
is like this - it will absorb, without effort.
it finds in the cnYironn~ent. A sponge,
very ditferent from
when it was drv - you could say that it has
transformed itself; it is different undenvJ(cT, it is
soft and pliable. A child's mind is also trans-
formed by what it takes in from the
environment. The sponge, however, can only
absorb so much water; the child's mind is not
like this it can absorb huge quanrities of infor-
mation simplv by living.
Looking at a newborn baby you will nO[ice
that from the earliest days oflife her IS
tocused on the mouth of the person speaking to
her. She appears to be drinking in the whole
person while listeni:1g looking intently at
the mouth that speaks. We know that talking [0
a baby a lot signific:mtly speeds up process of
learning new words.
The mind only fimcrions like this in the first
six years of life, and not only will a child acquire
such obvious human char;lcteristics as
but J.!so knowledge about the world and how it
works and kn()\vlcdgc about values and
cmtOl11s. Basic attitudes toward life will be estab-
lished ,lIld the foundation of the indi\'idua]
p<'rso11;(liry estahlishC'd.
This onlv serves to underline the import:mc<,
of your creating a rich cnyiwnmcnt from the
very beginning, where good convers;ltion,
reading and writing is already taking place.
Perhaps it's time to turn off the telcyision and
read more for YOllrsC'lf. and with your child.
Perhaps it's time to write letters and not simply
make telephone calls; to send cards and thank
you letters; to enclose first dra\vings and "fforts
at mark-making in em'clopes to seno to gr:md-
parents. uncles and aunts as messages from your
child. Perhaps it's also time to convene with
vour child rather than instruct and to collabo-
rate using language the medium, to use rich
and marvelous whenever possible ,md
to sing and rhyme. So much of what your child
will learn during this period is done uncon-
sciouslv, that making a start means starting
yourself.
Developing your child's mind
Studies of the brain have gradually revealed
what educators and parents have known
instinctively £:)r years: that the experiences
children have in the early years of their life have
a direct etfect on the quantity and quality of
connections made in their brain. In addition,
there is now evidence to show that, as Dr,
Montessori ohscrvt'd many years ago, there are
times during this period when the brain is
more susceptible to different types of experi-
ences than others, creating what are called
"learning windov1is, of opportuniry"
or "Iensitive periods."
When Dr. Montessori made her observa-
tions of children and responded to what she
saw, she had recourse only to words and
imagery to try to alert p:ln:'nt\ and educators to
the extraordinary influence that the environ-
ment could have upon the formation of a
young child's mind. In her book The ,1b.'orbcnt
.Hind. she said.
may be said that we (adults) acquire
by the (hiid
ahsorbs b1(l1l'lcdgc ilirt(ti}, il1to his psyrhic
do /'lot I11crriy (,11(('r
they form it.
At no other time have we had more compelling
scientific evidence to show us that a child's
dcwloping hrain is directly dependent upon the
quality and quantity of experiences avaibblc to
her in her earlv years.
I
Scientists have also idenritlt'd the important
' role that repE'Jted experience plays in the
strengthening of these connections. Pathways
that are repeatedly used become strong and
resilient dnd continue to retlne and ocvelop;
those that are not reinforced wither awav
around the age of 10, leaving only what is strong
and flmctional to develop.
\Vhen you watch your child repeating an
action, persevering until she has tlnished, you
will realize that she is doing ,0mNhing far more
important than it may appear. So otten we
cannot understand Ollr child's need to repeat,
what to us, appears to be a pointless action, wirh
such tlerce determination and concentration.
What you are watching, at this moment, is the
action of "life huilding up."
Windows of opportunity
In her observation of children Dr. Montessori
pointed out that as a child developed there were
certain periods of time that appeared to be the
most favonblc ones for creating and retlning
particular human cbaracteristics such as
bnguage. She called these special periods, "sensi-
tive periods," a term she had borrowed from a
hiologist. Todav the latest research tends to
describe them as windows of opportunity.
Sensitive periods ,1[e import:mt bc.clllse at no
other time 111 a child's life will she be able [()
acquire a particular ch"racteristic so easily and
well. Once the window of opportl:nity closes it
becomes much more difficult and sometimes
impossible tor her to acquire these abilities

I WHi\T Y()U SH()Cl,]) KN()\V L'1.BOUT YOLJR CHILD 15

WHAT You SHOULD KNOW AUUUT YOUR C
 The etfectiveness of each wmclovv relies i The sensitive period for language
entirely on the enyironmcntal stimuli that a The sensitive period for appears co
child finds in her environment in the case of operate mainly during the first six years ofhfe.
language, the more linguistically rich her I During this time your child will namrally rocus
C'nvironmC'nt, the greater is the opportunity for I on those experiences that will best serve this
dt'velopmt'nt. particular window. i\.s a consequence you will
Dr. tvlontessori referred to sensitive see that she n:)[ur;;lly focuses her attention on
periods that she observed in the young child: the human voice and is both enthralled and
Lmguage fascinated by it, excited and soothed by it.
• Movement From very early on she will focus her atten-
Socialization tion on your mouth as you speak and observe
• Order intendy the movements mJde by your lips as
Sensory perception
.. Fine detail I BELOW All children experience these sensitive periods. The
We shall look at just two of these periods: bold lines beiow show the window of opportunity that
exists for each period. During this time. the experiences
offered to a child directly influence the way its mind forms.

well as the sounds produced by them. In each
sensitive period there will be a period of inter-
nalization hefore there is anv active sign of the
chJrJctenstlC
Through focus on her bngllage environ-
ment your child acquires ,he ability to
reproduce sounds of her mother tongue
with ali its nnances, dialects ;md intonations.
intensity of contact that she makes in the
cr:Y1rOnmCnr concentrated on L1thc:r
than on gencr:1I1y, no matter how
she to other sounds: she does not
reproduce the whisde of a train or the barking
ABOVE From the very beginning children are fascinated by
the human voice.
!
ofa dog instead ofbnguage. The ;;hility to learn
a second language is highest dnnng this "vindo,,"
of opportumtv.
All children :lrotmd the world will produce
speech in much the same way, lrrespecrive of the
complexity or simplicity of their
there appears to be general timetahle of readi-
ness that they follow. All the funC1:;mcnr;d
constructions of language take pbce before the
age of three:just atter this age an "explosion·' of

\V HAT You S H 0 U KNOW ABOUT YOUR CHI

WHAT You SHOU KNOW ABOGT YOUtz CHIL 17
 speech, and evidence of a real hunger for words,
shows. And gradll:dly after that, attention to
language expands from spoken bngu:lgc to an
exploration oflangeage in a form.
TVhat can you do to heip?
One of the easiest things you can do to help is to
make sure that you talk to your child from the
very beginning of her life.You can engage her in
conversation long before she herself has the
capacity to understand the
vour words or before she has the ability to reply.
Those close to a child, particularly the main
caregrvers such par:nts, will otten wait nafllnl-
ly for a response which may be glVen
with a little wave of an arm or movement of the
lips. Use and varied language 'when
talking to your baby. Tell her what you are doing
18 WHAT YOu SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR
and give her the proper names for the things
around her - tor example, if you are cooking her
dinner. talk about wh;\t you are doing, ,-,vhat you
are using and how delicious ir will be!
You should sing, rhyme and to your
child as often as pmsible. Very often children
who have an older sibling beneflt as they are
read to from the moment they arc born simply
because tbey arc present while you read to your
firstborn.
You should make sure vour child is included
in social situations where she will have the
benefit observing conversation and social
BELOW Sing songs and recite as many nursery rhymes with
your child as you can - it's both enjoyable and an essential
part or the process of preparing her to read and write. The
better she rhymes, the more in tune she is with the
patterns of her language,
CHI
interaction. Try to put her in a position, either
held in your arms or propped up, to give her
good vantage point where she can see what is
happcnin:;. Encourage her in com'crsation. Give
her <:'nollgh time to express herself - children in
their early years search for the right words to
use to express their ideas and this takes time. If
you guess what it is you think wants to say
and it wrong, she will usuallv have to start
all over again. She may get frustrated around
two, when what she wants to say and the
vocabulary she has to say it with don't match
up.Try to remember that children have a much
Idrger "'passIve" vocJbubry th:tn an actlve one,
and that they can understand much more than
they can say themselves.
Listening to what children to say gIves
them a feeling of value and self worth. Being
listened to wiil also encourage them to listen to
others, too. Listen scnsitiyc!y to what your child
is saying and help her to extend her vocabulary
through a gentle questiomng process. When
you haven't mmaged to underst:md what she is
saving, you may have to ask, "Did you mean.
or did you mean ...." In searching for [he
correct lmerprnation, you give the message to
her that you are trying to underltJnd what she
is saying to vou, and at the same rime you are
helping her to hear how she could have
expressed herself. If she says something that
could have been expressed differently don't
correct her - simr1y provide a "model by means
of confirmation." For example "Me like milk
no!"You may reply, "Ah, you don't like milk."
Remember you arc a role model for vour child,
if you want her to read, you should read; if you
want her to write, she needs to you doing
so, too.
First steps to acquiring language
Having focused on the fact there is a
Wi!ldov: of opporn:nity for the dcwlopmcnt of
look at whrit bnglngc is J:ld how
WHr.T You
your child acquires it - having an ,mdc-rstanding
of this will help you to provide the appropriate
stimulation tor her.
is the unique pmscssion of the
human being - it is imro"iblc to conceive of
anv human society functioning without
language. Human language is primarily crotive
and produces forms of itself continuallv if
required.
We use language for two basic illHctions: it
helps us to comr;H1nicate with one another,
e-;tJbhshing J.nd maint;1ining social rebtlGns, Jnd
it provides a svstem of symbols ;md patterns thrit
being in its own way limiting. The
is rhat CriD help to structure
in the !'v10ntcssori context, children arc helped
to identify problem, them,clves and to work
am to their questions. L1l1guJge can
also determine the we perceive rhings. Thi,
can be both helpful, by clantying cone-cprs and
by creating a new level of thinking, or it can be
a limitatl'1l1, for it reqUIres intellectual effort to
see things in any other way than our hnguagc
,ugge,ts
Your child's mind is being formed at a rapid
rate In earlv vears and wha( is clear is that
the quality and qUrintity of connections made
depend upon imprc"lOns of the \yor!d rccci';ed
through her senses, reinforced through activity
and repetition. It is what she experiences for
herself in the "real" world that will shape her
mind for the fUture.
of opportunity ror developing
by which we mean physical coordi-
nation, "pprJ" (Q begin ,hortlv after birth when
I basic motor ,kills are dn'eloped, and the
refinement of these skills seems to
begin around 18 months. The period
SHOULD KhOW ABO YOUR CHILD 19
of dev-clopment seems to take place in the first
four years of life. Giv-ing your child many
possibilities for development in this area in
these early will therefore pay dividends.
It is through mowmem that your child's
pcrsonJlity expresses itself. The more coord-in;1t~
cd her mind and body are, the better able she
will be to bring into reality the thoughts and
feelings that she has.
There are many reasom why you shouid
help your child develop good coordination.
• When reading and writing she requires a
knowicdge of the \vodd - ,vithotlt it she will
be a disadvantage when it comes to
interpreting books and may be sruck tor ideas
when she comes to write.
• If she has developed good tlne hand control,
she will End it easier to turn the pages of a
book. control a pencil, illustrate and so ('11.
• Increasing your child's independence
through her own will her sclf-
,',"1"hri0nr'p She will know that. generally
'peaking in hcr life, she is able to tackle things
on her own and be relatively Sllccessfill. She
will be more likely w try things and w have
had plenty of practice at solving problems, ali
of \'vhich will help develop of the
cttirudC's ,113t are helpfi11 if she is [Q bec()me a
reader and an author.
If your child has gained control over her
physical c()ordimtion, she will find it easier to
sit and uo things ~ some children iInd it very
difficult to keep their bodies still or to sit, and
this hampers their ability to give auC'nnon to a
task or activitv.You cannot force her to be still;
is impcmihic. \Vhat you can do is to help her
[() gam enough control over her bodv to allow
her to \vill to be still. This reqm;es lots of
move in increasingly well c()ordinated wavs.
Taking her into the park. going for walks and
letting her explore as much as she is able to will
contribute gready to her development. Games
such as Gf3ndmother's Footsteps, Statues, Tr;Jffic
Lights and "What's the time Mr.Wolf?" all help.
I Devel()ping ball skiEs. the ability to skip, hop
and run should also all be yital to her
development.
Since coordinated movement is a result of
experience in the environment, you will need to
undcrst:md that. as much as pmsih!e. your child
needs to be helped to do things for herself.
Although in the bcginniI1g this will mean that
you will need to invest more time in helping
her, once she can do things for herself and in her
own time everyone ',Vill be pleased.
You should try to prepare your home so that
she can explore it in safety and in relative
freed()m. It is worth remembering [hat she
learns to control her movements through being
active herself: sho\ving her to do ,,,,ill
have a more positive effect than stopping her
tram doing things. And you will tInd that it is
easier tor "no" to mean '"no}' "vhen you are not
using it all the time.
for give her a small pitcher with a
sluaU amount of juice it so that she can pour
her own drink. This will give her the ability to
use her hands with judgment and with little
drama should she spill some in the beginniI1g.
DevclopiI1g this small skill will mean that
i cn·ntually she ca n help herself to a drink when
necessarv, put milk on her cereal in the
morning, or water plants - or in Jo not needed unless she is reeling tired or in need ABOVE Don't be afraid to let your child do as much as she
wants to for herself - even pouring her own milk at
;mything that requires that panicular level of of help. breakfast! The better her general hand control is, the
motor coordination. Helping her to toilet and The more iI1dcpendent your child becomes, better her writing witt be.
teed herself, to dress herself. in fact to do almost the more she will be able to participate in life ,
everything that is helpful for a small human and the more you will tlnd that she will have a i

bring greater control to her T1l0VCments.
Your child needs to be omside playing
games as much as pmsible so that she learns to
being to know, 'Nill also help her reilne the
control that she has over her body: it's much
quicker to put her shoes on than to help her to
do it for herself, but once she can do it you are
positive attitude to all its c1ullcnges. the world in which she lives. You will notice
Developing a good ability to communicate that she has strong urge to do things as you do.
and to move with control will greatlv enhance for parents of course. [he natural educators
her ahilirit's to act indcpC'ndcmly ~nd to explore of their children.

\V H You SHOLJLD KNOW l1.BOUT YOUR CHILD \'II/HAT You SH LJLD K ow A13 UT YUUR C ILl)
 Developing Language De~fei.iopjing coordination

0-8 weeks 0-8 weeks 15 - 18 months

Watches the mouth of the speaker intently. Makes Head lags when pulled to sit but gradually develops Enjoys moving things that require strength. Can walk
mainly biological noises - breathing, eating and rontml ilS an object may be visually tracked, or turns up and down stairs with a little help. Likes to be busy
those that will hunger or pain. to the sound of a voice. with things in the home. Will heip unload washing
machine. Likes to fetch books and will try and turn
8 - 20 weeks 8 -12 weeks
pages. Begins to practice running.
Good social response to sound of familiar voices. Head and chest are held off the floor when lying on
Coos, smiles, enjoys singing, chuckles. May turn stomach. When lying on back enjoys watching and will 18 - 24 months
head to find source of voices. A variety of sounds begir; to play with hands. May begin to coordinate Exploring environment. Wants to take part in life. To
made, many sounds being produced. hand and eyes. f{eaching for interesting mobile. dress herself, to toilet herself, to eat for herself. Likes

5 - 8 months 12 - 24 weeks to hold pencil or crayon and make marks on paper-

Vocalizes tunefully, begiris to put syllables together, Will learn to rollover. When pulled to sitting keeps usuaily circles, lines and dots. hiwd often

repeats a variety of sounds. Goo, gaa, muh. head firm. Once sitting the hands are free to "piay" used for picking things up, Wants real work to do.

Responds to tone of speaker's voice. Gradually over
a period of 24'50 weeks the range of sounds become
more specific to those uttered in the particular
language of your child.
ASOVE Make books easily available at home so that your
child and her friends can discover them together.
and so needs stimulating objects that are close 2 - 3 years
enough to pick up: a wooden egg and eggcup and a Likes to ciimb. Enjoys cycling on small bike. lumps and
soft knitted ball are useful. Can pass toys back and runs with confidence. Kicks balls. Likes TO use hands in
forth bctw0cn increasingly coordinated way and a variety of

6 - 9 months tools. Enjoys gardening, cooking, cleaning, washing.

8 -12 months
Wants to use your tools and do everything herself.
Uses sounds to communicate with others, babbles 2 - 3 years Becomes more able to sit sturdily. Likes to play. Tries
to crawl. Loves to poke things with fingers. Uses Loves finger rhymes.
tunefully to self and others. Understands the sense Loves to be read to. Enjoys rhymes and poems, has
conveyed in language and begin to respond to favorites. Many sounds still not pronounced accurate- one hand 10 reach for toys, beginning to use fingers.
3 - 4 years
show that she understands. Can sign "goodbye," ly, but huge increase in vocabulary and complexity of Mav begin to pull herself to standing position if there Increases large movements through Likes to
"hello: etc. sentence structure. All basic language structures in Legs seem to play games that challenge her physically. Has good
place, Refinement and expansion now possible. Talks position. Feeding herself billiskilis good balance. Climbs further and more
12 months
to selfwhiie playing and to others. confidently. Uses hands to increase her
Starts to use words intentionally. Shows under-
standing of what is said. "Where is your hat?" "Bath independence. Relutively fine hand control when using
3 - 4 years
time." Can hand known objects to the speaker on scissors, paintbrushes, pencils. Loves finger rhymes.
Able to use language to convey more abstract
request. Loves painting. Enjoys feeling objects. Likes
thoughts such as likes, dislikes, bad dre;Jms, etc. Can
Sandpaper Letters.
12 - 18 months speak logically and grammotically, tells stories and

Use, simple words to convey sentences. "Dada"
could mean, Come dad, Dad where are you? There
you are. Sometimes it is the intonation that will
convey the full meaning.
18 - 24 months
continues to expand vocabulary. nonsense
4 - 5 years
rhymes and jokes, and sound games.
Has learned to skip. Moves with greater rhythm to
4 - 5 years music. Draws recognizable figures. Enjoys writing,
Uses language to coordinate activity with other both pretend and reai. Can color outlines well and is
children while Begins to use language in good at sewing. Is always busy. Likes to practice

Loves nursery rhymes, books, likes to sing. Moves more abstract forms such as writing. writing.

from pOSSible 6 - 20 words to simple sentences and 5 - 6 years 5 - 6 years

vOC<lbulary around 24 months. Wants to know the
names of th;ngs and will point and ask, "What's
dat?" "Why?"
Asks the meaning of abstract words and uses them.
Can use to describe future past events.
Very ciear on tomorrow, next week, etc. Precise about
age. address, telephone number. Loves jokes. Most
grammatical structure is complete by this time.
Enjoys listening to stories and "reading" them.
on tnn ~ome environment! 15 beginning to Hand really begins to become the tool of the mind.
build obiects. Enjoys books and likes to point at Your child is busy bringing the i-)anri under ever more
pictures. Enjoys moving it across
perfect control of the mind. Will work on topics of
paper.
interest for hours provided that the hand is also busy.
Perfects letter formation.

I W-HAT You SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR CHILD

WHAT You SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR CH!LD
CHAPTER TWO
ping a Montessori approach
you may think !Ylonte5sori
is :l mC'thod, a word that encap-
'" ("lll",n){HI
sulates it much better is :lppro:lch. The
'\10ntcssori approach cmbodi;;s attitude to
life and particularly to young children as they
grow and dC'vc]op. It is quite p05Sihk to do
without 5pecialized '\10ntcssori materi;)1 and
still have a Nlontessori approach; it is also
pnssihle to haw' all the specialized Nfo!1(cssori
matenals in the world and the
There are many activities in this book. snme
reflective of the Kind of experiences ynur child
would have in a Montessori school and others,
mostly games. that will provide extra support
Jnd more tun tar as she gains in knowledge
and CC1ntjdence. In all these activities it will be
important for you to maimain right atrimde
about her learning. A.t all times you m.ust
remember that you cannot learn for your child,
only she can do that! \Vhat you need is
'lppro:lch that helps her to learn for herself. one
that makes learning fun. Above all it is impor-
[ant to realize that you helped to learn to
walk, talk, become sociable and so much more.
by prcwiding a mood for her to copy and learn
from. Your child absorbed your model and in
her own tlme practiced and mastered it. You
doubted tar one nlomenr that she would
be to do all things, and vou never
made her feel a failure if she didn't v~alk or talk
tol1ovv'ing your tinle frame of expcctJtl0n.
\Vhat tollows in this chapter some of the
D r~ VEL () P [ ~ G >\ !Vi () N T E:::, S 0 R I A P PRO A C H
important principles that reflect the '\.iclJ1tes;;ori
I :lttitude toward educating children, all of which
I hope vou will find reflect good common
sense.
Children have the power to
educate themselves
I Simply living in an environment that contaim
appropriate and heir, your
child learn. esp('ciallv in the first six years of her
life. \Vhat is important is to create the right
conditions for learning. Resed.ch shows us that
children who are relaxed and happy learn much
more easily chan those who feel stress or
tension. Much of what your child can learn will
be :wtom:ltioily picked up from you in rhe \V,W
that you go abom your life. If you wish
your child to read and write, then she should
live in an enyironment in which sees you
reading and writing. In addition, when you do
attempt [Q give her a "lesson," it should always
'I be plcamrablc Jnd fi.m in itself and not part of concepts or skills; in part it will also depend on ABOVE Children like to do things for themselves, learning
to cope with everyday things like dressing gives them
I the "If you don't do this. you won't learn to the of day, her mood and the interest she confidence in themselves. Confident children are always
read," syndrome: brings to the activity. Some things she will learn ready to embrace challenges.
very quickly and some things will take much
Children learn best when do longer. You cannot judge her by the rate at your own cxpcct:ltiollS. In this way you will be
so at their own pace \'Vhich she learns. Fast is not ncccss;;rilv better. able to slow down or speed up according to her
All human beings learn besr when are able nor can \ve say that the :raster she learns, the learning patterns.l'crhJr' you will spend
to learn their own pace. What your child's brighter she is l What coums is chat days exploring something that you thought
i pace is will depend on many ditferent things: in your child learns, she must feel secure in the would five minutes, and five minutes
part it will depend on her being able to use knowledge ,he has her pace doing something that vou thought would take
! prcvlOus experiences to support new Ideas, requires vou to be aware of her and aware of several davs.
DEVELOPING :\ lViON S0 R I A p P l~ 0 A C H
 The ages Jrrrii<l1tC'd to each of the activities
in this book are "best guess" gUIde and should
be treated as approximate, What is certain is that
all of rhern can be enjoyed and played by
children under the age of six,
Children need to make their own
discoveries
Can you rememher the last time you made a
discovery~ No matter how small it was, a great
wave of pleasure was;-:ed over you, Sometimes it
felt as if a light Hashed on inside your head.
Whatever is that you now know, you know
because you discovered it younclf - it is first-
i coming up to rne and saying:
Child Do you know, three rimes three is nine
and that's a square, and three of those is and
that's a cube,
M.e My goodness, how do you know that?
Child I don', know how I know, but I do
know,
I did, of course, know how he knew, but
wouldn't have dreamed of robbing him of his
discovery, or of the confidence he had gained in
I the knowing,
The art is to learn how to lead your child to
the brink of discovery, then leave her to it. It
.. rVithollt interest there is no ~ffort but withour
iffort there is no interest. If you plav a game with
your child that is too easy, she will play it once
and not bother to play it again; if you plav a
game with her that is too hard, she will be
discouDged am: not play it again either.
Getting the amount of challenge just right is
quite a skill in the beginning, To do this, it's
helptul to assess how much of what you are
doing is known and how much is new, For
instance, you willneeci to judge the size of the
"steps" that you take when you move from
one activity' to another. Knowing your child
will help: children who find new things
very much in life. The more we able to give
our full attention to a task, the more likelv we
are to succeed, Concentration is simibr to any
other skill we possess: the more we prrictice, the
berter we get,Young children otten already have
the ability to concentrate and adults often, quite
unwittin£;ly, do not help to strengthen it, Before
your child can begin to concentrate, she needs
to be able to give her full attention to th:~ g:lme
or task at hand, Once she is able to do that,
provided the challenge is right, she will begin to
focus more and more deeply on what she is
doing, It is this deeper level ofattention thar we
cali concentration <

hand experience, You get quite a different may be a discoverv vou vourself had nO( daunting will need to take little steps while When your child was a baby, she would
feeling if you are about to discover something I th;ught of yet! In th'is ;vay cilildren will begin those who need a challenge if you are to get often look intently at the page of the book you
and someone else helpfully reveals the ;'n5vver to to love learning for its own sake and not feel their attention need much larger ones! were reading, or at some object that had attract-
you! All the effort you put in while you were that learning depends upon adult intervention, ed her attention, Did you wait until she had
searching for the answer now seems wasted,You Children need to develop changed the focus of her attention, or did you
often hear children saying, "You shouldn't have Children learn when they are concentration distraCL her from So often, when children aTe
told Ine, 1 "vas going to that!" You get a interested Children need to develop the ability to concen- very small we do not consider the txt that they
grumpy response rather than a grateful one, i If you want your child to get the most out of trate without it, it is very difficult to achieve might be concentrating, When your toddler is
Children love to tlnd out things for I the games that you will plav together, you must 1rnmcrsed in a game, do you interrupt her
thcmselves.Yom Job is to try and help them to be sure she is interested in what you without thinking, talk to her and c!em:md her
do so, not to do it them, It is extremely hard ,hm"in£; heLThe tollowing gnidclines will also attention? When she wants our :lttention, we
to hold back an answer when to you it's so help, I
will otten ask her to wait until we are finished;
obvious, but hold back vou must and give your .. Choose [he right time of the day, Games that she when we want hers, we often insist on it
child time to make the discoverv tar herself I alreadv knows and enJoys can be played at instdntl); no matter what she is doing, In many
The skiH is in providing just the right 3motmt I almost any time; those that are neVi will need ways, quite unintcmionally, adults disturb the
ofhclp and no more. The form this "help" takes ail her attention dnd should only be played concemration of young children and then
will vary: occasiomlly ir may mean thaI you ask when she is fresh and ready for a cllalknge. worry about it years later when they teel that
her a few leading questions; sometimes you will .. Be prepared to ,'rap a pame ifshe TO their children lack it!
nced to provJC1c a tew extra steps for her to play, or hcromil1gfi1.I.,-tr,1ted, You \-vill have maDY There are a number of things that vou can
reach her goal: most otten you will be required more opportunities to intr'oduce her to it-You do to help,
to do nothing other than give her more time need a positive response, not negarive one, If .. ellt down [he !1umhrr of trlcdsirm and video
and observe her more carcflllly, Doing that is YOU have spent some time preparing the programs that your (hild lIA11(he8, Tclcyj,jon in
very hard, So otten, as adults, we like children co activitv, it can be difficult to accept that she is particular is designed to keep her no
teel that \-ve are the reason they learn not interested when you are dying co show her maner how boring the program, It does mis by
something, This gives us good feeling, but ie something ne\v' I flicking from one thing to the next to keep the
doesn't help children teel ,hat they have the I .. Cliilrirm ,ire il.'Haily interested ill ABOVE When reading to your very young child, wait until audience cntertained. It's very difficult for a
she has finished looking at the picture before you turn the
power to learn and discover things for they can use some or ddl they child to learn to concentrate in this situation,
page, In this way, you wilt help to nurture her ability to
themselves when It comes to more farmal have to play the game, Always trv to playa game
I concentrate, Do not confuse occnpation with concentr<ltion
learning. I a child of just under tl-ve that builds on previous achievements, - they are not the same things at all, In

2G ) 1) E L C) P 1 ~ G ;\ I'v1 0 N T E S S 0 R! A P PRO ,A., C

DEVELOPI:'.J A MONTESSORI ApPROACH 27
 ~ddition, when your child does watch
tclcyi,ion. do try' to make it a more active
experience than it might otherwise be. For
instance. talk to her about what is happening
and ask her to predict what might happen
next. Extend her interest in a prognm by
doing something practicai or creative relating
to it Don't watch for hours on end.
If you have the time to w:ltch tcln'ision with
your child, be brave, turn it off and read her a
story instead. Rc~ding her a story will
her to create im:1gcs in he-r ovvn
with the viords. Television
ability to visualize their own
pictures in the mind .
.. If you are pl,1ying !l gmne, fry to have the table or
floor clear of orher distracting items. Put on the
pbying surface oniy what you would like her
to give her attention to. T'f not to turn on the
television or raclio as this will make it more
diffiClllt for her to focus on what you are
doing. Music can be good to have in the
background, ;lfoviding that it forms a gentle
hackdrop Jnd is not jarring.
lHake sure you ,'1'crythil1g j'01f will need to
play the pame be/arc )'au .,·t,1ft. Getting up and
down w Gotch things can be verv distraCling. If
you have other chi]orcn in the tJmilv, it may
be wise to make sure thev are occupied with
solTle[hing that guarantees that you will not be
.. r/~~7lett your child is attit'it)j
try to avoid interrupting 170: Without 1L
we can interrupt even by praising at the wrong
lTlOmC'm. The result of interrurtion is often
that she will 'rop ,vhJt ,he h;], been ooing.You
may :1.lso need to make sure that other
111Clll hcrs oi~ the do not interrupt her
of this the
t'arly 1110mhs of her lite on.
There of course times when you are in a
hurry or needs to happen urgently.
'These l11()J!lC:lltt;; 1>C(,0111(, the exceptions in
:::g i D P!Ne :\ I\·10:-JTESSORI ApPROA.CH
! your and your child's daily lite, and can be
:lccommndated more e:lsily If you see that she
concentrating on an betare you
need to go out, give her advance or
the fact 'lOU will be going out soon. Tell her
that this will mean she will need to think ot'
stopping what she is doing quite soon.
Children learn by doing
When children learn, they need to be active. not
passive. They learn far more by doing things tor
than they do by just watching others.
Apart from the times when you are rc~ding to
your child, ,he should be more active than you.
In addition, in the lirs[ six years of her your
child learns preoominantly through reccivi:1g
impressions through her senses. The more that
i [here is to see, hear and touch. the betteL
Children need praise and
encouragement, not treats and
stickers
It can be very tempting to offer some kind of
I trade-otT to your child to encourage her to
i complete a given t1sk. The "If you do this, I'll do
thaI" kind ot'blackrnail may appear to work, and
it orten does in the short term. but it gives her
the wrong message: that there is no intrinsic
value in the activity and the only reason to do it
! is to gain a reward at the end. Very otten
! children who do things became there nuy be a
cookie, candy or toy in it for them. do not enjoy
the experience ano dn not jt':lrn so well
of it. Children are also expert at bargaining and
i usually hold more aces up their sleeve than you
do, so it's a tricky road to start down. Praise and
cnc'ourac:ement are ali that's needed. task is
worth doing, then it should woreh doing for
its own sake. If not worth doing, you
RIGHT Your child will team most through her own activity.
Try to give her experiences that will awaken all her
I senses: the more she can touch and see, hear and smeil,
the better,
 "bnllldn't be doing it :1nY"Y:1Y·
When prJi,ing your child beware of simply
telling her that everything she does lovelv,
brilliant, fantastic etc. Mos[ often children enjoy
a real recognition of their effort more than
blanket praise, Comments 5Uch ;1,:
You found that quite difficult, but you've
managed it.
That took a long time; you must feel
proud of yourself.
[like the way you ""rote that "e" which
one do you like best?
Manv years ago a little girl of four hrought me
a de:i~n she had been working on, and asked
me what I thought of it. I didn't reallvknow
what I thougbt of it and, pbying for time, I
asked her what she felt about it. This was her
answer: "Well it's not the best! can do. but it's
the best I can do today!" A fantastic judgment.
dnd not one I could have come close to
matching.
If your child begins to concentrate on ;m
activity, you will also begin to realize that, with
('('n,('nrrrltion, ,he will otten dt'velop the ability
-:.n ! J) E LOP I G r\ IV1 0 N T ESS0 R I A p PRO _A. C H
to persevere and work things through even
when they are difficult. The ability to persevere
in an ilttempt to solve a problem "vill be a very
useful ability for her to acquire, especially when
she is engaged in more formal learning activities
that may require a little If children
have had the opportunity to persevere and
generally arrive at a good solution, they will
have a great deal of confidence when tackling
the new and the unknown. They will also not
mind so much when things don't work Out, or
they need to call for J"istance.i\ child who teels
that she can soke problems is i1hle to
take the fact ,hat occasionally she can't in her
stride. However, if she believes, before she starts,
i that she won't be able IO manage, she will either
not start at all or give up at the first sign of diffi-
cultv.
Mistakes are an opportunity for
learning
It is important that children and adults feel at
ease when they make a mistake. A mistake or
error in judgment is an opporwnitv tor learning
,orncthing new. If we never make mistakes. we
don't really push the boundJ.rics of our skills or
knowledge :md we stay well within the limits of
what we know. So often children (and adults)
are made to silly or stupid when they make
a mistake. We carry around with us a fear of
making an error even though rnost are acciden-
tal or unavoidJ.ble.There are mamr ways you can
help your child develop a friendly relationship
yvith her
.. Even when she is very young, you can
cultivate a positive to accidcm~l
occurrences. If she spiEs or drops somethin);,
don't tell her off - show her how w clear it up,
or clear it up vourself, then take the
opportunicy to show hovv to carry or use
the object next time. You'll be amazed at how
! responsive she will be. In ;lddition, YOll will find
that next time she spills or drops something,
she will know what to do IO clear it up.
• It can be very irritating when somcone
always points out our It's mnch better
if we have some possibilirv of recognizing we
have made hefore someone dsc
comes along and rells us! Whenever possihle,
try to have some kind of self-checking
mcchrlnism in [he games your child plays. In
!\!lonte-slori terms this is called a "control of
error:'There are varions ways of providing rhis
self-checking mechcmism:
You could prepare a "finished prod1lct"
which vour child can use to check at the end
of a gan1e. For (;xamplc, if you have a game
where she is reading matching ,vords to
pictures, a checking device could be added.
Write the appropriate on the hack of the
picture or make a second set of pictures \\ith
the name attached. These can then be used to
check at the end of the game. (See
Cards, page
You could add some kind of color code cO
mdicate if an activity has been done accmarciv.
For ('xamric, when playing the Sound Boxes
(see page 57), you could put matching
colored dots on the bottom or' each pair of
OCC;tsional1y, von could show your child
that she could check what she has done by
using a reference book. Once she is able to
write, you will be able to show her how to use
a dictionary to check her spelling.
The of helping your child to check
herself rather than having you check everything
is that she will grildually develop the ability to
ask herself how she thinks she has done, and this
will develop her ability to make a judgment
about her own ettons. Learning to ask the
question, "How have I done?" can be very
helpfUl. \Vhen we are faced wirh becoming the
active partner in our own learning, we feel
more in control of oursclv-cs.your child will not
DEVELOPING
feel dependent on other people's judgment
about her efforts: she will instead be able to
judge herself.
Even when there is no means of providing a
self-check, you can look at things together to
see there is anything that needs attention,
rather than pointing out what is wrong
imn1colJtcly.
unafi'aid of making
thev will develop an attitude that
allows them to try some-thing even if it looks a
I little difficult. We know that children who
develop this attitude find it easier to read. The
reason. for thIS is that they don't mind if they
don't get each and everv word right; they simply
i cry reading what's in front of them and will
quite often make a guess at vvhat an l1nknovcn
i word could be from the various clues thev pick
, up from the rest of the page. Then they check
for mcani'lg as they progress on through the
sentence. Children who are afraid of making a
rnistake will otten dwell on each and every
sound in the word, or simply spend a long time
staring at it trying to figure out what it savs.And
thev will do [his at the expense of nn dcrstand-
ing what the words arc trving to say. These
chiioren will need a lot of help when they start
to read and will need to have their contlckncc
and self-esteem boosted.
Repetition is important in
children's learning
As we have seen in the previous chapter, repeti-
tion IS important in strengthening and
i reinforcing neural connections. Even without
' this k-lmvlcdgc know ho,\! the act
of repetition is if we wlsh to make some(hing
our own. To be able to do something well,
without a great deal of effort, we need to have
pracriced iL The old ;l(bge that "practiCf makes
perfect" is [rue. Young children often engage in
repeating actions, much to our puzzlement. You
can watch your toddler putting something into
A :VI0NTESSORI ApPROACH :11
a box and taking it out over :md over again,
apparently without purpose. However. if it
keeps her ,memion, there is something within
her that is being cst:tblishcd and worked out
that we can only guess at. Enco:1faging your
child co practice will be especially important
when it comes to wriling. She will want to
practice if the practice is made interesting, and
she definitely won't want to if what you suggest
she does looks boring and pointless. Here are
t'"vo <)uggcst1ons:
• You can pro\'ide a nricty of different
that help your child practice the same skin. For
example, there are many types of games you
can play to reinforce her letter recognition.
(See Chapter 4.)
• :\void anything that looks horing. A good
rule of thumb to ask vo urs elf if you find it
boring. If you do, then your child probably
will, too! Don't give her page page of
ktters to or dull, boring workbooks or
TC'Jriing prinlcrs!
Children learn best when they
have chosen an activity
themselves .'
We all tend to be much better motivated when
we choose to do something ourselves. It's
eaSler to ch1l1enging
want to, rarher than because we are told to.
Helping your child to choose will stand her in
I we make it. Witham this any choice we make is
really made on impulse. For msrance, in need to
make a choice between two things and! only
:mderst:md \vhat one of them actually is I can
either opt for the one I know, which keeps me
safe. or take risk and opt for the one I don't
knOw. This is not really more relving
on luck or chance. Equally, if I wish to buy a
box of candy and find myself in a huge candy
store, it's almost impossible to choose
Too much choice usually leaves us feeling we
still made the wrong choice, no matter how
long we took to decide'
Helping your cbld to make choices needs to
be done slowly and carefully. It can begin by
otTering her choice of two "known" things.
You could otfer her a choice of socks, dunga-
rees, etc. Show her a green pair and a blue pair
and ask her to choose \vhich one to wear.
Gradually, over time, she call choose from a
much wider selection. Perhaps you could pm
selection of clothes you'd be happy for her to
choose from into a few drawers or shelves. Don't
be ccght am bv summC'T things in
the wimer! And do be sure that
once she has chosen what to wear you don't
complain. If you don't want her to we;;r ::m
orange sweatshirt wlth pink trousers, don't
include them a choice.
ABOVE Helping to sort and organize her dothes will help
There will be many occasions when you will your child to become aware of the choices that she has
be able to involve your child in making choices. each morning when she gets dressed.

good stead later in her lite. Choosing is not
really an thing to do althongh \ve orten
it for granted that everyone can do it. Think
c;;rcfiJlly ;1hout your Do they all have
the ability to make choices. or do some of them
find it difficult 1nd try to avoid making them at
Jny cost? It is, of course, easier to say that we had
to do something due to force of circnmsLlncc or
oecause sonlC0nc us to. (~hildren say
they \;vere "nlade to do SOHlething."
1 of times you enter into contl-onrarion with each
If we wam to make a choice, we must have
SOlne "-IHJWiC"S,C ohyhat the options before
During mealtimes you can ask, "\Vould you !ike
to have juice or milk today, cereal or fruit?"
"Shall we do some or shall we learn
more of those letters today)" Gradnalk she \vilJ
develop the abiiity to make reallv good choices
as she practices weighing up pros ;tnd rons
of many different :;:inJ3rlOn<:;.
Very otten, offering your child a choice of
:lCtlvitv, clothing or food CUtS down the number
other.
• Ke::p an area such a shelf or table ready
RIGHT Make sure that your child feels comfortable when
she comes to draw and later to write, A table and chair
that aHow her feet to touch the ground and her arms to be
at the right height are best,
with ali the things that your child might need.
The sheif could have a variety of gJl11es.
pencils, paper Put the current Jcriyiticcs
that you are using out. Inaking that she
can reach the shelf herself. Try to keep the
things she uses regularly in the ,8me ;-,1ace so
that she can always find them. In this way she

i DEVELOlJl0iG A i\10 SORI ApPROACH D LOPI0IG t\ !v10:\'TESSORl ]>PROA.CH

 will be able co choose for herself what she
\vould like to do and when would like to
do 1t. If possIble - and this is a rather expensive
option - try to let her have a small table and
stool of her very own.
.. Take time to check that everything on the
shelf is complete Children like to be able to
on with what they have cho,en. and if
something is missing they be di\Trted
tram practicing or plaYing the g~une altogether.
One additional wav of helping yom child to
make choices is to make sure whatever she
chooses to do has reasonahle chance of
If she choose:;: something rh8t Vv'()rks out
well, she will more like choosing again. If
what she chose was unsuccessful, she will feel
less like choosing again. That's nor to say that all
choices ,hould have favorahle ontcomes, hut it
is wIse in the hf'ginning to limit choices to
those activities that are within her reach rather
chose thai: are ~lmpos~ibly difficult.
Learn to observe your child
Knowing what to show your child
pencil, \vhich mn\·,'TnCTlrs (0 come most or dislike an activity be very useful. Differ- shouid just find herself able to read and write
easilv [Q her, which ones she might need extra ent children have jitferent 'pace requirements spontaneously, as you will see in Chapter 4.
practice with. the IS 111 right Some like to work almost on top of other To help your child overcome diftlrulty
position, whether hodv is rell.xcd. Note people while others prefer to keep quite a at a time, you will play games that make use of
time. Does she like lo do trus kind of activity disr;mee between themselves othcn; ,ome things that she can :l!re::d\\' do and which
this time every day? If so. would be a good are quite happy to work in a confined arf'a and encompass only one new skill or ability. In this
moment to introduce similar activities that may others need to spread out. way she can progress fi-0111 mmcthing she knows
provide more experience in handling writing Learning to observe your child will enable to something that is new in small, attainable
tools? you to become even more sensitive than you steps. Should she need more help, you should
.. If she finds something to do. try and already are to her needs. her likes and dislikes . simply make the steps smaller, and if she finds
isolate exacdv what it is that is causing her a and to the \vay she reacts and interact;:;, \-vith things too easy, you might find vourself taking
problem. If your child always seems to spill others. You will sense when she is ready to two or three steps at a time. The important thing
milk when she pours h(,T>clf a vou need learn something and when she needs is to fo]]ow her lead.
to Judge the following. Is it rC;lS'llranCe and a chance to repeat what she To begin to judge the different steps you
already knows quite well. It's well worth need to rake to prepare your child to read and
pitcher is too full.
rcnlrrnhcring the old saying that "Childhood is write, look at both of these complex activities
pitcher too large. a journey, not a race:' and try to assess all the different skills, ;jbiiities
and she may need to accomplish
She fails to center the lip of the pitcher
aPlprC)ach to reading and them. In doing this you will be able to develop
over the mouth of the glass.
chese skills in advance of when they will be
She starts pouring before she centers the lip Before hCf:;inning to your child to re:ld needed, helping her to practice them for their
of the pitcher. ,md write there are a few other pieces of infor- own sake. She will love pbymg the g;1mcs in an
mation that will be useful for you to know atmosphere of fun, under no pressure to
She moves the pitcher before is turned
about the Montessori approach. Knm,,-ing them produce an end result.
upright again.
wili help you adapt any of the 111 this

when she needs practice, when she pours lOO (1Sr. book, and any others that you come across, to

needs praise. when she needs a challenge. all
these things rely on vour knowledge of vour
child. Ohscrving her is essential if vou WIsh to
her the help at the right time. Perhaps
this skin alone is the art of a good teacher: to
know '.vhat Jssi~tancc to vvhen to gIve It
and how to it. The follO\ving guidelines
will help
Trv not to let your child know that you are
w:1tching hcr.\Vhcn people fccl ,varched they
do not usually h",haYc naturallv. Develop the
skill oflooking Out of the cor~er of vo~r eye.
Try to watch out for small details rather than
more things. If you are watchmg
your child dr::wing, rather than concentnting
on what she is drJ\ving, concentrate on how
she IS Ohserve how she holds her
She doesn't hold the pitcher securely.
She rests the pitcher on the rim of the
glass.
does the pitcher actually work) Many
of them seem to be not to pour
without dripping l
Learning to obsen;e which of the above is
causing the problem means you are halfway to
solving it; the other half is solved when vou
show Your child how to master the part chat
causing the
It can also he helpful to observe situations
that cause your child to react in a particular \;y~ay.
Learning to recognize leads her to enjoy
'lour particular child wit!iom losing the integri-
ty of the approach.
lZeading and writing are both complex
activities that require a child ro develop many
skills and abilities, and to use them all
In concert. It is better to master each skill, one
bv one, especially the skill is easy to learn
bcrausc it belongs [Q a g:Jme that's to play,
whether vou are learning to read and write or
not. It is very important to play of the
games in this book Its ovvn and not
pan of a long, never-ending slog toward
learning to read or write. You mav know that
each activity you show your child Will help
her to do these things, but vou don't need to
tell her that! One day using all the skills and
abilities thar you have helped her to build, she
Skills and abilities required for
reading and writing
Your child will need
.. To love and enJoy books so that she wants to
learn to read and write.
.. To have knowledge of the world around
her so that she can make sense of the hooks
you read to her. and use this knowledge to
express herself in writing.
• To have rhe ability to use her own
well and to enjoy the sounds, rhymes and
patterns in it. as this is the starting point for
both reading and wrinng.
• TO develop a knoy';kdgc of print and how it
is used in both reading and writing.
• To develop good control OVEr her bodv, and

34 i!) EV U P [ "C .A :'vI 0 CJ OR! i\PPRO!\C D OR! Al'PRU/\C

in particular her hand. if she is to tlnd writing
relatively easy
Specifically she "vilI need
.. To be able to iink the sounds of her
'lnguage to letters of the alphahet.
.. To be able to write these letters.
.. To use her kn<)w]"d,re of the ,,;orld and of
her language to extran meaning trom written
text and to give meaning to her own \wiring.
+- To use a variety of str:1tcgics to recognize
words, somc>times instantly through their
pattern or her f:nniliariry .\vith then}, or
her ability to work them out.
Finally, once she can read and
write, she will need
+- To explore how is used to dfc>cr to
convey meamng .
.. To discovc>r accur;1te of spelling ,yords
based on regular and irregular patterns.
.. To explore rhrongh her o\'.'n writing and
reading the different tGrms that text can take,
i.e. stories of fact and fiction. poems, letters.
diary entries. hooks and q) on.
.. To explore the use of pllncmation as a
mc;ms of helping both and writing to
become more
Throughout th;, hook you will tlnd activities to
support all these strands oflearning, and each of
them builds one upon the other until they all
combine to contribute to the reading and
writing that your child do.
Although there has been a vast amount of
research in the fields of reading Jnd writing,
are still ,omcwhat in the dark as to how it all
comes together. Increasingly there seew-S to be
some support for children being encouraged to
learn how to read through their own writing,
and this approach is one rhat Montcs'ori schoob
for children under the age of six have rollo\vcd
since they were founded. Dr. "v1omc,sori was
probJbly the first educationalist to suggest that
child, with sufficiem knowledge ofletter-sound
correspondence, would tlnd it easier to write
down her own thoughts as a first step rather
than read the thought, of others. She said in The
Dis(OFcry Clf the Child:
~Friril1g is del/fl0pcd ill the small (hild Pasil)' and
'!'ontallfotlsly, ill The
also a motor
lain:
HmVC\Tr, it is worth noting that she
also suggests children who do
not have good hand-eve coordi-
nation may prefer to read first
because they may find the act of
writing too onerous. What is certain
is that both writing and reading
are fused together in a kind of
dance, the presence of one
ing the other.
LE FT Help your child at the right time and
in the right way and he will enjoy
discovering the different ways that words
can be spelled.
To understand how it is possible for \"Titing
to precede we could look at a simple
version of the two rroce,ses.
\'(lriting using [his model appears to be
closer to spoken language than to reading, and
more immcdi1tely accessible. From child's
point of view. to the sounds she hears
in her head and working out which letter she
will need for each sound requires only a little
knowledge. In these verv early days
young children are not concerned with accurate
spelling and many do not particularly care
,vhether you can read what they have written or
not. (You will soon get used to trambting what
they have written.) They are jnsdiably proud of
the fact they can wTite and that seems enough.
Having begun to words into their
component parts, it is a verY short step for your
child to read what she has written. She will do
this pardy from memory and partly from a
growing of the way that she has made
the word in the first place.
Throughout the book you will find activi-
ties that require your child to acquire specitlc
information: the name of an object, the shape
and sound of a lener. [he of a word.
Reading
When we read, we look at text that has been written
by someone else. We start with something
unl<nown.
in order to read we look at the print and try to figure
out what the word is. We may do this by letter-
sound correspondence, which we must then fuse
together by recognizing the word as a whole
or by guesswork.
Having identified the word we must cast
back and forth in our minds to give it a
meaning. and this will depend on our own
experiences, the context in which the word
appears and the role it plays in the sentence.
I When we need to help children to associate a
name and an object together in a Montessori
cla"ronm, we follow a procedure which we call
The Three Period Lesson (it is so called bEcause
I the lesson falls into three dimnct stages). The
amount of time spent on each period will
depend on your child - usually. hOWC\Tr, most
! time is devoted to the second stage since this IS
when child practices as)ociaring the object
and name together. It is a simple procedure,
which can be applied to almost :myrhing once
you have it.
I The three period lesson
Usuallv about three different objects are intro-
duced during the lesson.
Stage 1
Place one of the objects in iront of your child
! and say its name clearly. Do the same for each of
the other two objects.
This stage is characterized by the words 77,is
is a ..
Stage 2
Place all three ohjects together and ask for one

DEV LOPIN .-\ l'v10 ORl ApPROACH

DE\, E LOP I N G /\ 1\1 0 r-,,; T E S S 0 R I Ap P lZ- 0
of them by name. Once your child has identi-
fied the object you want, mix all three up
together :md ask for another one. Repeat this
until she is able to identify the objects swiftly
when you ask for them. her to
repeat the name of the object after you from
time to time, but don't at this poine ask her to
try to remember the name. Keep chis stage
interesting and fun by varying the reqLiests you
make, and keep them short so that her attention
is not distracted by the command.
This stage is chJncrerizcd by the words Gil'P
me the.,., Show me the ... , Put the "., Hold the,."
TOuch the., , Point to rhe ..
Stage 3
Point to one of the ohjcC'ts and ask your child if Before we move on to the nexe chapter, it's
she knows its name. Do the same for thc other
two objects. Repeat this step a few times Lintil i because it
she is really convinced that she does know the
lumes of the objects.
This stage is characterized bv the words i appears to be limitlc:ss in the amount that
vVhat this? Do yNi whar rhis is?
The lesson follows logical process, which i Inlprcs~ions.
helps children objects and ideas; and
through a more tlexible application, it can also
be used to great etTect in learning any new
knowledge.
The first stage clearly sets Out the parame-
ters of what is to be learned.
The second stage gives your child time to
actively connect the new information to her
own experience. If you don't give this phase
long enough, she may not have had enough
time to gain the new knowledge. she is
unable to remember the names of the objects
during the third phase, this usually means she
has not spent enough time lea~ning them
properly in the second
The third stage heips your child to identif)'
what she now knows that she didn't know
before. To know that vou know eives confi-
dence. When we are se~ure in our ~knO\'dcdge,
we tend to use it as a springboard for further
exploration - your child may use her new
knowledge to extend her ideas and experiences
in ways that you haven't yet thought of]
Should your child not be able to tell you in
the last stage what she has learned, or if she gets
verv muddled in second stage, don't worry -
simply tell her what the object is and bring the
lesson to a plrasant clme. It doesn't matter l You
will have many, many more oppormnitiC's to try
again on a different day. This activity is not a test
i that must be passed; it's simply a good way
i of helping children learn particular concepts.
Following the developmental
route
worth remembering that what follows works
account of the develop-
ment of your child,
.. The tremendous power of a mind
take on board, particularly through sensory
.. Periods that relate to specific
developments in the ,vay tb::tt a child's mind is
formed. In particuiar, scnsiti,'ities to
:l1oVC'mcnt, order, social dcve'lopment ;md the
developmcnt of perception through sensory
expcnences.
.. A strong urge tor indC'pendencc
.. A desire to communiCltc
.. .A strong desire to find purposeful activity or
"work."
i All of these can be nunured in a loving and
supponive enVlfonment, an enVIronment ill
which adults mmt recognize that, if thev are to
be successful in helping their child to learn to
I read and write, they must follow the lead of their
child. She is unique on this earth, someone \vho
has never been before nor ever will be again,
i the way you 1nove! You Fnay
CHAPTER THREE
paring the way
you prepare yom child to read and write,
role \"-111 be rather like that of a
,0ndllClor rc.hcar'ing an orchestra tor a concert,
She will need to draw on manv cliffC'rcnt pieces
of knowiedge, and in order to do so, you will
need to help her interpret and slot the dispafJte
pieces together in the correct way so that she
can succeed.
As parent you have a unique advantage
over teachers. You are natural e>duc:1tor and
you have a very special rrlatiomhip with your
child. You know her in a wav that a teacher
never C:ln: you und~'rsI3nd her 1n:::.rc~ts and
humor. You have rim_es when you can be
together witham the diseraction of ocher
children and wirhocr timetahle to tollow.You
know that your child is man'clous, and all
children thrive in an 3tmo,phcrc of love and
Pablo Casal.s in Joys and Sorr,1I1'( C'xprcssed it
well:
Each second we li~'e is a new and 'mi'lu/'
a moment that n.ever
was before alld I1fl'(r !I)i/l be ag,1in And u!har do
lUI' teach our 111 Hie them
rhat and 111-'0 make jOllr and thar Paris is
the ral'itaior France, lYe shmlid say fa them: Do
you
are Imi'lue. In all the ,{'orld illiTt 110 other
child exactly like you. L-ind 1001, at your body -
it is! Vil1lr leE-', your arms, your
11Namr a Shakesrrarc, a ,'\1iri7rlal1gf'io, a
BeethovClt. Ynu haw the (,lrari!y J11' anything
Yes, you are a marl'ri.
From the very beginning of life your child has
learned many things trom you, by 1nd
:iltening to you, bv being with you and by
sharing her life with you, She learned them
simply by living. You can help prepare her for
reading and writing in the same way.
What makes children want to read
and write?
Your child will want to read and ,vnte if she sees
that you C'njoy writing, JUSt as she
learned to speak bcc;msc you spoke to her, so she
will WaIl[ to read and write if it is lomcthing that
she sees rhat you do. This means thar she needs
EO see you enjoying good read or writing in
the natLiral course of the dav so that she will
come to realize it is something cnjovahle that
you do tor yourself. This is not to say that vou
have to be seen only "good" literature or
writing a sonnet I It won't matter to your child
what it is that VOl! like reading: light
fIction, nineteenth-century novels, comICS,
poetrv or the sports pages, Nor wili it maner EO
her whae it vou like Writing: lists, letters, notes,
crosswords, word puzzles, competition Entries or
poetrY. Just seeing you read and write will make
aU the difference.
The other single most important factor in
helping your child EO read and write is to read to

i D ELOP!!',;G i\ ,\rio OR; PROACt--i PREP_,\R[!:'G THE WAY 39

her. Read \vhencvcr you can and whatever you
can - but don·t read Jnnhins boring. Read to
her at least once a day and continue to do this
for as long as evervone enjoys it. One family I
know still reads togerher c,nd the children are
now 12 and 14 years of age respectivelyl
There are many children and aduits in the
world who are unable to read and write and,
tragicallv, there arc even more who can read :md
write but never choose to do so. Don't let that
be the tate of your child. From the very begin-
ningvou need to a love of the printed
word in all its forms. You need to help create a
desire in her to become a reader and a writer.
and the best time for this is before the age of
SlX, during the period that is the most formative
of their lives.
at home
H:lving a book is rather like having a passport
that allows you to travel without ever leavmg
home: it can take you to another country and
can transport 'lOU eirher b:lckward or forward in
time. Books can make you laugh om loud and
they can make you sad; they can help you
llucin'f;llld more about yourself and more
about other people; and they can help you
nuke sense of personal situJrioIlS or help vou
discm'cr new facts ;cbout the world. Books call
also help us co fInd om things for
we can have access to evervthing that has ever
been written down should we require iI.
Fil1dil7g a place to read
You will need to identify at least one place ill
the house where you will be comfoft:1hle
enough to read to your child on a rcgubr basis.
i\ comfy sofa or large armchair in the living
room is often a convenient place, :mci it can also
be useful co have a comfortable SDot in
bedroom., too. Tty to have a se!ectio; of books
close to the place or places you have chosen as
your reading Spot or SpOts.
Pk R! '"'IG \Vi\Y
\\Then your child is very young, create a
small bookshelf at her own height so that she is
able to choose books for herself when she w:mts
to read. Children can choose books long betore
they can walk, so the shelf shouidn't be very
high, If you don't have room tor a shelf, prop
some books on the t100r up against rhe wall,
making sure the IrOnt cover of each book is
visible it's nearly impo"ihlc tor child!'cn to
choose books when they can only the spine.
You'll find that when books are swred with
onlv the spine showing they will tend to end up
in a heap on the noor more often than nor,
because children pull off the shelf as they
hunt for the cover of the book they have in
mind. Change the selection of books rl'0111 rime
to time, too, making sure that the favorite one at
that particular time always remains. to have
least one book of poems and rhymes and one
factual hook on the shelf at anyone time.
display the books, you will have fewer
than YOU actually own, but as vou change them
around you'll soon discover what your child·s
particular tastes are, which ones she likes and
which, tor the time being or even ever. do
not appeaL
If you put a little shelf in her bedroom,
arrange a few soft pillows, a rug or beanbag
nca.rby; everyone needs to be comfortable ABOVE If you want to encourage your child to read, try to between YOU and your child. It is a very rare
organize a small "reading corner" in the living room. AU occasion tbe a chiid will not want to listen to a
they read. Some children like to stretch Out on
you'l[ need are some low shelves that he can reach by
the floor to look at books, and all children like himself and a comfortable place to sit, story!
to sit on their parem's lap, You can sIart to read stories to your child
shortly after she born, Younger siblings are
Reading together CClnvcying. If vou orJy have one child in the otten verY lucky as thev get to listen to stories
Read aloud as often as you possibly can to your family, this is quite easY to do: but when you trom birth. As adults we teel a bit strange
child, and at least once a day. Reading a story have lnore than one, a certain amount of looking at a book with a child who is not
out loud is a shared experience and it is organization is essential so that no one feels talking, but children of ,lIlY age can appreciate
important that she teels included. Physical left out. books. In any event, start reading as soon as you
comaCt often vital and both of you must be Reading together has a value that goes feel able w.
able to look dt tbe book at the same time. beyond rhe simple experience of reading a Here are a few simple tc,"hn'ql1cs to help
Pictures are an important means of engaging book. It is possible that IS the your child learn to handle books. Spend a little
her attention and in the he ginning ,hey will onlv shared activity in day for busy, working time prJCficing them with your tv'io-vear-old
help her to visuaiizc \vh:!t it that the text is parents and II can help create a special bond and she will take very good care of her books.
PI\RING THE WAY 41

the pages of a book
Your child will \yam to begin [0 turn pages
herself very quickly, so ,how her hm\' to do it.
Children sometimes try to use their whole
hand to scrunch up the page and turn it, or they
may hold the page close to the spine, which
quickly leads to split pages, Show her how to
litt the top or bottom corner of the right-hand
page bel:\veen her thumb and index finger, then
slide the whole hand under the page you
turn it tl'om right to left. Practice this together.
Board books, illtho1lgh ,turdv, arc too thick for
the pages to be turned properlY so you will
need to show her how to do this with ordinary
books.
Carrying a book
Show your child how to carry a book using
PREPARING TH \Vr\Y
ABOVE Take time to show your child how to turn the pages
of a book (or get an older friend to show him), It wiU
foster his tove of books, as he sees exciting new pictures
emerge each time he turns the page,
i two hands to grasp both sides firmlv, Children
will often hold only the trOnt or back cover,
causing rest of the pages to flap about.
Ll'arning to put a book back
011
shelf
I If your books are propped up with the cover
' facing out vou will need to show her how co put
the base of the book fi-1Ither out than the walL
then tilt the top edge of the book back on to
wall, If vou have books' spines
you can show her how to make room for the
book betore trying to slot it into place, This
pf'2Vcnts one book being forced on [Op of
another.
With experience, your toddler will get to
know which way up a book goes, how to turn the
pages and in which direcrion they ,houtd :-urn,
and how to return it all by herself to the shelf
'-X1hen your child begins to go offby herself
and choose a book, gets comtortable and starts
to look through It in a world of her own, you
know that you have succeeded in creating a
reader - a child who chooses to read, A child
who hal knmvledge of the hooks have
to otTer. She is a child who understands rhat the
'llustrati01ns ;md print carry a message for her to
enjoy. When you see that the book is the right
way up, that the content is being studied and
that the pages are being turned in the right
dirt'ction, you know that YOU have achieved the
single most important step in helping her to
read and write,
Choosing a book
When choosing books for your child.
that a loved book is one that YOU
wii! read many times over. It important that
you are not bored by it. as she will ask for it
time and time again. If the story, or the pictures,
seem lifeless or dull. give the book awav to
'omcone '.vho may appreciate id If the book is
a gitt. don'[ feel bad about putting it away for
later. prohahly much Iater.Your child needs to
listen to books that you value and love; never
read a book out of duty. Trust your own
~l1dgmcnt - if you think book is boring, it
the
proh;]bly is,
There is nothing wrong with telling your
child that there afe some books that do not
appeai to you or books you feel are not well
WrItten, I have a real Jve"jon tor the sugarv-
sweet, ,Emmed-down of children's
classics that have been re-written in order to
cash in on the larest carmon release, They seem
to me to be very badly written, lacking in any
real emotion;]] coment and otten inaccunte, My
children, on the other hand, quite like the
pictures hecause they recognize them from the
cartoon and all the other merchandising
offs they find in the stores, I would rather read
the original versions to them when they are a
little older.
Because children enjoy the same book over
and over again they very quickly remember all
the words, If you are reading last thing at night
to your child, do not be tempted to paraphrase
book because you are anxious to get to the end,
Nor should you attempt to miss out certain
pages to get it over and done with, If you do,
I you will have to rely on your memory every
tIme you read the story again, Worse still, if your
partner takes over the rca ding f()[ one night he
or she will discover that the version your child
wants to hear bears little actual relation to the
story in the book l
Be clear before you begin how much you
are going to read,With small children the stories
tend to be quite short and you can decide
together whether you read one or two, Once
you are reading books with chapters, you will
have to agree on the number of chapters you
will read per night. Your child ,vill always wam
to hear just one more chJptcr and you can
explain to her that this is sign that the book is
written by a verv good author. The only other
hazard you have to avoid when reading to your
child at night is falling asleep before she does,
and there are no tips that I can recommend to
help you avoid doing that!
your child grows older and really begins to
listen to the words of the story, look at the primed
words on the page and ask her open-ended
questions about what she thinks might happen
and what she believes the characters might be
thinking, This will encourage her to give active
attention to the story, and active participation of
this kind has been shown to have a good effect on
I reading ability in young children,
PREPARI01G THE W,~y 43
 It's also good to discus' the mc~ning of some
words as you come w them so that she under-
stands both the and the look of the
word.
When words repeated as part of the
repecition of the story, let your child begin to
help you say them. This is especially easy if the
words rhyme.
D(~ve~lojJm,g a love of the way
larlgllag;e works in books
you read to your child over the years, she
will develop an undcrstJnding of the way
language is med in stories and the form which
stories take. Book bnguagc is different
ti-om spoken hnguage and has its own rhythms
and styles. Children soon begin to realize that a
swry begins with words that set the scene and
build ;mticipation, words mch as "Once upon a
tin,e," and "Long ago," are favorites for older
children, while often for younger children a
more direct introduction is made. They also
begin to tmdersrand how a story ends: that
there is always some kind of resolution, [he
cqni','alcm of";md they all lived happily ever
after" or simply "the end." Writers use many
other ways to help them predict what is coming
next and children grasp all of them as they are
read to. In reading stories 'iNrittcn by six-year-
olds. I notice that manv of them seem to start
with "One day," and all are brought to a conclu-
sion, sometimes very ahruptlv'
Book hnguage is much more descriptive
and more Thyrhmical than spoken language. A
good book will help your child, through its use
of words h~lild pictures in her mind.When
1Il speech would you ever say the following,
from The IYlwles' Song by Dyan Sheldon and
her a
'Once lipon a time,' she said, 'the ocean was
.filled il'ith !lJilalcs. TIley as h(g as the hills.
Tiley "'CIT as as the moor!, They llJere
PRE!' /\ it: N C E \VA.Y
the mOSi fl'ondr(Jus ),(1U ((luld C1-'cr
1111(1,51i11(,.'
books can also give children experiences
that will help them to move on to more
complex forms of books as they
The author Mem Fox describes how in her
book :\J'1gir she deliberately bcgim with.
"Once upon a time ..." in order to link it to all
the stories children will have heard before they
read her story, and those stories that will come
after. She also makes Possum ;\1agic an archetypal
quest swry, in preparation tor the nnny '1~lCSt
stories that children will meet in the future. such
as Homer's Gdpsc)' the Arrhuri;m legend;;.
It is worth mentioning that children also like
the sensa,ions that a book otters. The size of a
book, the smell the type of paper that the
book 15 printed on, the illustrations, all these
clements play their parr. There no doubt that
some books make J. deeper impression on
children than others. and in part this can be due
to the fact that more senses have been ~lrouscd
by these books [han just the ear and the eye.
The importance of illustration
Illustrations play an enormousiy imporunt role
as vour child listens to vou read and begins to
read herself. Good illustrations will help her to
work out what is happening in story. The
vounger your child is, the more vital the
pictures are: it is very often the p1ctures that first
fix her attention on a book, and she will use
them to help her to predict wha[ the story line
Helpful illustrariom will clearly ,hmv what is
h:lppcDlng in the text. Long before your child
can read she will sit down with a book, study
the pictures and use them as a way of "reading"
the storv. It is possible [() see children as young
as 18 months doing this, and by the time they
RIGHT Book illustration should be inspiring and absorbing
- like this one from The Whale's Song by Dyan Sheldon
and Gary Blythe. Pay as much attention to the quality of
, the illustration as you do to the text.
 are about nvo, you '\vill ,,)()1l1crin1C'\ bear them pictures, and atter one or two pictures are able human anions at this age and can put and last well, although they can be difficult to

telling a story to go along with the
There are very good pIcture books for
young children - some use photogr:1phs and
some illustrations. Try to find sorne that tell a
story using pIctures onlv, then your child can
help you to tell the story ~nd also '''read'' it to
herself and others,
Illustrations can also inspire children to
create artwork of theil' own, so it's a good idea
to choose books with beautiful examples of
different I'm not in the least artistic
but many have appealed both to and the
chIldren that I have known, and I have listed
them later m this book, in Chapter 9,
l\rt activities
You can use a good book iilustraticlJ) as a model
for your child to look at to Geate her own
picture - all you'll need to supplv is some
dnd penCIls in lots of jolly colors), or
a small hlackbmrd and chalk<;, The fact that you
have chosen i]]\1stLltion from;) rook to act as
your inspir;Hion fmv in turn inspire her to tell
her own swries using pictures alone, She may
also decide co :md pm her own words w
her <m:work. Depending on her ahilitv to write,
vou may down words as she dictates
them, she may put "marks" on her own illustra-
tion or she rnay vvrite a {e\v vvords or \vhole
story to go with it.
In some books the illnstl':ltious tell the story
in more detail th:m the words, and can be
particular tor your voung child. For
example in classic book by Pat Hutchins,
R,'sie 5 H41k, the story very simply teils us of
Rosie's '\v-alk h0l11e through the farrnyarrl to :he
hen house. The humor of the story lies with
~1hFrrJrionsJ vvhich sho\v the disJstrnus :1ttcrnpts
of Ihe fox to Rosie as she on,ohliv-
once
lnentions the ~rc')cnce of the
jokes contJined in the
co anticipate the of the fox.
A guide to the content of
children's books
To help you to get to know the choice of books
J\'aibHe for young children I would recom-
mend that you join your local library. Librarians
are trained to kno\v what is :n;aibhlc for young
children and should be able to suggest tirles for
your child that will revolve
they also have :lCcess to all the latest tides.
Libraries also sometimes have storytelling
sessions tor young children, and other events
that revolve around books, all of which can be
fun to attend. \vllen your child is around three,
she may be able to have her own library card.
Recent studies show that children seem to
benefit most from text that is slightly more
complex than theIr own speech, and that they
love to hear lllore complex voc;::thulary than
they themselves use
A good rule of thumb to tallow is that the
tlit' child, the more realistic tlie content
should be. Trv to limit the fantastic and
grotesque stories umil your child is six or over-
many of the traditional Brothers Grimm or
Hans Christian Andenon fairy rales are more
understanding of the differences between the
two. Around the age of four most children will
start to tell you the between
something that is pretend and s()n~cthing that is
real. Mv own children identitled the
by adding the words "in true life" when [hey
were speaking of something really had or
could happen. Around the of six, children
clearly to enjoy the tensions that come
\rvith adventure have a really
good
to ;tpprcciatc the ""rightness" or "\yrongncss1' of
th(':nsc]ve~into the position of others, so they
arc ready tor this kind oflitcr:lturc.
Choose conrent for your child that is life-
affirming and that helps to explore the
facers of her world and extend
her :mdcrstanding of it. Repetition cmd rhyme
are also important factors in choosing books
that appeal to this age group.
What follows is a rough guide to the type of
content that children may be
according to their age. There is a fuller list of
books you may tlnd useful in the book, in
Chapter 9.
Up to Two
Very young children will \vam to go backward
as often as they wam to go torward when they
look book. The pictures win catch their
attemion. This is absolutel,- in the early
stages they need tirne to comprehend chat a
story has a hcgmning, mlddle and end.
Try to toilow your child's Jlthough
not p0inting
the illmtT<ltion,s and
talking about them, then look 3t more
complex aspens of the dnwings.You em art<lch
a little story to the dr:l\vings dcscr:bing what
is haprening in them. The next step is to
summanze rexr dnd eventually vou will be able
to read the text.
to set aside a panicular time each day on
a regular basis for "reading" and don't be disap-
p01nrcd if she loses interest quickly. Songs and
rhymes will be \'ery popular at this stage, and
'well-illustnted books which contain those
songs and rhymes fanliliar to your child can be
helpful.
Books rontdining photogr:lphs of well
known evervday objects and can ;Ilm be
of interest this age. Particularly popular are
"flap" books thar reveal all manner or things
hiding under the t1ap. Board books are swrdv
manage wh,:n your child begins to want to turn
the pages.
Two to Three
Books that expand the range of nursery rhymes
and poems that they already know are partiCL1-
lady popular with this group, as are everyday
events made into stories. Subject matter that
centers on things that happen in and around
horne will help your child's sense of securi(y
. develop as she finds herself able to predict what
bppens in her life. Look out tor books that
your environment, whcrher it be inner
and so on.
You should now be storics with
simple plot that will be learned bv
heart. Don'c try to skip any pages!
Rememher to look factual books as well
as tlcrional one,_
Three to Four
Stones should conrinue to follow [he everyday
haprc:nings of your child. At this stage
,:n!1[C!1[s of some of her books should not only
support and confirm her knowledge but aiso
stretch it.Trv to tind :lCCuLlte, inf0rmJrive hooks
based :lroul1d your child's interests. she will
now be cunous to till out what she knows with
much more detail. Books that deal wi(h
emotions are also very helpful for children of
this age group, as are chose that help her deal
with new situations. q1ch preschool,
going to the doctor or havmg a new brother or
sister. Humor tends to he enJoyed if it is of the
>\;Jap<:;tick" variety.
Four to Five
Now your child needs books to help develop
understJnding of the \vorld, books that open
\vlnoo\vs infO other pc('\p1c's liYes, ho'.,v they
and what they do. Stories should be getting
longer wich more complex storv lines, and

+6 PRE KINe THE \VAY

PR THE WP,Y
should have more than pictures so that thev
can be read aloud. Provide lots of reierence
books. You will also need to search for books
that she can start to try to read and remember.
She is more likely to read about some'thing she' I dav.You will be
is interested in than something that is easy.
Choose bOOKS where the bnguage is simple but
well written. Humor hecomes even more
important now than it was before children are I • Help your child to see lI'hirh
able to identif.j when 'omcthing pre'dictable is I you read. In the Western wodd children need to
used in an unpredictahle or inappropriate way,
and rherefore enjoy more subtle sense of
humor. Many poems offer children the chance
to appn:(iate a m01'e humorous vit'w of life and
also t'xet'llent for the heginning rt'ader.
Five to Six
Your child ,hould now be able to enjoy longer
books with tewer pictures and more complex
plms: you could start to read books that have
chapters. She will apprecia,e books that give
instructions on hO','1 to make things or do
experiments, dnd an atlas and perhaps first
clictlOnary could be useful additions to her
library. Humorous poetry will be enjoyed, too.
particularly where there are subtle \vord plavs
which affect the mc;ming of tht' mbjecr matter.
Books by Roald Dahl also brilliant for this
group.
Raising children's awareness of
print
Alongside the sheer pleasure of teading to your
child, vou can take the opportunity to help her
to become aware of "print" itself the more
;lware she is of it. the more this knowledge \vill
support her when she comes to read and write.
In drawing attention to print in the
books that you read, to avoid making
::-eading into a tormal teaching experience. And
nO[ to spoil the How of the story or the
special magic of the moment simply to point
OUt, for CX;tn1rle, the use of a capita 1 letter!
PREPA1~ING HE \VAY
i As always, respond sensitively to vour child. whether all the print on the page looks the
I If she seems imerested in spending some time same. Point out when capitalleaers are used
looking at "print" then do so: if she is singularly after periods or D)[ names.i\sk her how can
lacking in curiosity aboH[ it, ~ave it tor another tell vvhen son1cone is '\pe~king.
to her almost every day
tor at least six years and during this time many Becoming aware of print in the
of the points below will arise quite naturally. environment
The printed word is found evcrv,,,-hcre in our
environment.Your child is constantly absorbing
all the aspects of the world in which she lives
know that print is read from lett to right and and it will not take her very long to work out
from top to hottom. One of the ways that vou that print symholizes bnb,1age.
I can show this is to let your Hnger run along You can help by explonng it ,\lith her in the
the page as you read. Only do this from t'lffie to (ollmving
I time, however, and be carerul not to let it inter- • ~Fririllg ),otlr rhild's name of the
fere with the rhvthm and pace of the text as most potent ways of dmll'iug her aftel111011
you read. She will soon irritated if it does! Use her name in appropriate places around the
.. Tell her who the Explain that the house, for instance on her bedroom door. Or
author is the person who thought up the storY you can \vrite het name on the refrigerator
and wrote it down; explain what an illu"rator is. door in letters and on special items
• H'I1fIl yuu read to your child, don)tjust start of clothing. The possihilities are t'ndless.
i where thc'h'ry ,tarts. Read the title of the book.
ABOVE Making your
then the names of the amhor and the
child actively aware of
illustntor. Show her where this information the print in her
environment is easy
can be found. If there is a dedic?tl0n. read this
and fun. This little girl
I and e:\:plain to her \vhat a dcdicltlon me:1ns. can already recogniz"
the different kinds of
• Do the sillne with any poetry that you read. Look
print her mother has
at the different lavout of the words, check taken from a
where the title of the poem written and newspaper and is now
cutting up individual
where the poet's name is. letters to glue them on
• Look ourIor the i!!/Cml1dtien rages. The contems to paper to spell out
an important message
! page, chapter page numhers - her name!
can all glVe you a great deal of
information aboLl[ the book.
• Study the words on the page as you read. If you
I read a long word, find it on the page al"ld have
a look at it. If you read a very short word, do
the same thing. Ask your child to [ell you
which of the written words is the long word
i that you have Just read.
• Study !rokingjor ,mf thing
ar Ii time. Look at periods and ask what thev are
for. Find question marks. Ask her to tell you
PREPARING TH \,'vAY
 .. Let her ruT out ail the letters in her name from
al1d nC1!'Spal'CfS- This will enahle her
to notice all the cliffcrc:1t of writing these
letters. Let her choose which she likes
best and glue them down to make her name_
.. Children quickly become thor print is
10 idi'l1tify Store names,
foodstuffs and signpoS[5 arc jnst a few examples
that your child will encounter on daily basis.
/\s you go out and about with her, look at
these names :md p0im them out to heL When
you are in the superm~rkc[, ask her to collect
well-known items and use the opportunity to
poim out the names on the labels_
.. Draw or cut nUT mad signs. !'v1ake t\yo sets to
playa simple game with vour child. Turn all
the cards face down and see if you can find
pairs bv taking it m turns to turn up t\Vo cards
at a time. The one who gets it right gets to
keep the pair; the one who gets it wrong turns
her cards face down again.
on
.. Play this l.'Crsion spy. Choose the first
letter of your child's name and how manv
tImes you can things that 'Nith the
letter when you are out for a walk. Choose
other letters on other days.
Collect Il'hen you ill rhe post
uffice or bank. Keep similar forms that get sem
through the post. Your child will have fun
filling them in l
FX1.lmining print your child should alW1.lys
be ?urposeful part of a wider exploration
of l:ing\lage. \Vhat vou must not, under any
circuill<;tJnCCS, do is pTovide ;'f]ashcards~' for her
to learn by he;1rt. One farnily I attached
primed names t.O all the items offurnitnre in
,helr house in hope that, as their toddler
h:mped into them. she would focus on the
printed word and learn it. This is at best sad and
1.1 real misconceptlOn of the role that the orinted
word plays in reading. ' knows and the world that she is ilTI1.lgining.
Print is only v:11u;:1hle ifit conveys mC3TIlng
! to your child learning isolated mc:mingle"
words has no value at all. Children do not
become readers for the ple;lmre of decoding
words. Thev of course, learn to recognize
words on paper. and their minds have such
fantastic capacity that they will, if you make
them, recognize words taught in this wav. But
what value do they have; Will they help her
choose to read when Ihe time comes or will
they simply make her precocious?You will be
wasting vJluahlc: reading time if your trv to
teach her in this way. Print conveys meJning Jnd
meaning must connen with experience of life
i to have any value. Kr:o\vlcdgc unacr')tJnd--
ing of the world is of vital importance in your
child's conquest of reading and writing.
Why your child needs knowledge
and understanding of the world to
help her read and write
\Vhenever your child reads or read to. she
focuses her ;lttention, not on the words
! themselves, hut on the that lies behind
the words. Children when they read are in search
of me:ming. In order tor your child to grasp the
(~"cnce of \vords theretore, ;;;he must have
j ,h8ping and structuring of the form languagc
ences that corn:'spond to the that hears
or reads. She does not need to know ail there is
to know_ but lllust have
to make some sense out of them. No child can
does
there is a \yondcrful floT<\Tring
of imagmation. This Dowering is valuable for
children whether they are interpreting words
written by c1sc or trying to \\Tite dO,\\Tn
their own words. It is in the "gap" bet\veen the
words on the paper and your child's own experi-
I
ence that something and creative
able to reflect
upon the resonance hctwC'en the world [lut ,he
"Vhat your child will get out of d book will
depend very much on what she brings to it. In
addition t.O general of the
world. she will bring her own preferences,
tasIe" interests, humor :md hum:mity. Who said
listening to stories was ('1.151'0
You can help by making sure that you take
her out and about and give her experiences of
the world that she can talk about and have all to through experience.
herself. Incontrovertible! Take her out at night :
to look at rhe stars; SIt in the park when the
grass has just been mown: listen to the rumble
of the trucks thev go down your street: taste
lemons. Let your child explore the world
through her very own experiences - you can't
sn'lell mo"\vn grass on tclcvl"10n~
Developing language
Experiences need bnguage :lr:d needs
to be precise, varied, fia'-orsome, structured and
rhythmical.
Your child's ability to use spoken bngu1.lge is
the foundation upon which all other torms of
will rest. The importance of helping
her to develop a good \-ocahubrv cannot be
·m;1crC'stimatcd. Of equal importance is the
takes. its and texture and
quality of her LmguJ.gc development will
depend very largely on the kind of speech that
she hears in her social environment.
Children love words. they love the sounds of
words and. dare say, they love the taste of them.
They want to know the names for everything
that surrounds From a very earlv age they
point and ask, "Wots dat?," or simplv raise the
tone of their voice in a quC'stion, "f-Iuh?"
There IS no limit to the number of words
that vour child take on board, nor is there
anv limit to the length of words that she can
understand. She may nm, of course, be able to
produce a long word accurately for herself. but
this does not mean she lacks understanding of
its meaning. Recentlv there has been a sugges-
tion that the size of our adult vocabulary can be
predicted by the number of words that filter
through us during the tirst three years of life_
Reciting the dictionary to your child everv
morning is not, howe,-cr, going to achieve the
desired effect. Words must have meaning, even if
the meaning needs refining and developing
To help you can:
i .. Use your II'rll. Use
different words to describe events, feelings, tastes,
: in short everything. \Ve sometimes Iny when
we choose words to describe experiences.
.. Ttl1'oln' yt~ur rhild in rl{S
-,1rilm day". Talk through what you are doing.
Ask questions. Use llllcsrions to build 10gic~1
thinking. "What shall we do next'." "What do
we needo,""How many shall we buy?" I used to
I tell mv three-month-old child that I was going
out of the room for a short while and would be
back.i\lthough I knew he didn't the
words. I'm sure he understood the message.
.. Give
.. Play games that acr·rl"f'l11f11l.
See pages 52-53 for some ideas.
"P~ A
thev were three and four was to use unconven-
tIonal words to replace name-calling. "You
teapot. you glass of milk, you empty sugar
bowl!"\Vhen we began, the words we used
were alw;rys randomly chosen hut gradmily, as
\ve became better at it. thev had to be conncct-
ed. All their anger very oIten d,,,mr)('1.l'CCd in
ho\vls ofl::-iughtcr as each chiLi to
tind more and more bizarre words to hurl at
the other.
If vour child is redding and is faced with a new
w~rd. her mind will JutomJtically select aU the
meanings that she kn0\vs that cO\1kl be connect-
to the word. One of these will be chosen as

50 RIC E "l'/ A Y E W
PREPARl,'JC
"nr,-or,-;",,' based on other clues conrained in I obey: when it isn't preElced by "Simon says,"
the sentence. A child with a poor grasp of you must nor obey.
vocabularv will draw a blank very easily. Simon says "Touch your thumb." Child does
Equally, a child who has been used to hearing so.
quite complex sentence structures will use her Simon says "Bring the milk pitcher." Child
knnvvlecige to get at the meaning of semences. does so.
Cnmmatical and syntactical knowledge will "Turn your head."
help her to predict the meaning of words and Child does nor do
unlock the meaning of Sf'ntf'nces. so.
Children's use ofhnguage helps in other
ways, too. Without necessarily having a I Naming the
kn()wiedc:e of nOLlns or verbs, etc .. a child can parts of objects
often predict what kind of word is she is Take a single object
looking for trom the place it occupies in the and see if you can
sentence. For ,;xample: Rachael dortrand the name all the pans on
boat. A child who hasn't come across the word it. Choose anything
dortrand before will search for words that that you can stand in
have some kind of "action" to them. This is front of for instance
based on her deep knowledge of the particu- car: radiator, door,
lar word order in English: she knows she is \vheel, steering
h11l1ting for a verb. vvheel. rearvie\v
Here some games you can play to help mirror and so on. ABOVE Choose an everyday
object such as a door and
with bnguage development. see how many of its parts
Guess the object you can name. Here you'll
find a handle, lock. door-
Naming objects Age: around 4
frame, knocker, fanlight,
This is like a treasure hunt.You name an object You will need number and panels.
and your child has to find it and bring it to large bag or
vou. blindfc)]d. Pur several different but
You can choose to ask for objects into the bag ifyou're using that instead
objects, such as a corkscrew, ladle, or spaghetti of the blindtolcL If you're using the hlindfold,
tongs. put the objects on a table or orher surface.
How to Play
Naming your body Your child purs her hands into the bag and
Name all parts of the bodv. Don'tjust stick describes what she can feel \vithout actmlly
the ubvious one). Remember ,hin, instep, saying the name of the objecLYou try and
earlobe. cheekbone, shoulder hbde, cllf. etc. guess the name. Mer a while change places
vvirh other.
Simon Says the lllincHolci makes rhis game a
Once your child has acquired the voc~bulary, little simpler. particularlv if you put on the
both of the above games can be played as blindfold.Your child can look the object and
Simon Says. I trv to describe what she sees; you have (0 guess
It's easv to plaY: when a commanci
I what it is. After a while change places with
pref'1Ccd bv the words "Simon savs," you must each other.
Guess the word The question game
around -+ Age: aDou( 3 on
How to Play This game will help your child to develop
This is like a very silnple game of charades. relevant vOClhllbrv logical thought
You can do it with "actions" to begin with, structure around a theme well-known to them.
then later you can do it with prepomions. Even though the questions you ask should
You act out an action - for instance. hop. provoke logical ans'wers, they very often do
Your child guesses ,yhar the "vord is. If she not. Keeping her on the topic and gathering as
gets it right it's mrn. much inform anon as you can is quite an
You will find that she will alltorrntiC311y achievement. At the end of the questioning
choose a verb to name what you are cioing. period you can weave the informacion you
Start with very obvious things, then become have g:lthered into a story.
more subtle as you go along. Other actions Choose a simple event that she will have
you might use are: experience of. for example D:ldciy Nrltalie
~,kip,Jump, run, smile, laugh, cry, dance, think. sleep. baked a chocolate cake.
To play the game with prepositions. Ask her a series of Cjuestions around the
couple of toys from your child's collection, or event to build up as much background as you
you could act it our yourself ming your body can. Try to keep everything logicaL
and a chair, bed, table or
seems rnr}V!"'lf",t
Assume vou have small can
and a marble:
ask -
'W11fre is
Your child WliJ say, "In the can."
PUI the marl)l, on top of the lid ,~f the
and as/" 'Tl/licre is
Your child wiiJ say, "On the
can.
"Vllhere
Your child will say, "Next to the
or perhaps they will <ay,
"Beside can.
Continue until you have
exhamred all the possibilities, Take
turns.
RIGHT Playing Guess the Word can involve
a lot of activity - even if all you're showing
is ~'steep!"

p;,,:: R r N G
PRE P i\ R 1 (~"i H E \V ,\ Y
 If you start by asking qu eshons ;) bout the Chapter 9 for simple ideas on how to do this).
subject - Daddy and Nat:llie in case you She will enJoy looking through the pictures for
should receive information that will be useful many years to come.
for setting the scene. You can become quite :lci-,Tn1t:ln}US in
vVho is this srory all about? choosing your theme: you could draw the
IVhat do v:e know about them? sequence that neecls to be to;]owed to
Move on ro ask questions around the verb - in cookies or oat bars. Once your child has put
this case baking. This should be usel'l11 for them in order, she can stick them down or
gathering inform:ltion aronnd the action of the make a book out of them, and make the
story. Now ask tor iuformat;on dbont the cake. cookies following her recipe!
~Vhv were they baking a cake
How? ClassifYing
l/Vhen? Another type of game that helps your child
f·111crr? develop a "<;vider \'oClhlliary is one in which vou
IT/ith what? sort and classify objects that belong together.
f"l/7wt kind of cake? Children org:mi7t' and order their experiences
Finally ask some questions that wili bring all the time, along with the words that they jearn
abom a ,·onclmion. to describe them with.Yoll can prepare a whole
So wh.at iWl'pcncd iii the (11(/1 How did cuerymlf range of pictures or objects that could help them
JeeP to do this see Chapter 9 for more ideas.
The follm;;ing game "\vi11 also helr your child Classified cards
to seqllenC(~ events ~md ten stOry. Age: around 2 - 2112 on
You will need
Jlliaking a storyboard Collect a set of pictures that belong together.
Age: about 3 on For example, for younger children
You will need of objects from each room in a house;
Picrures you hlVC out of a or that possible, have one card that shows the room as
you have drawn. You don't need to be an artist, a whole.You could also use pictures of things
h0\Vc\"t:r - you (oulcl. for instance, llse in a street, in a park, in a supermarket and so
rhotogr:lphs of your chilcl during the course of on. On the back of each picrure
her dav: of her getting up, brushing her teeth, write the name of the object it contains. For
getting dressed :md so on. The important thing older children you could put together set of
is that rhe pict11res should form a J.TIything th:1t they \,-vere In:
How to Ploy motorbikes, wild animals. garden flowers.
,'\sk your child to place the pictures in the How to Ploy
she thinks they should go intG. Once If your cards are of rooms a house. start \'lith
m sequence, you can make up a storv one room - say the kitchen. Take out the picture
to go with them and she should be able to that shows the kitchen as a ·whoL,. Talk abom it.
help vou do this.
Now SflO",,; pictures of objects in the kitchen and
If you take photographs of your child's see how many your child name. Use the
you could make them into a book to create a cards as opportunities for di,cusslOn.l\rrange the
n10re pern1~nent record of the story (see cards that she knmvs uncler the picture of the
P l:t. R! >...,J (; T \VAY
whole room. Help her learn the ones she
doesn't know using the three penod lesson
descnhed in Chapter:2 (see pages 37-8). Ifshe
looks at a picture of a chopping board .md
','oluntcers "bath mat" use the opportunir:y to
"classiJ:Y"You could ask her whether it was likeiy
that the bath mat would turn up in rhe kirchen l
\\iben she can the (,:lrds from more than
one room, nlix them up and see if she can sort
the objeCLs into their respective rooms.
If YOLl place a little idemification symbol on
the back of each set before you play the game,
she will be able to check herself whether or not
she has sorted the cards correctly.
Sorting objects
i\ge: around 2112 on
You will need
A selection of any items that can be sorted or
tor instance:
Objects that sink or float
Objects that are magnetic or nor
Objects that are hard or sott: feathers, pebbles
and so on
Objects that are used for dr~\ving ebjens
that useci for PJlnting
Objects that are heavy or light
,'iow to Ploy
Show vour child how to sort out the objects
according to the Y\7aV you have dJ\slfied them.
You can S(:rafatc the group' ontO each <ide of
a table or a plastic mat.
If Vall want to prOVIde her with a
mechani~m ror self-correction you con1o
tbe objects, in their groups, on a piece of paper.
The importance of rhyme
Children who have a \vide experience of
are knmyn to do at reading and to
a strong sense of hmv co spell. The greater
your child's J\,\,TJfCncs". of sound and its PJrrern~,
the better the fit will become between the
patterns of letters in words and her abili tv to
predict \,'hat it is thev say. It is impossible to
rhe importance that a good
of poems, songs and nursery rhymes
will play in helping her to read and write.
Children love the humor and predictability
that comes with rhyme and they love the
rhvthms that it sets up. They also love playing
and making rhymes rhclmelvcs. You should,
therefore, have a wide repertoire of nursery
rhymes and poems. In the event you find that
your memory does not serve you well, there are
many good tapes you can buy. Play them and
learn them along with your child; no matter
how good tape there is really no suhstih:te
for singing or poems and songs YOlmclf
with your child.
In addition to focLlsing on rhyme you can
help her to recognize clusters of sounds snch as
"str" or "br.""ing" or "ake."
.. Plav games to see how many words you can
rhink up with "str" at the beginning.
.. See how manv ditTcrcm words your child
can think of that rhvme with, say, cake.
.. iVlake ,emences using the sOlmd at the
bcginn1ns of each vvorG. For In<;tdnce, Sister
Suzle sat singing sons'S by the seaside.
Poems and rhymes will also provide a wonderful
resource for early anempts at writing and
reading. Knowing what word should come next
will certainly be a great help when your child
first begins to read. Poems and songs are also
good to write down when you first begin to
make words. Poems that have lots of rhvme and
repetition help children to pick up rhe look of
the ,,'ord and ,hal' can help them to write
relatively accUf:1tely when rhey first start: writing
words down.
Alan fat
lop hat
Fellj7at
hat
(Anon)
PREP_ARI:".JC THE \VAY
 game is to collect a number of different object' A moving sound
that would make a sound. Each of you has (he Use something that makes a very soft sound -
same things. Sit back to back.You pick up your a clock that ticks; sand in a container. a p;11r of
(say) chopsticb and tap a rhythm. Your child chopsticks. Ask your child to close her eyes and
picks up her chopsticks and echoes you. You point at the sound while you rnoYe around the
pick up your spoon and glass, and tap a differem room with it.You must move very Cjuietly. If
rhythm. Your child has 1:0 echo you. your child to point at you then it is
her turn to make the sound.
Games to develop listening skills
Other games can develop listening Sound boxes
skills - plays an important role in i\ge: trom about on
dcwloping speech and in helping the ear to You will need
become Tocused on fine in sounds. Collect eight idmticaJ wi,h lids -
The follmving 'Nill :ell help your ehiid to cardboard tt:bes. pLlstic pots with lids, used film
listen. which will later help her to recognize c;,nisrers arc all suitable. Norhing should be too
sounds attJched to letters. large. Make four pairs by putting different
mbs[Jnces into of two containers: qnd.
The bear and the honeypot sugar, rice, dried beans and macaroni would all
You need at least three people to play this vmrk. Identify each pair by pntting matching
ganle. One child dons a blindfdd pms a colored dots on the bottom of the conuincrs
pot (the honey-pot) just in front of her. One of (This will enable her to check whether she has
the other childrt"n (or adults) tries to approach idcmificd the p;]iri correcdy.)
very honeypot. If the How to play
that Separate out tvvo sets of containers, ~ow
1:0 sit down. Another plaver show your child how to shake each conr;;incr,
then tries [Q grab the pOL If a player manages prcfc1":lbty in each car. then search for its
to grab rhe honc\'1'ot, rhe l:Jiindf()ldcd plJy-cr match.
the hlindfold to him
w'iinnll1shr's the Help her to remember the sound by putting
other players. one set filrther away. perhaps in the kitrhen.
Then listen to one contJincr, go to the othcr
ABOVE from the very beginning. help your child to solve Games with rhYl11e and rhythm l..istening to sounds set and listen through to see if the same sound
problems for himself. In Classified Cards. for instance, he
can first sort the cards, then use already identified control
Chapter -+ has a selection of rhyme games, or Get your child to close her eves and try to can be found.
cards to check Whether his pairings are correct. you could try the ones given below. identify what she can hear. Suggest that she
focuses on ,mlUds that arc far then Story tapes
Clapping game nearby, then inside her body and so on. Having a book and story tape that match can
This is a favorite of mine and one that is easy to Ciap the rhythrn of the words and sylbh1es be very useful, although it's no sllhtitme for
wote. alongside the poems and songs you know. Identifying the sound direct contact with you. There many
Rhymes and songs em also teach children Clap the rhythrn of all the names of the Choose a lot of familiar. everYday ohjects. hide excellent tapes and stories 1vailahk now Jnd
the order of the 1lrhabct and it's fun and mcrr:t'en f::mily. then-:t behind d or ask your child to put on these can be aseful on trips. If
mst.rucnve to them otten with your child - a blindfokL Pour water iuro a glass, crumple a fona of.
vou can start domg these as early as possible, The echo game piece of paper, put the lid on a S:1u(cpn, drin k you could actually tape the story yourself.
from about the of t"vo on, and continue You ciap a rhvthm and your child b:1ck f1-om a cup etc.Your child has to what
until they don't want them any more. ,-,vith :he saIne rhythnl. i\n alternati-ve to this the sound is.

PR R[i'(C T!--jE \1/

PREPARING r \VA Y
 Try to give your child some pouring to do
at home. Begin wid1 ,omething simple, then
increase tht' difficulty, step at a
.. Using two small pitchers, put ,ome fairly
large beans in one and encourage your child to
pour from one pitcher to the other \vithout
,pilling any beans. Have them on a tray so that
if any beans spill, they won't go allover the
floor.
.. Using a finer grain such as rice, pour just
enough into a pitcher to fill three cups.
Now ask your child to pour the rice into the
egg cups. rf she ends up with rice. or
runs out of rice, she will knO\y that she needs
to try next time. Encourage her to
repeat these activities as often as she likes. ABOVE Being able to do things for yourself gives you
confidence, Cutting up your own fruit can lead to a greater
.. You can now do the same activity but using
wiHingness to have a go at acquiring other new skills,
water. Have a cloth nearby so that she can such as reading and writing.
wipe up the ,yarer if she spills iL

Song and rhyme tapes
These can be lovely to lisren to, particularly on
journeys, and help to expand the nnge of
nursery rhymes and songs that vou can sing or
sav ,vith vour child. i\s vour child gets older
remember to look om for "grown-up , poetrv
tapes.
Sound lotto
are many good sound games
COlnnlC'rCl:111y 'l1ch as sound lotto. See
Chapter 9 for a list of [t'commended
Pl'Ie:p;rritl2: the hand for writing
Before vour child can be
her hand well enough to write she must
have lots of pracnce in guiding it. Children
need actlvities that will help them to move their
hands more precisely and carefully. You can
begin these anivities from as young as 18
monrh'),
There are many things that you can shovv'
her ho\v to do that: \vill give greater
inncpcnc1CDce. Learning hovv [0 pour can be
Ha\'ing the abilir:,r to pour things for
herself w111 allow her to take Clre of her own
needs: can have drink when she is thirsty,
PUt rnilk on her cereaL \vater plants, pour ingre-
dients into "mcepam and do many other things
that require rhat kind the same
time the m.ore control she gains over her hands,
[he easier it will be for her to control them
when wishes to write.
"As soon as she is able to pour, encourage her rhumb and index finger, which she will
to use her uc,vfmmd skilL~nd by looking c\Tnmaily usc to control a pencil. The knoh
around your home you will discover many heromes substitute pencil and her hand
other, similar skills she could learn. tor develops ,;;trcngth anct h3hit of uc:.ir.g only a
te-w fingers to accomplish
to learn how to butter her own
bread. Make sure vou limit the amount of Drawing
butter in Your child will have begun to draw using
.. Show her how to her own truit. crayons when she was about 18 months old.
• Show her how to cut up her own fruit. Start The patterns and shapes that she draws 11at11ral-
with soft such as are lines and circles. Slowly, however, her art
knife. You will need to demonstrate how a will become more representational. ChiJdrt'J1
knife is held and carried, then where tIngers will first draw something ~.nd give it a namf',
must be \vhen you use a blade to chop fruit. then decide what they are going to draw and
She \'vill be very serious about try to represent It. When your child is between
responsioiliry very enjoy being tour and five, you can suggest that she looks at
allowed to do something as "grown up" as real objecr with you, then tries to draw it.
cutting fruit. will help her eve focus on a shape
direct her hand to try and
Puzzles
Look around ror puzzles that have knobs on Writing patterns
each of the pieces. These can be very useful Incorporating wrlting 1nto arnvork
because they enwunge child to ht'f can be a very worunvhile activity. Through

P i( EPA R I ~ C E WAY 59
PREPARl!'lC
 practice your child will graduaJly
learn to make all the )Crokes neces-
sary to torm Once agam,
however, don't make her draw
writing p:1ttcrns without some
other purpose attached. Encourage
her to incorporate them into
otJ\vlngs, use the]TI to make
picture frames for drawings :md
other, similar uses.
Use patterns that are based on
the \V:lY letters formed:
Stirals: (ircles)" scmi[irries;
vertical, and s!.-::uued

Finger painting
Age: from around .3 on
You will need
Liquid or powder paint. \Vater-
soluble paste (the kind usually llsed to bng
\valipapcr works \v(11). /\ clean shiny surtace.
such as a formica table or tray. Paper. Children
:llld tloor surfaces should be \ve11 protected!
How to Play
l'vl.ix the paint wlth the wallp:lper paste until it
has the consistency of thick Put a few
large spoomfnl on the shiny surtace and ask
your child to spread it around. Now she can
PT;)ct1ce \vriting \virh her tlngers (:111l0ng other
things) I If she doesn't like what she's done, she
Cl;:1 ;;;n100th the design with her hand and
start again. \Vhen the design is complete, lake :l
large piece of paper and pm it on the table
over the design. so that it takes a print of the
['aiming. At this stage you can either start again
with another dollop of paint or Upl
Sewing
There are J. nunlber of different
;)niVlties your child can do to develop good
hand-eye co()rciin;)tion.
+ Draw shapes such as circles and squares on a
ABOVE You can use finger painting to create writing
patterns - it's even more fun than crayons and feit-tip
pens, and you can create a picture of your efforts when
you've finished!
heavy piece of paper using a thick pen. With a
small pllncwre holes at intcryals ;J.J]
around the perimeter of the Show vour
child how to a thick tapestry needle
with yarn and how to put the and
thread in and om of the holes. Once she's got
the hang of this, show her how to fill in the
holes right around the perimeter. Later draw
the letters of your child's name in the same way ABOVE The more things you can think ofto do with tetter Dough Of Clay
and ask her to sew them. ;\!lake sure the lines shapes - including sewing them - the more easily your
child wi\! learn them, Pbydough or clay great tlJn to use and CJn
follow the way in which the should be also help dexterity. Like finger paiming (and for
\,vritten (see the diagranl on·rage Put a much [he same rcason'; 1['S probahly best done
cross where you waTlt the sevving to begin. If stitches. Always remember to go from simpic on a formica table or on tray.
you're worried "hour using needles and thread. stitches to those that are more difficult. + Roll om long sam:lgcs :md form mro
Start her off with shoe laces. vvhich she can .. Ask your child to draw a picture on some letters.
thread in and om of the holes. muslin. Put it into an cmoroidc;ry .. Show your child how to toll spherical sbpes
.. Buv cloth holes already it (Binea or have her sew the picture. and sausages. Make :mimals, houses, pots,
Aida,! and [each her how w make the different whatever comes co IniEQ.

6(1 P l~ E P .t;,. l~ I N G T E \V AY
PREPAKINC T w,-\\
CHAPTER FOUR How the sound game inter-relates with the sandpaper letters and
the moveable alphabet
ps toward reading and Level 1 Initial sound, one object at a time, no opportunity
for mistakes Age 2';'

Initial sound, choice of two objects or more.

Only one object can be identified as the correct answer Age 2 '/,-3

Level 3 Initial sound, choice of part ~f room or wh~le room.

Many objects can be identified with the same
initial sound. SJndpilper Letters

---------
that you have taken the first steps ' 'NiH have created a Vel-Y sound basis tor literacy. or 3 as appropriate. Age 3'1,- 41<
toward giving your child the foundation In playing these games you wiH accompii,h
she needs to become a good reader and writer, I the f"ilmying:
there are some games you can play with her .. Raise your child's of sOlmds :md with any objects or any words. The object does not

that will have a more direct impact on her i the way that words are made up of units of have to be "spied." Age 3 'h - 4 '!, Move~ble Alphabet
acquisition of these skills, The activities sounds.
Level 6 Take a sound and think of as many words as you can
in this chapter are those that you would find in .. Help her recof,,'TIize the symbols that
that contain the sound eitrer at the beginning or end of
any good .'Y1onrcS)ori cbssroom (or children's represent those sounds.
the word or have the sound somewhere in Age 4'/'- 6
house, as Nlaria \10ntcssori called it). We call • Help her begin to develop the correct hand
them "keys" to reading and writing, The word movement for
"key" is very important: it is something that .. Help her use symbols to write her first in spoken 1nd then in and Sound Chart
gIves access to things. When we want to thcughts. vvriting.
a at huh! 0 on v have
make sense of a map we look up the to .. Help her use her own writing as a bridge to
The sound game b tub i in p tap w win
help llS make it more ;nrclligihlc. A key doesn't
give you the whole picture, but it docs pw\-ide Age: from 2 on c tack fudge quit x fox
you with some basic tools which help you to What you need to know
Raising your child's awareness This game will help to make yom chlld aware
i d mud tack r rat yes
interpret the map more acCUr:ltC]V. IVlaking use
of a key provides you with additional help if of the sounds in her language of the sounds that make up words. Playas e egg mil! 5 russ buzz
vou want to make the best use of the map. A i You \vill have already begun to read with your otten as you can; it is one of the most f off m hum at
reallv helpful "key" is one that proyides you child, and manv of the books you enjoy important ways of prcraring her tor both
g peg n hen u up
witb just enough basic information to help you together will be ,torV books which have rhvme writing and reading.
and rhvthm in them and some will be poetry Nlake sure you say the sounds correctly' Note that "c" and "k" sound the same.
to find things out tor yourself.
The following - the Sound and rhvme books. These wlll help her to recog- Your child will use the skills she develops in
Game, the Sandpaper Letters ;md the .'V!ovc:lh1c sound rhymes. which will be important this game to help her sound out ,he tIrst words If you can think of words where the c<'n'lon/mrs
'~':f,lnl'('r -bulld one upon the other. Don't be later on when she begins to read since she wlll she writes and reads, so if you're careful with come mainly at the end of the word and
[en1pted to hurry thenl or skip tor'.vard to be able to predict many of the words she comes ,he sounds the rest is eaw.Thev should vowel sounds at the beginning, you will hear
actiVIties that ll1ay appeJ.r n10re tJn1iliar to you. across because she knows they rhyme. shurt, and you should try !lot to have much of sound you need to make.
~rhey 11lay appear to be very easy. but don't In ~ddition to this wav of listening to a vowel sound to tollow. For eXllmple "b" Sadly, many alphahet books and pictures do
11ll,;icrcst1m.lrc rhelf "",,,,,t>,,.'-'" in the devclop- sounds and rhymes, you can play vanety of should be '\ol1ndcd as in tub. not >lbu" as in not ponrav all the sounds accurately. Check
mc'nt of your child's abilitv to read and write, If I games to focus her attention on them and to "bun.'l through [he books you have at home to make
she 111dSter these three sinlple activities, you raise her awareness of the role that sounds play. I sure that objects chosen to represent the

FIR STEP') T0\VAJ,D l~EADINC ,I>o...ND \VRITiNG lRST ps TOWARD RE:\DINC j) Wit! T! J'..;C
 l'v1any other sound combinations will crop I is older than twO and a half when you start, you
up as you stan to explore language wirh your should still begin with level 1 and move her at
child, so be relaxed and usc your o\vnjudgment her own pace through the different leyels of the
as to how they should sound. What you are game.
building in her is an a,YJ1TnCSS of rhe different
sounds as they are heard in your own language Level 1.
or dialect. :2 on
Let's practice! What you will need
Cover over the letters in each of the right-hand Gather together a few objects which your child
columns below and practice sounding the can na.rne and put them on a table in from of
words in the left-hand column. you. In the beginning avoid ohjects that '>fall with
similar sounds, such as "p" and "b," "v" and "w:'
Can you give the first sound of the following words?
Purpose
cat bat To help your child to hear inciividlJ:ll sonnas at
chop ch think th the of words.
I How to Play
knock center
Choose one of the objects, tor example a pen,
acorn ai phone
and hold it out to show it to your child.
owl ou australia 0
spy something in my hand beginning
can you give the last sound of the following words? with 'p.'"
mat lamb m
Your child will say ·'pen." Confirm that she is
dance window oa "p" for "pen.'" Change the object and

cage place where it can be round to

bench ch
tap p party ee
ABOVE level 1 of the Sound Game helps your child to "I spy something on the table beginning
cake books
(onnect sounds with familiar objects - here the sound "b" with "d'" .... (perhaps doll)
with balL Start with just one object at a time so that he cill these digraphs.
Can you give all the sounds in the following words?
won't get confused. Common digraph sounds in fnglish* "I spy something f ;un toucbing heginning
dog d-o-g bottle b-o-t-t
ai train play ue blue shoe zoom with .... (perh1ps cup)
pamper p-a-m-p-er tough t-u-f
sounds correct. The sound that is most ch chip er her fir turn "I spy something on finger beginning
house h-ou-s since s-i-n-s with ... (perhaps ring)
corr!r.only mi,)"cp1"C)entcd is "x" which should ee sleep leaf 00 cook
sound does in "fox" not as in xylophone shoe sh-ue parrot p-a-r-u-t
I th path ng ring 'f something I am waving heginning
is pronounced "z'" qu-ie-e-t
fetch f-e-ch quiet "h"' ... (perhaps hand)
hard part for you will be listening to ie pie sky ou pout clown
the sounds and forgetting (for the moment), th with or far raw She will quickly grasp the rules of the game
Once you 've mastered ,he art of hearing "nd I
bow words are spelled. Don't panic! Children at oa and happily tell you the names of the objects
loaf window sh fish caption articulating the sounds of your language, you
this have no idea that words can be speiled : fOLYou will rrobahly need to
ready to play the Sound Game. which is
from the they ,inee thcy ar car oy boy spoil
based on "I spy." There are six levels [0 the of the g~me for several \veeks
yet. * Parents in the United States and Canaaa, and in beti:;re she actuallv makes the C0nnccnon
game: level 1 can begin as early as cwo and a
the sou~d that you say and the sound
Engiish in all i[s various dialects is a Austraiia. New Zealand and South Africa, wilt need to
decide ifthere is a difference between the sounds "or" and levels 5 and 6 should be played at
llor1-PllorlCClC Llnguage, you yvill also need to I
and "au." of the object you have
around four and a half to live. Even if your child

TEPS TOWARD RE/\DI G \ND \VR 1 G

D WR1TINC 65
FIRST STEPS TOWARD lZE/\J)ING
 ehmen. \Vhen she appears to be heginning to
listen to sounds, you can lTIOve on to
Level
Level 2
What you will need
objects you have gathered from
house. In the begmning the initial
sounds should be contrasting, hut as the game-
proceeds over the you em choose
with similar inicial sounds.
Purpose
help your child distinguish one initial
sound an ocher.
How to Play
sounds (this could be, tor
car and a motorbike, as in the
photograph, or cup :md mug, and so on).
"I spy something beginning ·'m.
now has to make a choice, and you
to hear hO\v well she distinguishc<
«)Unds. Continue changing ~hc objecrs bm
onlv two at anyone time. To increase the
place three objects in front of her
and build to having as many as five
objects at once. You can now become much
more subtle and show her objects beginning
with similar sounds, tor example, ring, watch
and van.
i Level3
i Age: around
What yau will need
of the game can be played
and is closest to "1
is good one to plav on car
tired ofit before your child
does.
Purpose
To make your child aware that many objects
may begin with the same sound. Once she has
to introduce
her to (See Sandpaper Letters
on pages 69-70 of this chapter).
How to Play
Choose area of the room or :nck.·vz,rc, and a
sound that r"presents than one ohject in
it. (If you run out ofimpirariol1, me the photo-
this game')
"1 spy things over there by the
that hegin with 'b.' "
I She will otter only one word, since this has
been what has been expeCTed
should ,,~oIunrccr ~ome
more and have her join in ,"'ieh
you (basket. bottle, books. balls and
on). Now move on ro anmher
sound in the same or a different
Rememher you are not asking
her ro search for one object rhar
you thinking of ~ut any item
with that sound. As soon as
LEFT In level :I of the Sound Game, you can
show him two contrasting sounds, for
instance ~'c" for car and ~·m" for motorbike,
and ask him which one is which.
sounds are the same but whose last sounds are
different, for example hall, hag, bracelet, or pen,
peg, puppet. Choose enough objects to keep it
Purpose
To help develop your child's awareness of
ofall the sounds in words is essential
You say, "I spy something on the table (or in
part of the room) that begins with 'b' and ends
WIth 'g:"To begin with she may take a little
time to learn [Q listen to the last sound. If she
says "ball," be positive in your response. "Yes,
ABOVE For Leve! 3 of the game, look for a variety of ball does begin with 'b: but I asked for
objects in the room that share the same sound - here something that hegins with 'b' and ends with
you'll find "b" is weH represented in bird, basket, bottles,
'g'; let's listen to the last sound in ball." Say it
books and balls.
slowly and Now help her to listen to
the sounds of the other objects until she finds
enough items have been named, move on to "bag."
another sound.You don't have to insist on your
item being found. Move to other parts of the BELOW it's important to help your child to listen for both
room or garden, then gradually move to the I first and last sounds in a word: in Level 4 of the Sound
whole room or outdoors in generaL
Game, YOIl play with three objects, alt beginning with the
same letter but ending with different ones - bag, ball and
She can now take turns "l.vith you to choose bracelet.
the sound for the objects and, of
course, you can begin to play "I
spy" in the more conventional way.
Level 4
Age: around 3
What you will need
At this stage you will need to
temporarily cither to a
collection of objccts or to a part of
the environment as in Level 3.
What you do will depend on vour
child and what help she needs for
this sLage. R..:gard1css of whether
you choose a coileccion of objects
or parr of the room, you will be
looking for objects whose ipitial

66 I
TEPS TOWARD R.Er.DfNG AND -\}lR1TI~
FIRST STEPS TOWARD READING AND WRITING 67
 Once she has mastered listE.'ning to the initial Using all your pmvers of invention vou now Ask your child to SOrt the pinures occnrding to
sounds the last sounds for 0bvious objE.'cts. to p13y with the sound" conC1nue the wav rhyme. On another day you could
move to the whole environment and take it in in words. do the same for initial sOllnds. You could also
a tree High in a cree
turns to search for the objE.'crs, always giving How to Play lIllX all LIp and play rhyming snap.
the and last s011nds. Think of a sound. for example "m." Now t..hink I saw a bee I sa"v a t1ea
of all the words that have the sound "m" in them Odd one out
saw me It said tee nee
l.evels somewhere. Think of words with "m" at the Once you vour child is able to judge
Age: 4'/2 beginning: mat, mlmch, mother; "m" at the end: And flew on to my And then bit ..... which sounds rhyme, you can play this game
What you will need farm, ham, clnlm;"m" :lIlj"evhere w1thin them: L1sing one group of pictures only :rnd ~dding in
Nothing at all unless you wish to use objects. n1arm:lJadc) nUITther. 111inin"lUlTi, etc. Have fun! Sorting pictures that rhyme or begin a single picture that is the odd one out. Ask her
Purpose with the same sounds [0 find the that doesn't rhyme.
help your child to analyze all the sonnds in a Note Once again a mail order catalog can be very P,bern.1ti\·elv, ask her to idemity [he pICture
word. This skill that ,vill be helpfill when she Remember to use the ages given above as a Cut OLlt groups of objens that starts with a different sound to the others.
and write. She will need to guide only to at your child's pace. rhyme and that are familiar to your child. If For
this level before using the !\10vcablc Some children will manage to listen to the good at drawing, you could draw your
Jug, mug and bat
Alphahet (scc page 76 of this chapter). sounds easily and quickly while others own pictures of familiar nbjcCIs. For example:
to play will take some will not need to progress Book. ball., boot and car
Jug, rug, mug
stage should follow on natun!1y +rum the in such a steIP-b,v-step wav.You know vour
one betore. Once your child can readily find a child and will be able to make the appropriate Bat, mat, hat, cat Books
word that begins and ends with a particular judgmem. You can Llse any beautifully illmtrared book to
plane. chain
sound, Stop and listen for all the sounds in the piay"1 most of those rCCCOITllTl,encied m
with fairly sl10rt words. For Pan, van Chapter 9 would be 'lJltahlc. To make the
\vord is "cup·' and she has More games to help vvith sound game more try to tlnd illmtr;ltions
idtCnrifitCd that it begins with "c" and ends in recognition
could say, "Let·s listen to all the sounds
say it slowly. C-u-p. Did you hear I spy rhyming words
the sOLlnd after 'c'? Let's say 'cup' again." This is a simple game where, instead of spying
two of you slowly say the word and things that begin with a sound, you find things
so LInd. C-u-p. [hat rhyme with word. For example,"\ spy
know all the sounds in 'cup: let's something that <0\111ds like jug:'The answer
tlnd all the sounds in 'pan: then 'corree.'" maybe or "rug." Alternatively, "I spy
Gndmlly become longer IOmething that rhymes \yirh bee."The answer
longer. and the two of you can h:ve lots of fun could be etc.
more and more difficult words to
sound OLlt.You have stopp::d spying the objens Inventing poems
:md think of any words that you like. You can invent some funny nonsense rhymes
with vour child - this often appeals to her sense
Levei6 of humor.

What you will need High lJ1 a

Nothing! I saw (your child says ·'bee·' or '·knee"
Purpase
or "Uea" or anything else that springs to objects that begin with the same sound.
designed to use all the knmyldgc mind)

68
r PS TOWARD RE.A,.DING A~D WRITrN
FIRST S PS RD READI!'..:G /\f'.:D R! T J "-.J (;
 containing lots of derail and a variety of
objects.
The sandpaper letters
Once your child can play the Sound Game at
level 3, she is ready to begin to idemify the
letters of the alphabet. It is important to wait
until she has reached this stage: whenever we
learn something new. we build or gratt it on to
existing knowiedge. so if your child is secure
with the sounds hears the beginning of a
word. she evil! find it easier to understand that
the lerter or symbol you wish to teach her is
simply the way the sound that she already
knows is written. In this way new learning
becomes more straightforward, since it tests on
foundation of previons experience.
You will need to make a set of letters· for
your child to learn, and !Tom a substance that is
tactile because you will teach her to feel [he
shape of the letter as well as to recognize it
visually.
In using this approach, your child will have
both a visual and tactile experience
of the letter, which means she will
use more than one sensory channel
to receIve information and
remember it. Often a child who
strugges to remember the letter
visually \vill reme:nber it immedi-
ately when she is encouraged to
feel again.
In addition to receivIng
m"X1mum sensory input to help
her recognize letters, her hand is
70 fttST STEPS TOWAR l~EADIN AND
learning, well in of actually writing
letters, how each letter is formed. You should
make sure, therefore, that each letter can be telt
in the way that it should be written. The more
practice a child gets at feeling the letters, the
more her hand will "know" how to stan and
form a letter when writing it.
Making the letters
TraditionJlly, these letters are made from the
finest grade of sandpaper, which you should be
able to find at your local hardware swre.
HO'wever, if you prefer you could also make
them from velvet or even a coarse-quality paper.
The important thing is for your child to be able
to experience the tactile quality of the letter.
The lerters should be enougb to allow her
hand to get a really good feel of the shape of the
letter. (There are ternpbtes in Chapter 9 of this
book, which you could use w JTl..ake the lerters.)
You will need to mount the letters on
board or thick cardboard, and vou should have
three colors of crrdboard to distinguish berween
vowels, comonants and digraphs. Vowels, tor
WRITING
instance. couid be moumed on blue. COllSOTums above. (See Chapter 3 if you want check the
on pink and digr:lphs on green. The color sounds they make.)
distinction will help your child to become
a\vare of the between of Digraphs
letters. Choose colors that appeal to you but (green background): qu ee ie oa LlC ar er or eh
make sure you continue to use these colors for sh th oy au 00
the ocher lener games in the book. too'
If you know that your child is right- or left- In North l'\merica and Austrdlia, New Zealand
handed, the letter can be placed more to the and South A!Tica an additional digraph "au" may
right (tor a right-hander) and more to the left be userlil. The sound would be represented by
(for a lett-hander). This creates a wider space on the word "awful" while the "or" sound would
the board for the child to hold it steadv with be rq::rcscnt:cd by"tork."
one hand while she traces over the letter with
the other. If you are unsure whether she is Note
right- or left-handed, you will be safer placing It is impornnt to give your child only what is
the letter centrally on the board. essennal to her writing and reading; if you
try to give evelY' possible digraph th;]t exms.
Make the following letters: task wIll be overwhelming :lIld instead of
helping her vou will slow her down and even
Ilowels hinder her
(blue hackgrouncl)' a e i a u (y) There is currently much debate as to what
kind of letter shapes children should learn. In
i(lI1S0nants the it was felt to be important to teach a
(pink hackground): bed f g hj kIm n p (q) r s :Cenci write printed letters in
tv 'vV X (y) Z the first instance. then when she was older [0
teach her to \vrite with a more 01[SlV(:, or
In some languages "y~' is a vo\ve1. and in joined-up hand. However, research has now
.'q" is ahvays f011o\yed "'u." show-n us that children can learn to read very
digraph instead of a single letter. well. even if thev do learn WIth a more cursive
In non-phonetic Ibng:13gcs style ofletter, since they are used to seeing prim
where there are more of all types around them and have no dit11culty
represent them), children will re-quire addltion- in translating one style letter to another.
al help. English is non-phonetic and, depending Equally, new research shows that it is just as easy
on the countrv in which it is being spoken,
there are approxim:ctclv 40-45 differcl1t sounds. h·1T1rh.,,;ririn<~ as it is IO learn the "ball and stIck"
IdentiJ:Ying these sounds, or digrllphs, can be the end does not
very helpful, although untortunately they can need to learn everything tI.vice. Indeed_ ( hilde''''l
often be spelled in several - for or;;cn will not tonn primed letters they
the sound "ai" as in train. can also be spelled should be wntten because rather them
"cake" or "reign" or "plav." Choose the spelling JS a line rhey see a circle and ,1 stick
that seems most common or appropriate for (hence the description ball and snck), and will
your child's early reading when you create your forn1. the letter Jccordingly. This can bc very
digraph letters, or follow the suggestions given di±Iicult to undo ae a stage when
REA D ! N CAN D Y!J I~ i r IN (;
IRST STEPS
the correct formation ofletters.
Try to avoid teaching your child to write in
capital letters as her first experience. Usuallv
capitals present no problems tor children as
there arc many ways of writing them correctly.
They can easily learn these after they have
mastered lowercase letters.
It is lowercase letters that require careful
learning. They will determine the ease with
which children will forrri a good flowing hand
later on, so it is worthwhile [Q begin at Ihe
right moment, offering Sandpaper or velvet
Le[ters that will prepare [he eye and the hand
for both writing and reading.
Teaching your child Sandpaper
Letters
Age: about 3-3 (when your cj-,jld can do level
3 of the Sound Game and while she is intense-
ly interested in touching things). If your child
has very poor hand/eye coordin:lrion, continue
to practice the activities in Chapter 3. It is
important that she does not find feeling rhe
letters too difficult.
Teach only Ihree leIters :my one time and
mix vowels. conson:mts digraphs rogether.
For each lesson choose letlers that sound ditIer-
ent and look different. (In addition you may
wish to look at Chapter:) to choose letters that
come tram the same writing group.)
Choose a moment when your child is ready
to sit down for a while, and never force her to
learn the letters. Don't be disappointed if she is
unable to say them at t:.':te end ofLl)e first time you
play the game. Be positive and use praise at all
times. Some children rrecd to play the game a
llnmhcf of ti;nes hdorc they begin to shmy you
that they remember the letters yon arc ~eaching
them.
If vour child seems unable to the
letters the end of the first lesson. don·t be
negatIve m any way. Don·t go back to the
beginning of the lesson and try to repeat the
STEPS TOW/\RD READING "~ND WRITIN
! whole thing again or she will swiftly feel some Begin by plaving Sound Game, asking your the index and mIddle fingers of your writing
sort of compu1sion to '"get it righe" Don't go child to spy am·thing beginning with (Cat, hand (use the hand she wii! write with: these
back to the same letters next dav either. cup, card etc.) You can join in to help. Now will be the fingers she will use to guide a
simply choose three ditIerem letters. You must shmv her the letter "c." pencil later on). So have your left hand hold
not risk giv-ing your child a sense of tailure just This is how we write "c." Feel the letter and the letter steady and trace over the surface in
as you are about to cmbcuk on one of the most say the sound oIthe letter (not the name) and one ,mooth, £Iowmg movement with your
rcvv;miing activities of her life. Having help your child to do the same. Feel it. using right hand if she is right-handed and do the
fully helped her to achieve so much in such a reverse if she is left-handed.
short space of time. don't risk turning her otf BELOW It is important to fee! each Sandpaper letter in the Do the same for each of the other letters.
way it is written. The dot marks the place to start, then
Deemse of your own expectations. So if she
your child should follow the direction indicated by the
seems nnimercstcd, you mmt stop and wait unnl Stage 2:This stage is the longest one hecmse
she is l
During the lesson cncourage your child to
feel the letters as orten as pOSSIble, but. make sure
she is feeling them correctly. Ifvou can manage
to find 10 minutes a day to play thIS game she
will soon be contldcnt about r('cognizing the
letters. Try to play the game when she requesIS it
- she \vill progress much faster if she has chosen
to do the activity herself. can help to remind
her thaI when she is ready to play the letter
game she Just has to teil you.
!ii'.;,ll
How to feel the letters
Feel lerter using the index and middle I
fingers of your dominant hand. Ifvour child is
left-handed, you should them with your
l,.
left hand. Feel them in the way that they are
written (see the diagram opposite). Make a
point where vou scart and complete ac:t1()n
in one smooth movement. It may also be usefUl
to add a line at the base of the board so that
your child knows which way up to it.
How to Play
To play this game you will need to [he
three-period lesson described in Chapter 2,
rtdapting it as outlined helmv to teach the
letters. lYlake sure you are mung beside your
child and not opposite she must always
be able to see the letters the right wav up.
Stage 1: Choose three letters.You may want to
choose them from the same writing family (see
Chapter 5) - for example: "c~'H'dn and "a.!'
psT 0 W i\ R D R j) 1 ~ c; :\;--. I) V/;:;. I t ~ (
your child needs time and plenty of repetition
in order to 4<:.;sociate the sound and letter shape
together. Be p~rient. Each one of us requires a
different :lmount of practice time
we learn new.Your child is unique
and vou need to sense how long she needs to
feel confident of recognizing the letter you are
asking for.
l',sk at random for the letters. using their
sounds. Ask in many ways but keep the
instructions shorr :lnd simple. Each time the
letter is COH('Ctly, encourage her to
teel it and repeat the sound.You will need to
do this, too.i\l,vaVI return idcntitlcd letter
[0the group once it has been felt, and
I ABOVE Once she's got the hang of letter shapes and
continue ,vith your J'vlix the letters up
each time to add excitement to the game and
to help her really look tor the letter you are
asking If she does not want to feel the
letters vou should do so :1nyway. Be inycntivc
'and have fun I Some examples:
Touch "m"
Put over here
Where's "In"
Hold·'t"
Be cardLll not to follow the same order each
tlme, to look at the letter you want, or request
the last letter you t01.,encd. Children very
quick to work out patterns and ~ysten1s~
Stage 3: Point [() one of the letters and ask
your child if she C(,1011',.,-1I")"'r5 \vhich one it is. If
she can rf'nlC'rnlicT, ~nc()l1rage her to feel Ie
once more. If she can·t, enCO\lr:lge her to feel it
Jnd see if this Jogs her memory. If she does not
,"ememher, say It for her and don't dwell on
the fact that she rouldn·t tell you "vhat it said.
Focus on the letters that she can remember
STLPS TO\X/:\R RE:\DI0JG AND
sounas, you can move on. Ask her to match the sounds
(and letters) to familiar objects in the house; she may
bring you several things beginning with "mOl in addition to
a mug!
and make her feci pleased she rernernbcr
them.
If she gees muddled, don't worry. Perbps
you didn't spend enough the
sound and shape in the first stage: perhaps she
lost interest. Whatever the reason. she has at
least three years to make this connection, so
you must not see it as a disaster. Feel the letters
and her the names again, then h'lppilv
bring lesson to close. Come back to it
another day.
Reinforce what your child knows
Each day. before teaching your child any new
letters, always go over the ones she knovvs
ctlready so that she can see the hum of her
efforts. This can be very encouraging tor her.
and by the letters she knmvs, you are
cDCOUT:Jging her to learn a more. If she is
unsure of any letters prCViOllSh- learned. include
them once again in [he next lesson but still keep
to a maximum of three letters at a time.
\\1R1 NG
More games to play to help
with letter recognition
You can play many games with the Sandpper
Letters as they grow in numher, which will help
to encourage her even more. As the number of
recognized letters increases, you can encourage
her to count the number she knows. She can
tiptoe back and forth betv,reen rooms collecting
and feeling the letters you ask for. Encourage
her to feel around (he edge of :my she
sees on posters, T-shirts and magazines.
Letters and objects
Have a basket or bag of objects that begin with
the sounds of the letters she knows and a set of
Sandpper Letters corresponding with these
sounds. See if she can match the object with
the correct letter.
Ask your child to collect objects from
around the room that have the same sounds as
the letters she knows. Again have a set of these
IR.ST
letters handy. EncOlJr:Olgc her to put the object
next to the correct letter card. Whenever
possible encourage her to feel the letter in the
way that it should be written.
Choose only one letter and ask her to collect
as many objects as possible begin with
sound.
Remember you will be continuing to
play the Sound Game while you are
introducing the Sandpaper Letters, and if you
are still on ievci 3 you could ask her to spy
objects beginning \vith the sounds of the
letters she recognizes. This would mean
holding up the letter card rather than saying
the sound out loud. Perhaps your child could
choose a letter and ask YOLl the question I
Letters and actions
Hide some of the letter cards in the room and
ask her to find each one. "Can you find 'to' "
Place the letter cards around [he room and
ask her to hop to "m," jump to "1," tiptoe to
"oy" and so on.
Letters and books
When you are reading books to
your child, point out some of the
letters she knows. Perhaps, if she is
interested, you C;111 encourage her
look at the pages of the book to
see if she can recognize any of the
lefters herself.
Making an alphabet and
other books
Write one of the letters your child
knows on a pIece of paper and
look through pictures and
LEFT Making an Alphabet Book is easy. The
letter "c" is going to be illustrated by
sticking down a picture of a crown and a
cat. both cut auf of a magazine. The letters
in this case have been written by an adult.
TOWARD READING A0JD V/RITI G 75
 mJg:lZHlc':S her. Cut out those objects paper circle on a n1J.r in vvash::1ble ink. Play the spoken and forgotten. wi[h speech and, in
start with that letter. (A mail order catalog game in [he same way, spinning the arrow, but Giving her letters that have already been easy it is to make words by she
be very useful for this.) If she isn'r able to cut this time call out rhe sound of [he letter that prepared divorces the creatIve and expressive will be very quick to make the leap between
out the herself, then you do it, but let [he foot must land on. Write each letter at least side of writing from the slower and more writing things dovrn and actlully heing able to
her paste it to backing paper to make a once on each half of the circle.You can play m-;dcrdcvcJoped skill of writing by hand. The back what she has written.
"page." If she able to. you could encourage withjusr three letters as many as your child development of both ofrhese arcas \.vill progrcss Don't make your child read back any oEher
her to draw own pictures of objects she knows. along parallel lines for a while: in this way the work with ,he !viovC'aHc /\lphahcLTrust
can think of that begin with the letter. actual act of handwriting, which needs practice in all the prepar;](ion vou have done and in her.
Encollr:1ge her gndmlly to build up her own I Jigsawmat and repetition, doesn't hold up her grovving To begm with she will rememher what she has
alphabet book. Tie it together when it is Sponge mats put together like jigsaw Fuzzles ability to use language in its ,vritten form to written and "teel" that she is reading, and this is
finished so that it looks really nice - see are lots of tun to build and play on, and many express thought. :1 boost to her a child who teels
Chapter 9 some '\imple \"i.lggCSfl0r.S for of them have the leners 11phaber as The t\vo parallel paths shc is a reader can become a reader. But one day
Make a book "Dd \vrire a letter at separate insets. Putting whole mat together • Expressive and crearive writing. which is a as she is composing her stories vou will notice
top of each section. Then ask your child to can be great fun on its own, but you can also vital foundation for reading deld writing (for dut attemion co each word as she
to find (and paste under the letter) pictures of invent lots of games to play on it.Your child Wllich we use the !Viovc;lhle Alpbhet). "reads" what has been put down. Words that can
objects that start with the letter. Another could match objects to different letters or • Preparing the hand to write letters fluently be easily rccmcmbcred are being studied and
version of rhis '\vould be to vvrite a \vord across jump from one letter to another: or she could and easily (for which use tile Sandpapcr pronOlmced more siowly. Some words will be
the top of each section and paste in pictures of see ifshe could touch ,Jl letters of her Leners: see Chapter 5). rec<ogrllzcd as "sight" words. some worked out.
objects that with each of the letters of name in one go with aU the parts of her body. I She has taken the magic step all by herself and
each word. The resr I leave up to you! These parhs will join wgether quite nat\1[;,lly now you have both an author and a reader.
later on. You will ±lnd ,hat your
The jolly mailman You will find that within very short period of child will spontancously begin to
NL:tke an envclope cach letter of the time your child will be co recognize many label dn\',;ings and
('(len one to collect pictures of the letters of the by playing just and eventually as
that begin with that sound. two simple games: rhe Sound Game and the a mrunl physical
S:md,npcr Letters. You will have prepared hc:r thar you used wallow for the
jigsaw puzzles well t-;',r writing ;ind reading. nowering of her creative writing
There are many different jigsaw puzzles will nor need to be used.
JV:libblc objects and iOY\'crca", The moveable alphabet - the In addition co the henefits
attached you buv them, make sure [hat I bridge to reading and writing tha[ accrue to vour child from
the objects the pictures reflect the sound Once vour child is with aoout three being able to writc as
the letter accuntely As your child gets better quarters of the Sandppcr Letters, you can she begins w write using the
and bener fitting the shape of rhe piece into begin to encourage her write down words, Yiove:Jhlc Alphahet letters, she will
its socket, you can begin to find out how many sentences J,nd poems set of letters you directly experience way in
she have made for this purpose. We call it the which letters make and how
:\1oye:,ble Alphabet. game provides the prim goes from lefi: to right and
vital link £01' your child benveen reading and from top w bottom. It will give her
Do VOLl vvriting. an opportumty to ,\yritmg
of an arroyv you place your feet on a Your child must cx;)cri.cn,:e for herself the
colored on a pbying m:lt \Juril onc po\.ver of USIng leave messages.
LEFT The Moveable Alphabet can be
pbyer could no longer stand up. This is the swries and poems for to read. The act of invaluable in helping your child recognize
~:.ln1e garne, only this tilne you need to rf"rm:lnence and letters. Get him used to it by encouraging
him to take out and put back individual
some of the letters your child knows on therefore importance to vvhat may other.visc be letters in their compartments,

:6 FiR S T TCW/\l:-z.D RE!\D! WRfTING R D l=t E c\ D 1 :-J (; !\ 01 I) \X/ R IT: :-J C;

FIRST
r"Vhat your child needs to know before
using the mOlleable alphabet
The Sound Game: She must be able to break
words down into their differem sounds.
Remember that doesn't mean as they are
spelled. but as they sound. This is around level 5
of the Sound Game.
The Sandpaper Letters: She should know
three-quarters of the letters. including some
digraphs and cert:linly all the vowels. Working
with the Moyeabk Alphabet encounges her to
learn the remaining letters as she discovers that
she needs them to write down the words IS
thinking of.
What you need to know
This activity is fun.You supply the letters your
child needs if she doesn't k.'lOW them. Spelling
doesn't matter this stage - yOU vvill help your
child to spell using other games that will appear
later in the book. Gradu:llly, as your child plays
the other parallel games (Puzzle \Vords and Key
Sound Envelopes, Chapten 6 and 7) the words
that she sounds out in the beginning will start
to be spelled more accurately. This aCIivity is
coilaborative in the beginning, so if your child
wants a permanent record of what she has
written, you will have to write it down for her.
However, you must make sure you write it
down using the correct spelling.
How to make the mOlleable alphahet
the same shape ofletter you used for the
S;m0paper Letters, only slightly smaller (use the
tcmrbres in Chapter 9 and reduce them on a
photocopier). Cut Out 10-15 copies of each
Use one color for consonants and one
color for vowels. (It helps if they are the same
color that YOll chose for the Sandpaper Leners.)
Remember to out appropriate-colored dots
tor tbe "j" and the Place the letters in the
compartments of a large box (it needs to have
:26 separate ones for the letters and an extra one
IRST STEPS TOWARD READING AND
for tbe dots). If possible try w have compart-
ments large enough to take each letter flat and
glue one w the bottom of each space so it is
easy to replace the letters in their correct
compartment. Make the letters a reasonable size
- if they are too small, they become too hard to
vvork vvirh, and your child \vill frustrated
crying to use them.
I
Before you play the game
Bring Out the box and playa game to help her
find where each lener is. "Can vou find'm?'"
"Let's if you know this one?" (This is a good
indicator of how many letters she knows and
may encourage her to set about learning the
ones doesn't.) Take some letters out of the
box, mix them up and ask her to find their
"homes:'\Vl-.ile you are busy doing other things
I have her find different letren trom the box for
vou. The farther away you are, the more fun it is.
I Let her ask you to do the same ching. Take
letter and see if you can find it in her favorite
book. Link the letters in the box to the leners in
the book. While you are +'11~niii'\1'i7ir'0' yourself
and her with the letters, point om which way is
up on the letters and show her that the "i" and
"j" have dot added to the top.
Playing the game
The writing down of words should stem from
a spontaneous conversation with your child Child e
ABOVE When she can recognize and sort Moveable
and should be done tor a reason: all writing is Alphabet letters easily. your child can move on to create
words phonetically. Don't worry about her speUing! This
Adult Can you tind e?
purposeful. Perhaps you might decide to wrire Ilttte gict is creating her favorite shopping list. Your cbjld finds it and places it on the table or
down the names of all her favonte toys, foods, £loor, wherever you are. Move it to the and
people; you inay \.vish to ".vrire J menu for just under the box.
lunch or supper: or perhaps you want [Q leave a Your may '1omcthing like this.
for a rebtive or remind yourself ,hat "Let's go shopping - you can help me write a ,1dult "\Vhat sound COll1es next?"
the oven is on. Decide to vvrite your cbld a list. What. do vou think we needi r know, eggs.
Child "g""
message which you will then read and she can Can you tell me the sounds in 'eggs?'"
WrIte ans,ver. i\ simple "yes" or "no" may Your child should be able to sound Out eggs. ,,4dult UCdIl you find
be enough in the beginning. Have your She may sound it or e-g-z doesn'[
digraphs nearhy, as you will protnbly need Inatter! Ask her for the first sound again: Show your child how to place it next to
i tnem. tirst le~ter. Be carerul not to ask tor rhe second
Adult What did it start WIth?
WRiTING FI It 5 T S r s To \V A R l) REA D ! N C; /\ ~]) \YJ!t! ! ~ C
 sound or the third sound: she will not have a
concept at there being" certain numher of
letters in a \ivord. By asking tor the "next"
sound you can explain that the "next" sound
must go "next" to the other letter.
Should your child produce a "z" for the last
sound, accept i[ and carry on. You should not
be concerned with spelling at this stage.
~4dult Look. you've \.vritten ·'eggs." Let's
vVfite another word on our list.
Choose another word or let vour child choose
one. Very soon you'll have a terrific list of
words that you have written together.
Throughout the game encourage her to take
the lead as much possihle, ,md try to choose
shorter words to start with, and if possible
those that are mostlv phonetic tor tlrst few.
If she cannot find a particular letter-sound
corresponder:ce. simply give her the letter. This
process should he smooth and effortless and a
80 i FIR STEPS TO\V,~RD RE/\DING AND
I real delight to your child who is truly able to
write and e}"llress thoughts with very little
erlort.
I Dealing UJirh sounds such as "ch," "oy,"
etc.
\Vhen these crop up, produce the S;mdpaper
digraph and have vour child identifY the cwo
letters [hat make this up. Prior to [his she
learned these as" one picture," but as we are
now ,maiyzing the )ocmds in words she should
be able w identifv that cwo letters go together
w make a single sound. Keep them handy so
that she easily to them.
Don't worrv about spelling at this stage. The
important thing for your child to feel is that
she is able to write easilv and tluentlv and that
her is understood.
Now you can encourage her to use the
alphabet everv day. You can write down poems
and nursery rhvmes that you both know and
gradually little swries - ,,'metimes
a good story can last three
senrences and sometimes they
much longer. Don't worry about
capital letters this stage. Keep
everything very simple and just
watch your child become
'\vriter:"
Very quickly, as your child
becomes more practiced in her use
of the ;yloveablc l\lphabC't, she will
become aware of a number of
importam things. By taking out
letters and putting them together,
she becomeS aware of how words
are tc)rmed ;md made. She also
nncter<.;t:1Uc1S that she should place
LEFT Kum to mi party! Once she
understands the principle of creating words
from the Moveable Alphabet letters, your
child can have lots of fun writing messages
for her friends.
WRITI"z.:;.
them tram left to right, that there should be a
gap between each new word, and that the gap is
usually about the space of one letter. Don't be
tempted to use objects with the Moveable
Alphabet - you will hinder the creative devel-
opment of her writing and limit it to a very
mechanical level.
Give her lots of cncoungcmem. she
wishes, she could illustrate what she has
"written." Don't encourage her to copy what
she has written just yet; it's too soon for the
hand to write accurately and at speed. Of
course, if she sp()f:tancou<sly begins to i;:vrite you
messages, then be very and
supportive, but try noc to suggest that she copies
what she has written with the Moveable
Alphabet as this will make a chore am of
,omething that is a ple:tsure. \Vhen she Gn
write easiiy and well, she WIll not wam to use
the i\lphahct anv more and her ability to write
well and creatively will quite natnnllv make it
ohsolere.
You will be surprised at the varietv and
quaJity of what vour child may write with ;:he
:\10vc;]blc Alphabet over a period of time. This
poem \;vas written by a child in a Monte"ori
school when he was four and a halt~ using [he
!\1m'CJble Alphabet.
/\mum iz cool and culrlill
Thai raik leavz
And maik homtlerz.
This is a \'vondcrfully CfE"::ttlve poem for child
ofrhis age to have written. I have long since lost
contact with him, bm the beauty of his poem
remains pcrrr::mcmly with me. He could not
have physically \vrittcn dovin the letters for this
poem - it would have taken too long and been
too laborious for him. He could have asked one
of his teachers to be his scribe, but I suspect [hat
in order to write this poem he needeci to be
alone, quietly thinking or- v,lhat autumn meant
RST
to him and how he would like to describe it. I
hope I need not add that this poem was not the
I product of hIs teacher suggesting that the
children might all like to write poem about
Autumn! He chose to write it himself
Please remember not to ask your
child to read what she has written
If we return to our vision of the two procf"ses
of reading :md you will that
yvriting is very close to speech and in the begin-
ning simplv [(:qn;rp rhat we analyze sounds.
Reading has to make use of a number of
additional srrategies, You will find that when
your child writes with the !y10vnble ""'lphabet,
she will need you to read back whar has been
written in the beginning. Sometimes she will
"chant" the words she has written becmse she
can remember them. Be delighted with her.
One day, however, .she will begin w study
i the words she has written and will stan to read
,hem back to you ,pontaneonsly. Usually YOu
can easily tell the difference between the
I moment of rerncmbcring and the moment of
reaciing, as she seems to spend longer actually
looking at the letters and linking them together
imo a word, and her attention seems different
when she is reading.
This is a magical moment and can happen as
quickly as a few days after the first introduction
to the Alrhabet, although often it takes longer.
The important thing for you and your child is
that it happen> spontaneously; she ,henld simply
find herself able to do
Suddenly yom child not only feels herseif to
be a reader, she is a reader! Her eyes will linger
on words tha[ you have just read: her a[[emion
will be caught by a single word. Silently you will
see her lips moving as she confirms her kno\.yl-
edge of hOy,," that '~articL11ar word sounds. You
\vill also notice her be cOIning lTIOre
! in recognizing '""\vhole" \cvords that she h~lS seen
trcquemly in books or when she is out and
S TOWARD ! N G 1\ j) \'V R i T I 0: c:
about \vith you.
\Vhen your child has rcached stage Computers
described above, she wiil be keen to progress I Don't in a hurry ro introduce your child co
her reading skills; this ,vould be ~ goml rime to I the computer. Unless you can find a keyboard
begin to play the games in Chap[er 6 vvith her. wirh lowercase letters on it, wait a lide bit
longer. Most children have an uncanny vvay of
Games to that involve "knowing" many of the uppercase letters and
messages once your child seems to recognize them easily,
a simple lesson in how to write messages using a
M(J'gm~tic letters on the (ridge computer can be useful. Beware, however,
~')U may have to buy more than one of because computers also need a lightness of
magnetlc letters to get enough vowels to wuch and a knmdedge ofho\y 'paces,
chis work vvell.Write simple mt:'ssagcs to your and you do not wish to extend the time your
child and her to wricc back. child spends in tront of the Children. as a
general rule, find that writing by hand is much
Sponge letters in the bath qmcker tnan writing on screen to begin with,
letters are fun as they stick to side of and this should be encouraged. An error on the
the bath. Your child can write aD)vvcrs to compllt('r can be quickly corrected; the hand,
questlOD) mch "Have your brushed your however, needs to develop to a stage where
teeth?"H\YJhere~s your hlue bucker?" accurate ,"Tiring is not a chore.

Magnetic pictures with words

Well-chosen puzzles with \vords. such as those your child to send mcss;]gcs to
by Joily Learning, are cleverlv done the other people:
letters can go in order and your will I . . A thank-you card for presents received.

have to sound them out to get the word right.

Printing and stencils with letters

Simple printing sets and stencils can help
chiklren to their ovvn letters
their o\.vn labels and mess3gcs.

Junior Boggle
AaOVE Letter stencils can be employed in lots of ways and
This is an excellent game to encourage .. A hello, how are you 5Iml...":O il!;i!. Labels for a book or ciothes shelf, or
Cards, are only two
cbildren to form words. The cards that come • A birthday greeting.
\vith the g;:une have a huge nUlnber of • A stOry abour ",,,hat she has done t..hat day.
phonetic words addition to othen .har vou Ask her to dictate to you what she would like
can use as your hecon1cs more proficient you to write for her.-Write down exactly what note is truly a collaborative venture
spelling. In addition. ht"c~use the words are she then read it back to her so chat she two of you,
\vritten clearly on each card, she is :lble to can decide if she agrees with what is written. As you play these games, watch the way
herself if she doesn·r quite manage to Perhaps she would like to include a picture or which your child, although speaking,
get it right. some "writing." Encourage her to decorate the aware that she has become a writer. She 'Nill
paper that you have written on so that the I search for the right words to use, and as

PS TOWARD RE.ADING .,\ND WRITING FIRST STEPS TO\VARD READINC AND WRITINC
 becomes aware of the liILi( bct\vcen storles and
her own dictated story, she will begin to use
story convention. Many wili begin with "One
day..." or even "Once upon a time .. :' and the
words "the end" can come very suddenly!
Similarly, as she uses rhe Move~hle Alphabet to
rom pose stories, you will observe the way in
which her language changes to a more authori-
al style rather than conversational. Because you
have read to her so often, you have given her a
lot of experience and knowledge about books
and how they work. She quite naturally assumes
the role ofamhor, and an importJnt toward
literacy has been :lchievcd.
Fr
T c) WAR 0 REA D I ~ G :\ N 0
Your child's own writing
When your child begins to write with ease (see
Chapter 5), you can encouuge her to plav all
the above games by writing them herself. A.nd
leaving her fun messages should encourage her
to leave you tun messages, too.
An received from one of mv own
children is: "I hav left."
A message sent from the six-year-old to rhe
four-vear-old went as follows:
"Will the person in the bottom bunk bed
please not disturb me when he wakes up in the
morning, Tom."
Wei!, the tour-vear-old woke up early and
realized that the "nO[e" must be for him. He
came to mv bedroom and woke
me up at 6.30 a.111. to ask me to
read it to him - I must admit I
felt like adding my name to the
bottom of the note as well! The
act of writing (he note was heipful
and benefieial to bO[h children,
though. The four-vear-old was able
to learn more about the nature of
the printed word and im:mc,diaicely
lCLl'sUlZed, even though he couldn't
that the note was meant for
him. The six-year-old felt happy and
confident that he had expre'sen and
conveyed his feelings in a nonverbal
way, and that the had been
received and noted!
Think of as many ways as you can to
encourage your child to write, Here, a chHd has
written a menu to accompany the family meal,
\V R I T I :"J G
CHAPTER FIVE
Learning to write the letters
begun co teach 'lour child to
-A.:reC,[1gTuze the letters of the alphabet, you
can now also start to help her write them. In
addition to all the general preparations vou've
been making to create a "readiness" to write,
vou should now also concentrate on some
specifie skills: handwnting is an art that has to
be learned. As with anv skill, if you begin by
forming bad habits, correcting them can take a
lot of time and effort, but with the right help at
beginning, you ""ill be ::ible to help her
acquire good handwriting habits and skills
which wili stay \,v1th her all her life.
Here are some points to bear in mind before
you start.
Posture
Make sure she is sitting comfort:lbly at a table -
it's helpful ifher feet can reach the t100r. The
height of the table and the chair should allow
her arms and hands to be a good angle to the
tabletop so that her arms are free to move across
the paper without being cramped or tense, You
should also check that she is not sitting wo
close to the table or lOa dVvav. If she leit-
handed, you may need to seat her slightly
higher so she can see the marks she is making
over the top of her hand.
Space
Make sure there is plenty of space on the table
so that pencils or crayons can be placed within
reach, but nO[ in the way of either the paper or
her arm. Don't sit too close to her as this may
j cause her co swivel or turn her body into an
I awkward position.
i
Writing tools
I Provide a varierv of pens or pencils. These should
I vary in color, allowing her to exerClse aesthetic
I choice. Children seem to develop strong prefer-
ences for colors at a \'ery early age and fJvorires
are pink, purple, reci, blue and green! Pl'Ovick
ordinary lead pencils and also S0l11.e felt-rip pens.
The of the \~Tiring impleOlents should
also vary as some chiklrC'n tlnd eaSIer to gnp a
slightly rhicker pennl while others may prefer
those that are triangular or hexagon:tl in sha],f
You will need to observe which pencils your
I child seems to preier and which she feels most
comfortable holding. The points of the pencils
should be sharp but not brittle.
: Storing pens and pencils
Have a container of some kind for pencils
and pens - a jar or beaker will serve well. as
they can be taken out and put back easily. Pend
cases can be tun to use a little later on. but :.It
I stage the pencils tend to be out and get ill
the way or drop ott the [able. of vV!1ich wiii
interiere with your child's abili[y to focus her
anemion on the task.
Don't be cempted to cran, toO nlany
and pencils into one container as [his will not
HE L
help her to make a choice. If you really want to
observe which pencil or pen works well for her,
she needs to be able to see what's on offer. If
there are too many pens to choose frOln, she
will find it impossible to know which choices
she has and will settle for whatever catches her
attention,
Tty to keep this container and the p::tper that
you have selected in place accessible to your
child. She can then choose when she wishes to
"write" by herseii:~ in addition to the rimes th:1[
you choose to wTite together.
Paper
Whether you choose to start writing on paper
or on a blackboard, try to make sure that
select is of good quality - there is
nothing more frustrJxing than flimsy paper or a
shiny blackboard. To encourage a good hand,
R:'-;[NG TO WRITE RS
the surface being used should not be
nor should your child be forced to press hard on
it to make a mark. Don't anchor the paper in
any way as she will need to svvivel i[ to suit the
hand she is writing with. A firm table mat can
serve as a good surface to put under paper, or a
plastic floor tile if you have one large enough;
failing this a large piece of blotting paper or
heavv-grade painting paper may do.
You may need to help her place the paper in
an appropriate position, Usually right-handed
children need the p~per slightly to the right of
their body in front of their right hand, while
left-handed children need the paper slightlv to
the left in front of their left hand. Some children
like to angle the paper: a right-hander mav angle
the top slightly to the left and a lett-hander may
angle it either slightly to the lett or slightly to
the right. Try not to have paper that is too large
to manipulate - a 5 x 7-inch will be about
right to begin with.
Decorating the
If you decide to use a table mat or heavy-grade
paper under the paper your child will write on,
you could encourage her to decorate it to
provide markers so that she'll know where to
position her writing paper. Once she has found
an optimum angle for her paper, ask her to put
a little star at each corner on the undermat or
paper to mark her position,
PencH hold
Check that your child is holding the pen or
pencil appropriately. There are a number of
acceptable holds: good one will usually
involve her holding the pencil between her
thumb and index finger v,ith middle finger
cramp his hand.
good contro!.
acting as support. blunt end of the pencil
can be relatlVcly upright or along
of the child's forearm. Any tension in the of
the hand will not help her to write and may
indicate that she is not holriing the pencil in the
best pmition. The imporolll to remc;nhor
that there are several ways she can hold i[ -
most of us were taught that there was only one
way and we either conformed to it or were told
that we held it "incorrectlv." Your child may
discoycr a hold ~hat \'IOrKS but has not tr;1CiitloD-
ally been acceptable. For ex;tmple, a cornf,xtable
one may involve [he shaft of the pencil resting
between the first ;md second fingers rather than
hetween the first finger and thumb.
Light
Last of all. make sure that your child can see
I what she is writing. Is there enough light falling
r ERS K7
LE:,R~I~G "[0 W/Rl H E: L
on the paper? Does her hand create a shadow rCl1lerr:bcr this is largely to do with
opmg, from the beg:nning, the hahit of forming
b d, pq bv the
YOU trY to (11<cO\'er what
I would suggest that
of script your
over her ,vriting?
Having prepared yourself as carefuily as
possIble you can now start to help her to
the letters in the right "vay.Your child can learn
to do this easily once she has relativelv good
bd pq child will use when she begll1s tormal

develop good h:mj\vriring rechniques.
or left-handed?
It's not always easy to teil if your child nght-
handed or left-handed when she is very young.
Be relaxed about whichever hand your child
uses to draw or write with. Some childYC'n use
both hands for a variery' oftasks.You might like
to your child to use whichever hand she
feels will make the best job of writing the
letters. If she appc;;[s to be favor1ng her left
hand, here some tips to make life a little
easier for her.
.. Sit her slightly higher on her chair so that
her lett arm is able to travel freely across the
paper. A rcicphonc directory can give the
necessary st:lhi!ity; pillows could make her feel
Insecure.
• If pmsihle arT3nge things so that hoth of her
feet are on the ground.
.. Place the paper slightly to the left of the
mid-line body. The slanting of the paper
should be left to the child, but try to make sure
she has a relaxed and comfortable body
pO,\1t10n.
Enconrage her to use a \vriting imrJerncnr
that Hows smoothly over the page, such as a
felt-tip pen.
Make sure she has enough space to place her
paper to the lett.
.. Check that she is able to see what she has
wntten - the thumb ob5cnrcs it.
Suggest that she holds pencil litde higher
up the shaft. fllrther from the point of the
pencil if she seems to be having problems
It.
""rn-",.., ... the letters
When children write letter, it is important to
control of her hands. Letter wriring is learned
and,just like learning to walk, once YOU can do
it, it just comes naturally. It's very important for
her to get off to a good start, and the followmg
3cti\'i1'ie5 will help her hand to develop natural-
ly the kind of movemem req~lircd to write the
letters. The more practice she has, the easier it
,vii! be. Remembec it is much more diftl-
cult to undo bad habits than to learn good ones
from the beginning'You will need to make sure
that she starts starIS a letter in the correct place
and is able to vvrite fol1o\,ving the correct £lo"\v
of the letter. (See the S:mdl'aper Letters
on 73.)
Choosmg a script
There are many differing opinions 1hollt what
kind ofletters to use. It IS nor advisable to teach
your child to write using capital letters she
will learn these fairly easily at a later stage.Your
first concern will be to teach her to yvritC' :.1sing
lowcrclse letters, and you must decide on the
style or' these trom the start. The two mam stvles
are prim and cursive (see temphtcs, p.142).
I would recommend that you reach your
child some torm of cursive scnpt trom the verY
beginning for the following reasons.
• Cursive script j70ws and it easy for your child's
hand to move across it mlONhly Pnnt tends to be
more abrupt movement, ;md prmt h,ners
often lead children to look at the letters
write them using what is called the ball and
stick formula. This will trequently lead to
letters being formed incorrectly, and bad habits
can quickly become C·'U·lJl,·,,"C'd.
.. The shapes of cursive letters ,lre less likely to make
letters look like you
can see:
easily. She will therefore only need to learn
how to form letters once. Letters that aren't
formed properly become hazard when she
gelS to (he s(age of joining them up.You
shouldn't expeer her to join her letters until
she can easily achieve the correct moycmcnt
for each leIter (that is, starting the letter in
right place and moving her hand in the right
di.rectioll to
letters, it
will allow her the j?o."ihility ojjoining
il1 rhcJirrurc. This is another reason for
preferring cursive script. When tormmg a print
letter. children will tend to exert most prcs'Clrc
on the pencil when tlnishing the letter on the
~iaschnc;j()incd-l1r "i\Titing actually requires
the hand to do the oppmitc.Whenjoining
ieeters together rhe hand needs less as
it moves trom the t:nishing point of one Jet(er
to (he s(arting point of the next. i\lthough
most parents wlllnot need to be concerned
aboUt ~caching (heir child joined-up writing, it
as well to prepare her hand now, rather than
create a habit that will need to be altered in
the tuture. Be wary, hmycver, of letter styles
that have too many loops. The writing s(yles
produce look hut often
onlv work if there pknty of hme to write
ana no pressure.
isjasrer to write. Ifh:lnd;vriting
the purpose for which it is
or crc;1nng a
Finally, it is up to you. If you are tmc:ot:vinccri
Lctters.
The tollo-wing games are fun to play and will
make sure that your child's hand is moving in
the right direction in for using
pencil.YoLl can start playing them when she is
able to recognize and feel many of the Sandpa-
Leeters well. You'U need to play ail of these
games at table, or on the HooT.
Sorting into families
Age: around 3
You will need
set ofS3mipapcr lctters
Purpose
This game will help your child to explore
which letters belong togcth.er because of the
way they are written. Although it would appear
that most leotteTs have theoir own individual
shape, are distinct t8milv groups and
getting to kIlow them will as a key to her
und2manding;. Instead of I'here heing 26
in(11Vicin;:d each of which is a distinct and
separare shape, she will come to understand that
mastering the shape of one letter gives you
of how to write othen.
How to play
Separate out ail the Sandpaper Letters your
child knows. other than and suggest
that you sort them into families. It's probably
best to do one family at a time to hegin with
until the sorting process hecome' easier
Take the letter lie" :md ask your child to
it and say the sound "c"You might suggest that
needs to find all the other of its
family, as they seem to have got lost in
letterbnd' l\sk her to be detective and find
the other or YOLl may prefer to be
more straightforward about your search! The

Rl'\fNC TO WRIT TH RS 89
NING TO WRITE THE
 only way to find the family is to feel all the
other letters until vou find one that makes the
shape "c" as you begin to feel it.
Feel the letter" c," then choose another
letter "a" (pre-arranged in your pile). This
begins in the same way as "c." Have your child
feel the letter and discover that in £1.Ct "e" and
"a" are related. Pur "a" on the table where the
family will go. Feel "c" again and choose
another letter. Graduallv the cable fills up ,'vith
all those letters that belong to the "e" family
and your pile of rejects gets put to one side.
are the families that you should be able
to find
The fanuly
cadgqo
rnmhbp
The "i" family
1 t 1u y j k
T"he "v" group
V \tv X
Certain letters will not fit into any group and
these can be called the "odd" [tInily. Some
letters, depending on the way you have drawn
them, could belong to one of several families
"k" for example, mav belong to the rather
than the family if it has a curved rap.
Ifyou are using the templates from Chapter 9
Letters, the odd letters will
Be ;mdd by your child's decisions about
:~~ odd lett~~s;,Some children are happy to put
s mto the' c group because of the rounded
shape made at rhe ami some
happy for "z" to belong to the
it contJ1ns. a di3g0t1lL
1)0 RNING TO \VRI R.S
i\S soon as a group ofletters has been
identified, feel through them as orten as
possible. Play [he game orren enough for your
child to be able [Q sort out "her" groups of
letters very easily.
Making letter shapes in sand
I Age: around 3 - -I- '12
You will need
lI. small ttay or something similar - [he lid of a
, cookie tin will do, but don't use anything ,hac
h3S high sides. A small amount offine sand,just
enough [Q cover the base of the tray. If you
i don't have sand, and if you can s[and the mess.
I you could try dour your child will love i[!
Salt maY be better al[ernacive, but make sure
she doesn't put her tlngers in her mouth! A few
I Sandpaper Letters.
Purpose
This game wiH help your child to practice
I writing the shapes of letters using her hand
directly, before she begins to use a pencil to do
so. Gradually her hand, using the model of the
Sandpaper Letters. becomeS rnore and more
able to make a good attf'mpt at writing the
shape ofletters.
How to play
Let your child choose a Sandpaper Letter chat
she can feel "vvell. (You may vvan-c to limit the
choice [Q those you know she can manage.)
Take the letter of her choice to the table and
put it beside the trav w-lrh the sand. the
checkbt opposite to make that her
postnre is good. Feel the Sandpaper Letter. then
show her how to make the same shape in the
sand tray using: your nvo vvriting (your
first and middle ones), saying the sound out
loud. either as VOl! trace it or immediatei\'
atterward. Admire the result, then gently shake
RlGHT Drawing Sandpaper Letters in sand is effortless and
makes learning letters more interesting. Make sure your
I
child follows the 'correct' movement when tracing the let-
ters, (See the diagram on page 73.)
 .. Controlling a writing onpper. You will also need a really good hhckbo:ud
.. \10ving the writing implement in a eraser or a damp sponge .
Ifit is, particular direction and forming particular How to ploy
Ask your child to choose a SJ:1dPJper Letter
.. Producing letters that are in that she likes and can feel easiiy. Ifshe needs
paper?
heip, give her a choice of some letters in her
at using the lightly in other situations is do more drawing and coloring,
reeling of :'le Sandpaper Letters emphasizing "tightness of touch."
Feeling and writing the sandpaper name or any mhers that may have particular
draw the pen/pencil across the paper? letters on a blackboard for her. Place the letter slightly to
the right position? Does she have the right kind of pen or pencil? Is the size of her chair around 4 on wilinot
You will need twist her body into an position \vhen
A set of Sandpaper Letters. she feels it. Now you feel ,he letter, pick up the
observe what works for your child. Remember that her "nnds are a lot sm311er than Chalk - different colors, but preferably not
unique in their own way. Try the alternative hold mentioned in this (~apter ;:;nd see if you find long, thin pieces they break easilv.Try to several times; fill ,he board with as many
find chalk that is short and stubby. You may as you trying each time to form a
want to dusrfree chalk. Most good heautiflll sh:Jpe. Now ask your child if she
)uppliers ';Nill have these as will most good would like to do the same. Rub out your
children's toy stores. letters and let her start. In the beginning it
light source and the size of her paper.
A really good hlackboar,iYou could use doesn't matter where the leerer is written on
those that are often found on the other side of the board, but her to fiil the bo"rd.
difficulties that are apparent are nor caused by tension on the pert of 'lour chiid to
pamtlng easels happen to have one at size of the letter doesn't matter either.
before she is ready to form them will result in stress Clod tension, so
home,11though ;lre some onwbJcb to some nrne wili start to write the
is ready - vvhen she wants to write, rather 7han when you want her to.
pre'writing experience to in control of her ,his. The moyerneritl that your chIld's ;lrm. letters at a size that she feels comtortable with.
and fingers make when writing on a When she has rilled [he board, ask her to look
surface, such as table, is very to the all the letters she has written and choose [he
in which the lettEr is written without any clifficulty, nl0vcmC~TCS made :::t:1nding up an she likes best!
easel. Standing up to practice isn't the Children have a clear idea orhow they
best solution but may be the onlv one that you e:\-pect their letters to look, and the bbckbo;;rd
,he tray to make letter disarrcar. Do the Feeling and writing the Sandpaper have to begin with. Ideaily, vou will buv or provides a helpful start letter that
same thing again few times, ,hen ask her if Letters a hlackbo:mi that is "bout 8 x 10 inches. your child is with c;ln be erm~d
she would like a mrn. Once your child's hand can make a reasonably It should rest firmly on the table and should be :rnmcdidtc]y ifshc doesn't like it. It's much
Encourage her to repeat the or the good attempt at tracing a shape in sand. there heavy enough nor co slip and slide about. The better tor her to practice on a blackboard
letter as many times as possible hefore you go are manv other steps you can take co help her mrtace must not be shiny. Don', buy one until betore she moves on to paper.
on to another letter. Alwavs give your full to develop good It be you have tried it out - dmningly stores do sell
"Jttemion to ,he start of the letter and nccessJry to practice 'v1lTiting in cc);lil;:nctlOTI boards ,hat are sometimes almost impcl'Sible to Writing letters on paper
cncoura.ge her to continue the lllovement o( \yith the SJndrapcr Letters until her hand no on: around 4- on. when your child is
letter to leave her alone longer needs co learn the correct If all else tails you should go to your local c:ont1dent ahout on a blackboard
to explore the letter in sand. IVlake sure she rnaking the snape; once this has the When she starts to practice \Nntmi;
always feeis the first berore she traces the Sandpaper Letters are no longer useful. she ,hould be rebtivelv happv with what
supplier. and buy
shape in the sand. You lTlay like to her that I would recorr;;;tcnd that you progress she writes. Do no, encourage ,he use of J
can teach write bv feeling the through the follo\ying g:nnes as to painted the side pencil eraser.
letter. In this \Nay she will r a'-'great your child's skills. They vvill helD her You wiil need
children had a wonderf',ll bbckboard to dId\v
of achhc\ocl11cnt. to master the fOllowing: A set of Sandpaper Letcers.
on and she fdt that her ugly \y~shing mJchine
.. Handling a writing implement. had been put co good use. You could offer a choice of colorful

\VR 1 KS 1~C; TO WR! TEL

 crayons. snnIlar size to the chalk, modern day sampler l air, using her hand as the pencil. See if she can
or a limited choice of fe-DeiJ" and .. Choose one of the letter (see guess which letter you viritten. Be sure
felt-tip pens. Don't have too many Sorting into F:Jmilies earlier in this cbrtcr) you write in one smooth movcmC'nt, ,qrting
to choose froin. and write all the letters from it on one sheet of the letter in the correct place. This is a great
Plain (i.e. unlined) pdper - this paper. Repeat for the orher t;,milies, each way of making sure that your child really
-;hould be 5 x inches and family of paper. "feels" the vvay the letters are wTitten.
you could offer choice of colors. Now the'
Make sure, however, that all the Llmilies, too. Fingerpainting the letters
crayon colors will show up on the +- Observe her "'Titing to see what size of rfyol! were brave enough to organize tlnger-
colored paper. letter she generally produces. Use this as a painting to encourage making in
How to piay guide. Fold (he paper over as if you were Chapter 3, it will be a natural step for vour
Firs[ make you have run creating accordion or fan - width of the child to draw the shapes of the letters in the
through the checklist on page 92 first told to be determined by size of her paint with her fingers, and to make a prim of
regardIng :1nd the position letters; first fold should be about twice the these on paper. Those she isn't satisfied with
of the paper. Then you could do size. If your child's letters are much too big to can be "iped away easilv. Don't let her use the
allow you to do this easilv. then she is not vet LC1:ters as a for this activity
ready tor this activity. A good indicator of size they're almost certain to get spartered! She will
Lt~ttcrs as YOll is otten to look at the size that writes her probably start to paint the the letters '.vithont
did with the hlackhoard. ABOVE Writing on lines using the Sandpaper letters. own name. Ask her to write her letters in a any prompting from you, but if she doesn't,
.. Create a border around the edge of the iine. using space betv;;een fold,. This only suggest it when you are fairly sure she can
BELOW Drawing a border around her work and then deco-
paper and. when the middle has been filled in acrivity should encourage her to start her make a reasonahle at forming the
rating it will help your child feel proud of her work and wilt
,-vith b('auritlll also help give her the idea of margins. And the middle can letters on the left-hand side of the page and shape without using the guide of the letter.
decorarc the border.You '\vill have be used for a poem, a thank-you letter or a message. will help to regularize their size. Please
note that you are nor asking to write on
the line, rather you are cnC:0urJ.gmg her to get
letters moving in a line.
If she tinds it ditEcult to to
start, and this may be particularly difficult for a
lett-handed child. she could decorate the
margin down the lett-hand side of the page -
you could make a simple hookmark and
decorate to fit on to the side of the
page.You can do this easily using a strip of
,:Jraboard cutting out a at the top
- the V can fit over the top of the page and
remaIn stable vvhile she is \-\Titing). If
your child is not in doing this,
might like to draw a colored line down the
side of the page to remind herself instead.

Writing in the air

Have vour child sit on your lap. Hold the hand
that she writes with and draw a letter in the

')4 R N I N G 'J/R I T E
NING TO \VF..1
Painting the letters
If your child enjoys painting, you might like to
provide her v,;ith smaller pieces of paper and
finer brush. She can sit at table and paint
letters on paper. Once again, you would not
really be wise to use the Sandpaper Letters as a
guide as they will prob:ll,ly get painted
il1JdYertJntlv'The main purpose of this should
to make sure hand is able to control the
brush J\')llowing the correct letter moyement.
The letters do not have to be perfect.
and paint
Use really waA)' crayons. Encourage her to
write the letters on paper, then cover the paper
with a light wash of paint and watch together
as the letters appear through the paint.
Gluing letters
You will
\Vater-soluble glue. Either buy some or use
w:1ilppcr paste, which is cheap and easv to
n'lake. Use a painthrush nthcr than glue
brush. which has a blunt edge, If you can find
theul, there are :1vaib.blc glue
Fens Ihat v(lOrk well with this activity.
You will also need glitter, or sand
J.nd good-guality colored FapeLYou mav tInd
it helpful to do this over a trav since it carl be
qUIte messy.
How to play
yom ,:hild to write letters in glne
over the paper as guickly as she can. Now
her card~!llv over ghtter, sequins
or sand and shake. Watch the glue letters
appear.
j.\re 50111e nlovcrncnts more difficult than
others? .A..IQngsidc her practice\ encourage
n,ore pattern making and still-life dr:r\Ying as
R ['-..; [ G T (, W R ! T E
oudined in ChaFter 3.
Revisiting the sound and letter
recognition games
If you look back at some of the games you
played in Chapter you will see that many can
be rldarted for your newly t1cciged to
write. For instance, she can label the picmres in
the rhyming games you played: she can make
her own alphabet book; she can ,tdIt to use her
own hanchniting to send mCSSJges: Jnd she
\vTite lists and menus, and gcncT:llly
incorporate writing into her play.
Worksheets and workbooks
You will have noticed, I hope, that I have
avoided suggesting you pro\'idc dotted lines for
children to trace over or use the many commer-
cially av:!ihHc workbooks on the marker.
Schools often send children home with
photocopied sheets on which to practice
writing their letters (not good Montessori
schools, I hasten to add!). Manv schools,
because they have to teach brge numbers of
children w write anyone time, otten are
unable to Ihe kind Jttcnt10n
i you can give to your cbld. Repetition does, of
course, help children. but repetirion that is
boring will not help anyone. Sadly the problem
with "tracing'" letters is that very often children
do not trace them correcclv in the first place.
They tJ.ke their hands off the letter at the
wrong mom em, have to conform to the ,ize of
letter on the sheets ;mn the 'pace provided for
writing, and frequently these sheets are
produced with print letters.
Your ch11d's h:mchvriring is and ,he
should feel as proud to produce a bClUtittll
letter as she does a beautiful or
painting. There should be no. sense of dUey
attached to dnwing letters. You can make
practicing her letters and fun bv
I proyiding rnJny different v'lays of doing it.
Helping your child to control a pencil
on paper
Age: around
You have encouraged your child to ciraw and
color in pictures, and you have also been
helping hcr to explore patterns and shapes on
paper. There is now one ;Jdditiol1J1 activity that
you could introd!lCe just as she is getting ready
to do more comrollfd writing on paper. In a
Montessori class it is called Metal Insets,
although the children otten call them mental
insets or metal insects' is possible to buy
them, but vou can just easily make use of
things around the house to achieve much the
same etIect.
You will need
Some good-quality colored pencils. Some
good-quality plain \mJined) paper in lots of ABOVE You can use any object, like this box, to draw a
shape to help your child control a pencii on paper. After
colors.An object, such a small saucer or lid
she has drawn the shape, encourage her to color it in,
to draw around, or use insets from puzzles using up and down strokes and traveling from left to right,
your child had when she was smal1cr. (These
would be ideal if Ihey were Wlm
knobs hecause the knobs would steady her the range of activities she is already engaged
hand.) on:
Purpose
This activity will increase your child's control • IVriting creative!v with the ;vl(wCJhle
of the pencil on paper whIle prJCticing Alphabet lists, stories, poems and messages.
techniques that \Nill be for writing. , • Practicing writing letters using
How to play Srlndpaper Letters, through a number of
Have your child draw around the outside of different
the chosen shape as carefully as possible. This is ., Drawing and p::tlntlng, Jna to
quite difficult as her hand ,vitI tend to shoot I refine her hand control.
off in differem directions at the I • Starting to use her own handwriting (as
Then show her how to color in the oudine, opposed to her earlier mark making) on her
moving the hand from lett w right and drawings, and she mav use her own
in an up and do\vn hand"\vriting to send rncssagcs and \.vrite
imiGlreS the flow of the lists, nlenus~ etc. Many of [he garnes yon
\vriIing hand as it travels across paper. From piayed earlier for sound and
quite long lines at the beginning you can start I can be plaved agam at this poim
to color in bands. then gradualJy introduce the Chapter 3) and she WIll now be able to
idea of shading the her own len::ers.
Before you move on to help your child to .. Cor:tinuing to be read to.
write on lines, it may be useful to summarize • Starting to read fer herself.
\1/ k J E T 1-! I
F" N 1 NG
Helpine: your child to write on
lines ~.;
Giving your child lines to help her to write and
space \vell can be very useful, 35 long as you are
to :l(bpt the ,ilE of the lines to the
of her wrinng.You will be able to judge what
size the lines need to be if you check her
writing on plain paper - a very good indicator
is to look at the size she writes her own name.
There are various types of lined paper you
can to help her pr;.cticc on. e<lch with a
slightly different purpose (see Chapter 9 for
you can use). Choose which type
you'd like vour child to try, but be prepared to
change it if what you've chosen doesn't work.
You will also need to change the size of the
lines as her writing devciop" until a single line
is adc'luatc. Use') x 7 -inch paper to start off
wilh. Don't encourage her to use lines for all
her WrIting, hmvcvcr: there will still be some
things that are bes( \vritten on plain paper.
The lined p;iper templates in Chapter 9
each geared to proVIde a slightlv ditTerent
3CtlVltY·
Graph Paper
This provides a general guide for your child and
\tvill not lirnit the size of her letters.
Line
This gives a guide for the main part of the letter
leaves the height of the ascenders and
descenders to the child.
Double line wirh darker base line
This focuses attemion on the base line and gives
guidallce for the of the mam part of the
lines: color coded
ThIS guid:mce for ascenders and
ders as well the main part of the letter.
LEARNiNC \Vru
Placing letters on a line
Age: around 4 5 on
Before you start the following actiyities, your
child should be able to mClke the correct
movement of the letters by herself withoU(
needing co refer co the S;tndpaper Letters
there are srill one or two that cause difficulty.
She should also be keen :md eager to write, and
you must strike a balance ber-ween providing
the necessary practice and making sure that the
writing has some purpose. She should now be
writing easily with the l\1on:ablc AJpnahcL
You wi/I need
One of each of the letters of the aiphaber -
vou can remove them tYom your Moveable
Alpbbet. !fthese are too large to fit on the
paper, reduce them on a photocopier. The
letters will only be used for a short space of
time in this activity so they don't need to be on
cardboard paper ,houle! do.
Decide which type oflined paper you are
going to try first; any of the templates - with
the exception of the paper - wiil
Take a large sheet of paper (11 " inches
"vould be about right), and dra\v the lines
you've chosen on the paper, using the size of
the letters vou have made as your guide.
If you're using a two-line Iormat, ,he middle
two lines should the" c" size: if you're using
a four-line format, the top line should be at the ABOVE Discovering where to place letters on a line will spem looking at them.
height of the ascender in "h" and the bortom prove valuable when your child comes to write on paper. Sort out all the letters that have descenders that
This little boy has discovered letters that descend below
line the depth of the desccndcr in "v." the line, and those that sit on the line. He wi!! discover go below the shaded or reach the bottolTl
How to play those that ascend above it line.
SorringJor size
g j p q
Explain to your child that she has been vvriting
in lines and now you are going to show her Clear these away after enough tIme has been You will be left with two odd letters
where letters go when they are written on spent looking at them. which ne\'er qlllte catches up with the
lines. Ask her w son throl1gh all the and Novv ask her to sort out all the letters that ascenders. and "C' which may above and
leave all the letters that fit benveen the shaded have ascenden that go 1hove the shaded area below the main lines.
or blue lines on the paper. Those that do nO( fit or reach the top line. Now ask your child to m:x up all
should be put aside. ana see if she can sort them out to
b d h size, placing them on the line as she goes.
acelmnorsuvvv
Clear these away atter sufficient time has been Ask her to place all (he letters on the lines at
LE
LE,>\ R:-.II :--""G \V1'. i
 random and see can rCIT1C'mbcr begin to write down longer messages and
placement of each let(er. stones, and gradu:illy (he dttr;Jction of the
;Vtoveablc Alphabet dwindles as she IS
Sortin,---?Jror.!~l,fniii{'s able to write JUSt as quickly by hand. Over the
l\sk her to son the letters out onto the line but period of time between to \HUe
in their "movement" fa.tnilies (see the Sorting v,rith the Moveable Alphabet and being able to
into F;lillilies game. page 89). The letters that write well using her own hJ~lrh\'r1r·InQ'.
begin" c," those that begin "i," and those that erratic, purely sound-based spelling she
begin "r," then the odd ones. began with will graduallv have changed.
influencd by a number of differt'nt things. As
rl/~"irif1g
on rhe she to read, her awareness of the way
Take some lined 5 x 7 inches paper and ask words look when they are written down
your child to sort out the ,'\'loveable Alphabet begins to change. She meets w-ords that are
letters in any of the vvays outlined above. Using not easv to sound out. and she meets words
the soned letters as a guide. she can write that she can recognize bv looking at them as a
down the letters on the lined paper. \;y~hole. She vvill meet \vords chat require some
You must now tlnd a variety of ways to help special knowledge to help her to crack the
her pnctice writing using lines. Try to avoid code, such as those ending m "tion" or those
asking her to repeat rows of a particular lener that have a silent letter such as "k" - knee,
since this hccomcs boring. You could knot. etc.You will see from the next two
choose groups ofletters according to way chapters that. as she has reading,
that they are wrinen or '·move." For instance. you have encouraged her to become more
from the farnily lTIO\'-Cmcnt group, and caretlil about which letters make up particular
''1'' could be practiced together, and "u" and words. At no time, howc\'er, during her v,,'ork
couid be practiced together. Expiore the WIth the Alphabet have you cmrhasi7cd
possihilities together, taking family group correct spelling over self-expression.
a time, then look for similarities ",herher by Nevertheless, there will have been a subtle
or by shape. The combinanom are change in how spells those words.
endJe~s) and <1uring the titne you are studying
the letters together. her kno\:vledgc :1nd Once she is vVl'iting well on lines, vou expect
of the way letters arc formed and her spelling to be quite good. \Vatch out tor very
written will be common words that are repeatedlv mi"rclkd,
As she increases in confidence and speed, however. and show her how to write them.
she \,vill \vant 1:0 'evrite on the lines more often, \Vhen she writes certain words by hand. the
aud vou \vill need to be needs form 'Nords take can become a habi(, and
dnd the paper to suit grO\Vlng while not correcting all the spellings, you need
clpahilities. \Vithin rEhtively short period of to watch out tor ~nnhing that might hecome a
she may able to write all her letters on habit. The activities suggestc.d in C-:hapters 6,7
one Ime. and 8 v'l'ill all have 3..c'1 impacr on speiling.
To alSlSt this process, keep all kinds of \Vhen your child first starts on
paper on a ,hclf so ,he can choose it can be very helpful to provide her with some
(he kind that suits her best, as different tasks written models [Q follow, in addition to her mvn
\vill require difterent paper. She \'lill \vant to
lOd L E t\ R i'i!.'J G \YRITE TH
Writing models
/\.ge: around 4h-
What you will need
Provide paper your child seems most
comfortable with see me samples in Chapter
9.\Vrite a variety of words, sentences, poems.
jokes, messages that you think would appeal to
her. These first
but should increase in length and move on to
different paper as her interests and needs
develop. You will also be readv to "scribe"
:mything she may want to write with the
"proper" spelling. In this \lvay, some of the
will remain for a period of time
while some wiUjust be required once.
How to play
You may like 1:0 begin with your child's name,
which is alwavs very special. or :mything else
you think she wili like seeing written on the
line. but do not begin w-ith something
lasts longer than a line. Equally, don't reduce
this 1:0 another drill, whe,e words are simply
copied without purpose or mc:ming. She has
been writing her name tor some
time, bm now you have an opportunity to
show her what it looks like on a line.
Cm strip from writing paper and
write her name, making sure chat you art
writing the letters with good mOVement.
Place your strip of paper directly above her
own lines and ask her to copy it. Move the
strip down as each line is completed. Once
you have are more than line
long, you can either put them above her page
i)[ beside (To the lett of a right-hander and
the right of a lett-hander so that they can see
and "vvrite the Salne time.)
Leave some paper strips witl-: or
names on an shelf so that if she feels
like WrIting and wants a prepared model to
follow rather than own thought;, she has
access to it at any time.
Some possible ideas tor e:-.:amp!es could be:
,. Simple rhymes and poems that grow in length.
I ,. The days of the \veek, months of the year.
,. The families of letters.
,. Letters grouped according to their
,. The names of all the mcmhen of yom
,. Capital letters and lo-wcrcase !etten
side.
If your child is lefi:-handed, you should attempt
to write with your lett hand, too.Jl.Jld don't
worry if it doesn't look all that good - it isn't
the perfect shape of the letter that matters hut
the
the way the letters are formed that counts! If
vours doesn't look all that cncollngc
her to make a betterjob of it than you did.You
can explain, if you need to, that you feel !TlOre
comiortable writing with your right hand. If
vou are lett-handed, then you will have the
opposite problem if your child is right-baneled.
Spacing
\Vhen helping your child to space her words, it
can be helpfuL if she seems to need guidance. to
IS to
is doing normally. Do not space
as this will cause small writing to be unnecessar-
ilv spaced out and large writing [() be too close
together.
Capital letters
A simple explanation for a capital Jetter is that
we use it when we wish to draw attennOll to
'omcthing important, i.e. a name or the begm-
ning of a new sentence.
Capital letters very rarely need to be taught
- most children wiiI pick up many of them ftom
their everyday exposure to them: the 1\1 f<')r
?vlcDonalds is just one example. Many capital
letters also very similar to their lowercase
relatives. You may need to teach a few capitJI
letters but your child will know the lIlJ)Orltv of
lUI
LEAR:\lI~G -=.-0 \VF...i E L
them. Helping her to write them is also a much
simpler task than helping her to learn to wrice
lowercase leners as they are mostly, bar one or
two styles, written using predominantly straight
lines that can be written in a variety ofwavs.
What you may need to do is to teach the
names of the letters to your child. Up until now,
you will have mostly concentrated on the
sounds, but once these are secure you can
BELOW Make recognizing the differences between capital
(etters and lowercase ones into a game. When your child
feels comfortable matching them, take away the control
cards and ask him to do it from memory.
L ARNJ G TO WRITE LETTERS
explain to her that [he letters have name as
well as sound.
Use anvaiphahe[ -;:ou kno\v to the
names with the shapes of the letters. Invite your
child to "vrite the capital and lowercase letters
belonging to, for example, D, giving the naTIle
and not the sound.
Matching lowercase and capital letters
Age: around 5
You will need
Two sets of26 alphabet cards, each of which
has a capital letter followed by a
letter. TaJee one and em it down the middle together. Look at real book and discovc'r
to separate the rapita] letter from the iowefcase what you will need to do. Where does the tide
leneLYou now have three sets of cards. appear;; \Vhat is on the inside cover? Will you
How to ploy need pictures? What will the story be abom?
Layout the large cards, then ~ake the capital Don't be too ambitions 111 the beginning-
letters and mateh them underneath the some very good stories can be written with
cards.As they are laid down, name the letter. very few words. Perhaps your child ~vould like
Do the same for the letters. When to make little diary tor herselt~ recording one
this has been accompiishcri, pby the game panicular event thar she remembers a day)
again, only this time layout the capital letters her to make card, to send to friends
first and match the 1.0"\\'C.rc:1se letters to them
without the guide. Use the large cards to
check at the end to see if they are all matched
up. If your child knows the order of the
11phahct. then she can sort them into the
correct order.
Encol1!"'::lge her to practice
and together, then watch as
they gradually become in her
writing. Be sure not ro introduce capital letters
until she bas no difficulty writing the
h0v~-cvcr. In all the vvriting
vou have done in front of her. you have used
letters if they vvere arrr0rrj(lte~ ann
through her reading and vour cXClmp1e she \vill
soon how to them.
l\1ore games to encourage writing
Notice board
Pm up notice board at your child's height
and leave for her to read.
her to write her own nlcssages or Jnswcrs to
your mcssJges on the hoard.
Letters
Children love envelopes. Wrire her
little messages Jnd P:l'( Into envelope
with her name on. :Ybke 'UTe vou also provide
some em~dores on her writin b l!lelf so ,hat
she can wrire letters w you.
Books
You can now to wrire real books
::'-Ji0iG TO \YJRITL THE
CHAPTER SIX
ng
the moment when your child is
co read is very exciting for all
concerned. By now you will have made sure
that she has had different experiences
w1th words which. together, have created in her
to read.
>$> YOti have gillen her h"/0l1kdge of the II'arid.
Through taking her Out and about :mci
~ots of C011Ycr':1tion you have
given her experience of the ·world. You have
used ;:ichlv md well. and attached it
to realEfe and real-lite experiences so that
'.vhen she reads 1"vords. s1tl1:1t1.0ns and
nn'ClH'll1Wnr, \\~ill have some' resonance.
.. Un! halle given her a ,\:nOlvie~gc uj i'e,,!::s. She
"",~('r,ro,"d, thc importance of print to convev
thc forms that srories
take. She knows how to handle books. She
feels a sense of ownership of ,nme of her
hnnks will choose to look at
chern even when there 15 no prospect of
someone reading to her. She has experienced
rhrtt can be had fronl n::;:;,d~ng or
bemg read By sharing books with you she
learned to recognize SOlne ""vords alrcJdy
withom any effort.
$ She has a {~o(id kl10wlfdgc c:f '-(lund;;) ,711d
She hcts learned these through the
In~Ul~\,i songs, pOelTIS and nlirser~r rhY1l1CS you
recited together. ::rifongh "~;1riOllS ,,(jund g:lITICS
you have played with her and through iearning
svmbols that are JtTJchcd to
I .. She has IrCTSCU: Through
\vriting do\vn messages and "tories \vith the
'vlo\cT"ble AIr habet. she that pnnt
conveys her thoughts, that words are sound
units that can be strung rogerher into mFJning~
flil units, and that she is able to read what she
herself has wrinen.
• She feels like a reader, Having written her own
I messages and read them. having "read" many
stories. and having a fanuly vvhere books are
valued. your child will rhat she is a reader
I and will be eager and readv to reading
more and more.
I Ho\v vou help to get her started: The ability
to read will depend on her being able to do a
number of different things at once. Perhaps the
Erst question you must ask voursclfis rhis:"\Vhy
should choose to read?"
\vhat she reads interests her and gives
a sense of :lccornplishmcnt. It gives her
lTIOre ;-1utononlY vvnat she can find OUt for
herself and a greater sense of indercnccnce, She
will be able to discover for herself and she
will be able to take herself ott into other vvodds,
\'vhich \vhat she reads has only her o\vn
ilTIJgin:1tlon as its lirnit. She \vants to read
I because reading has d purpose for her. The
reading that you do \vit:h her lT1Ust then be of
to her. it cannot simply be reading for
" SLlch as "bear"
Don't be tempted co buy a of basic
readers or primers co help you through this
stage. The value of these books is usually only
to help a teacher know what level of re:lding a
child can do. All too often they rely on very
limited language, which is often removed
from either real language or real book
with stilted rhythms and awkward
word sequences. The limited nature of the
YClclbulary can often make the £low of the
words boring. h is also rare to rInd contem thar
actually interests children of this age in these
books. Although there are some that are above
lvcr;;ge, havi:g to read through books all
about the same family can be extremely boring
a while I
Children rarely rerum agam and again w
these books and they hold no real pleasure tor
them other than to encourage a c01Tlpetitive
clcmem to reading, Rather than discussing the
content of these books with each other,
children t('nd to what number or color
level thev have reached. Recent research has
revealed that :llrhn\1gh these bonks trY to focus
on a limited vocabularv, ordinJrv storv books in
give a child more pranice at the most
commonly used words.
When children read they \vill use a variety
of strategies to help them ,"vbt they
seeing. They \vjll, for rely quite
heavily on anv clues they can pick up tram the
surrounding 'Nnrds, pictures or <irnation: we call
this the context. A child coming across the
word "kangaroo" may look at the picture for
help: if she doesn't find it much help, she may
use her kn(1wledge of the siwanon and her
ability to predict what mav tollow on from it as
a natural cnr""(llh'lnCp
She will also reiv on kn()\vledge of the
\vorld to hel? ~o predict a 'Nord is
likely to Inean.'JJe kno\v \vhen Vife come across
a word that could have a variety of meanings
mind presents itself with a
choice of all possible known to the
reader. In a split second. betore vou are even
aware of it, the mind able to choose what
believes is the most suitable for the
i comext. The wider your child's cxpcrifnces and
vocabnlary, the more options WIll pop into her
mind and the more likely she is to find the
that fits- the sentence.
She wii! also use her own natural under-
of hnguagc to help her guess what
wight be COIning next, what would make sense
and what any given word might be. As she
reads, she uses her intrinsic knowledge of
! gnmmar to help her to get to the meaning of
the words that she reading, A very good
of how we use our knowledge
I 1,mguage to help us to crack the of a
sentence C:in be found in the wonderftll
nonsense ,hvme by Edward Lear, The Jabber-
wocky. The tlrst hnes read like this:
Ttvas hrillig} and the slith}' topes
I Did gyre and gi'llhlc in the ,mhc,
;\Iiany of these words are not used in [he English
language. But can you pick out the words that
I describe the action? Can you discover
subject of the <cntcnre' \Ve not recoglllze
j the "vords, but our unof"fsranding of our
language can help us to go some way toward
of the semence. \\lh"n
we search tor m rhese lines, we cry to
imagine what "slithy toves" would look like and
then what actions best fit "gyre and gimble." I
use this poen1 sirnply as an l11ustration and not
because I think yOU should use for your
children to read at this stage;
Pb.y the fol1o\\'in; games [0 launch your
child easily and relatively eiTordessiv inw
, re:1ding. You can play thern 4t
: yOU begin to share the
together, They are
putting sounds together w make up words,
which will enable her to read more iluentlv
R T 1:'.J '-; R IllS
 around the house or you could visit a my store times, you could introduce
that sells mini~,turcs. if you really wa.t"t to to more [han one digraph such as squash or
townl The objects [hat you collect should all cheese (the silent "e" doesn't present a
be objects of desire and they do nor need to difficulty as it doesn't alter the way any of the
relate to one another. other letters sound).
The first set should be objects that are If you want to make a game thaI she can go
spelled phoneticaliy; that is. where each sound back to, you may want to shop around for little
the ,vord is represented by one letter only objects to supplement what you have at home.
so that as it is sounded out, it can be blended Montessori schooll have little boxes for this
together to create the name of the object galne with all sorts of delightful objects in
\vithout distortion or change to the them, which means they can change the
';ounQ\). objects around so children are always
you did a quick round of the interested to rcad is in them.
kitchen and your child's bedroom, you could If you were reallv stuck, you could always
end up ,'I/ith the toUo,ving objects: just collect pictures of ohJects, but the objects
themselves arc much more fim,
cup lid lamp pan nut
You will also need some paper strips and a
pen lemon van jug drum pencil so you can write the names of the
objects down.
milk pasta panda Gog
Purpose
COIIllC nutmeg meion can mug The purpose of ;>bying is to help
your child realize how easily she can put
cap hat bag clip vitamins
together the sounds ,hat she alreadv knows and
As you can see, YOU don't have to stick to read them the objects are used w create
three-letter words; a few would be helpful bm "context" for heL She will know that the word
don't try to use this game to move from three- has to be trom the group of objects in front of
letter words to four-letter words and so on. her and this should help her to read the labels
You could also introduce \vords that have you will her.
double letters in them aiter a short while, such How to ploy
carrot, doll, bell, clock, egg, brick (although One of the most important clements of thIS
the "c" and '"k" look different. the sound that game is that you are going to write down the
Writing down the names of favorite toys or other objects in
they make is the same). names of the ohject'; in front of your chiH so
front of your child wiU help her make the connection
on ~ you will begin to
between objects and sounds, and writing and reading. The second set of objects should be objects that she your thought iitcrally
that contain a digr:lph in them (those that your Onto paper in front of her eyes. The
that -;he ha~ ~vrittcn on her o\vn that when v"lie
child already knows from ,he Sandpaper mC'ss3gc you are
\v"ith the \lovc:1hlc i\lph:1hC't. be reFf'scnred by \\Titten symbols and by Letters). In every other respect the words can read we are reading the thoughts of someone
This relies on your child ha\'1ng placing them dOvvtl in a particular order \vords else. The tact that \vritten \vords are :lhvays !.:he
be out the objects in thE first set.
-..:njoved Sound (~;ime, the S:1ndp:lpcr are made. She has also begun to blend these Examples could i product of someone's thought is importam;
Letters and the l\10veable AlphabecYou aren't sounds together tor herself :mel reael her ~ives value to the written word and links
ro teach her ncw pbying vwiting. train cloth brush ketchup toy
together "Tiring and r'-CKeSSt's.
von 'will simplv build on her past experiences What you will need star book letter !OrK coffee
Your child will value the littie labels you Wrice
Jnd kno',vL~cigc T1TllTI three pie coat blue quilt trout
Two different sets or'smail objects (have least for her to read far 111Dre than does ready-
Your child dlready knovvs that sounds can eight things); they COUld be garhered from As soon as your child has read these a few prepared labels.

R"f'l:"1 G
 Collect the ilrst phonetic of objects
together, "jther on the floor or on tabk (A
table would be prctcnhle hecause you are
going to vvrite.)
Vocabulary check
.i\1ake sure your child knows the names of ail
the objects are using. If you have chosen a
tov cat and she uses the word "kitty" to
describe it you will need to give her the name
you wlil use for the game.
"Well. that is your 'kitty,' but for this game
we need to call it 'cat.'"
You couldn't use the word kitty ltis
not phonetic.
Write your thoughts do\vn for your child to
read
Tell your child vou are thinking of one of
the objects on the table. Ask her ifshe knows
which one it is. Some children will pick up an
object if she do not
accept it as the objecr you were thinking
"\Vell, that not the one that I was
rhinking of Let me give you clue:'
Some will ask for J. clue tram the oU(sec.
rrntches the style rhar you have chosen to
teach your child, the name of the ohjC'ct vou
vY;lntec1.
"This is what I wamed."
Let your child see vou wnte down the
letters on a strip of paper. In this wav she will
see the conncet10n hCf'Yvccn \\-har you ;:ire
thinking and what she will be reading.
:,oundln'a out
Give your child the Strip of paper and ask her
to sound om what she sees on it. She will
[Q run then1 to;Nhrr
Elster until. vvith C()m~1n3tion of:ilcnding
sounds ,md looking to see which of the objects
n"ldV relate to, she will ohject. Be
<;;ne
10N
R AD
knows what you thinking ofbccJUiC ,he
was able to read your mC":l;e. Pm the object
and the label togcrher "lnd cominuc an
the objects have been labeled.
You "vill observe that she will partly be
';;reading" the vyords and partly using the objects
as "contexT." She knO\vs that ,vhOlt written
relates co the choice of objects placed in from of
her. She will combine a of,tratcgics to
read the word in front of her -
that begins with "p," for """"I"")',,,,,,n."'''''
she will sound out rnrnni"otFiv
Repetition and confirmation
i\sk your child to read over all the objens and
their labels. This will help her to tocus on the
word as a whole. She will, of course, knovv the
object and will then "read" the word easily. It
helps if she can poim to each label as she savs
it, bringing her eve to a of the whole
vvord.
You will tire of this game long before she
does. If you wam to see if she can do the
activity bv herself, you could prepare some
labds for her to use. If she is writing, she could
write her own labels for the objects. Don't
expect her to read the labels withom any
contextual She may be able to do so, but
you should nor It.
Reading the digraphs
You can imroduce the second ,ct of ObjCClS
containing the digr~rh') as ~oon as your
finds it easy to read the first set: chis could be
the nexr day or the day after for some children_
-You must rcrncmbcr that she doesn't have to
iearn nc\v to do these She
only has to apply the kn.owlcdge
alreadv gained the Sound Game and the
Sandpaper Letters, and use her experiences
\vith the :vloveablc ar:d the
i that you have been doing with her.
How to play You \,vill note that some are easy to read and to
Do exactly the same with the second set of do, and others require a little more
objects as you did with the tirst. Howcvcr, interpretation. If she gets stucK with the
vvhen writing your underline the tWO imcrpretation of a carel. you will also need to
letters thar bct\'\'ccn th('m make a single sound act it out! Don't simply read the cards; they
for example, book. i have almost no value unless they are acted out.
Depending on your child, you might wam \Vords that could be written on the cards
her to idemi(v the sound hefore i include:
trying sound out the letter. As you continue
Jump run hop skip stand wink
to write the labels, accordir;g to your child's
abilitv, Stop ,mel have her identify blink think drink yawn spm
digr-aph on her ovvn.
grunt moan Grag np tap hug
If you ,vould like to make this activity more
Dermant'rlt. you conld collect little objects that sleep gnn clap smg groan tap
you have found to buv or among her tOys and
keep them in a box with the words that were : How to play
originaily wrirten oy you inside. Add different I You can either write these down you go
objens and their labels from time to time to along or have them already prepared. As with
keep her imercsted in inside. i all the other rlctivirics, it would be be,,:er if you
wrote them down as you went along, then kept
Reading without using objects them in a box so dut your child can to
IVl3.J.1Y of the \vords !hJ.t describe actions in them when she feels iike it.
English em be written using onlv Sandrarer Explain to her that you are going to write
Leners and dignphs. You can make up some down some words and the :mportam thing
verv imert'sting \-vords that your child vvill be i about them is that she must do what thev 'dV.
able to read and act our very easilv she wlll \Vrite "run."Your child reads the word and VOll
love .:tcring out the words vou have encourage to do the action. When she
and in doing so she vvill have to returns, write another word. Contmue until
df'moTlstTd[e that she has ;mdcr<Tood she has had enough.You will find that re;lding
these words leads imo all kinds of disCll"inns.
What you will need Be as dramatic as po"ibk.
\~T rite
out on small cards as rnany
action words as you can think of that can be , Writing sentences to be interpreted
read using only Sandr::tpe-r Letters and the If you have child who loves actIng out, vou
digraphs. (You will be using the same I could extend this activity into one in which
knowicdge your child employed to pby the you write out different semences for her to
two prc\'ious There should be read, interpret and do.
onlv one action word per card. ThIS time, For instance:
however, there are no objects w provide a
Ferch your best doll/car/book
context: her experience ana the fact that she
will act am the words on the cards should help Find a green marble/red sock/blue
her test her under>randing of the Tickle Dadi?vlom/Grannv/Grandad
Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
READ
 Pretend you are a doctor
Pur your toys in the basket
Run your bath
Find three things for us [Q munch
Plant a seed
Fix vour truck
Put on some music.
This game can go on all morning - perhaps
even all day. The amount of cllJoymem gained
from reading these 'imple semences is
:mmcnsc, Be prep:m:d for the game to be
so that vou are on the rccei\ing end
of messages trom your child l
These activities shoulel gi\.-e yom child 1ms
of confidence when reading vou. There
some suggestions for the kind of hooks '-ou
might like to read with her in Chapter 9,
although you should ahvays remember that she
will be most keen to read what she lnterested
in, even if this means thaI she \viU choose
books that look too hard for her. If this is the
case tor your child, use some of the tips offered
later in this chapter to help her accomplish it.
have watched learn to read suhject
RIGHT The better he can Inatter ac levels of rC'Jdlngwere much
read, the more complicated
harder than I would have chosen for them.
From this point on vou will see that her
ability to read will progress in leaps and
bounds, foEowcd by periods of c:lim. On your
[rips to the library, your librarian should be
encouraged to
of reading Jnd your chiid has. Be
wary of the librarian or hookstore cierk that
points you in the direction of a particular
reading program!
If your is a rhonctic one, you can
Jump tonvard towad the end of this chapter,
which de:lls \vith helping your child to rC:ld
bOOKS. Bm if your first language is English.
which is non-phonetic, you need to consider
l iO R T! ~ G RE A f)
how you can help her to recognize quickly
some of the words that cannot be sOlmded our,
and you should therefore read on.
Recognizing common words that
cannot be sounded out
(Puzzle Words :1.)
Age:just after you have tirst imroclllcee! the
reading boxes and while your chile! is
still enjoying doing them. This will be the first
game ~:ou ha\~c in a \ynilc is going
to offer something totally new to learn.
Purpose
/\5 with everv other activity in this book, the
aim here is not to'try to provide difficult
word that your child may come across in the
course of her early attempts at rcae!ing.We will
try to choose some COlmnon ones that it would
be useful to know so that, once again. while she
word,
more easily. To try to give too manv would
cteate more clifficlirics rhm it would solve,
as a nJTHr-C'JH1er, not as a
mountain She is at this moment
gliding through air, lmking Llse of the
now been beyond her reach. She uscs what she
needs to extend and expand her horizons.
to c1in:b,As she
has progressed
enjoyed each
because it "vas and she
has arrived '.vithout ever kno\ving :,ct out.
There have been no failures and no dlfEcuit
goals,just 3n exploration oflanguage m verbal
;Jnd written form.
\vords that [-rinnot e;lsiiy be souncied out \ve
cali puzzle '.vords because r:he;/re such a puzzle~
What you wiii need
You will need to discover which words are
impossible to sound out yet appear most oite;]
Iii
 books your child \vill be reJ.ciing. B~lo\v repeat it, [00 .- "your" "che"' '~like'-" book on the table? her ovvn hJnd~,vr::1ng.Y()u coulri thdt
! h::tve given S0I11e for you to drayv on. Your rabbits like carrots, Mom and Dad she might like to copy the words onto some
C:hoose- cibout ten or t\velve the most and Sra~f!e 2 like bOOKS. lined paper. if she is at the iined paper stage in
make them up into indi"idual cards, Ask questions: writing. Bevvare. however, of creJting a boring
You can fetch a book that you are reading activity tor her [() do - always try to make sure
To be \ve by the are \Vhich viOrd says "your;"
together and srart to tlnd the new words that chere is real purpose and [() each one;
you anv your they vvas some my
Can YOU read "like" - make sure she looks she can read. mnhing "m.indless" soon leads to the feeling
like here do
the correct card. chat wnting is a chore! You could include the
How to play words that she has learned in sentences th~t she
Put the \Nord "the~' over here ~ return it to
Cboose about three of the \vords you \vish to Writing sentences using the word that dictates to vou and which she can then copy.
the middle of the table.
tocus on: make sure that they are very different has just been learned
in the \Vav they sound and look. Point to "like." Using the Moveable Alphabet and puzzle words Treasure hunt
'Tell your child du.t these \vords are quite Continue with ,his unnllt seems for Encourage your child to put out letters of This is a simple variacion on the adult game.
because Clnnot sOlll1d them our - your child to read the wO;'ds. EnCOllTrlge hn to the puzzle words with the .'vioveablc /\lph:lbt't \Vrite simple clues to lead your child trom one
out the \yoro ';your" for eXrlillple. repeat the words as otten as possible a£i:er you so that she focuses on each letter and itS place to the next until she finds the "treat" you
Explain to her that she must simply be able to have said them: you aren't asking her to sequence in [he word. have hidden. Clues such. as "Look in your
;md rcn1c;111'CT them at this mornent, sirriply to See if, after a while. she can read the word, boots," "Go to the kitchen:'''Open the
that ir wlll reaily help her co read if she knows "ssoci;][e the mmes with the way they look on turn the puzzle card tace dOWTI and put Out the drawer" would all make use or'the words she
whar they the paper. :\iove::blc Alph:lbct ]cncrs in limn had come to recognize.l'tnd if you want
You are once again going to follow rhe memory. You could make this much harder by further inspiration, follow the clues in the
model of the three period lesson, first diKussed Sta2c putting the puzzle word cards in anorher room rhotogrJrh:
in C~hapter (see page 37). This is ho\v you You ask your child can read rhe words,At to see if she can still remember ho\v to Fut the
could go about it. Before you start, you will this stage you careful not to the word Alphahet letters om when the lapse of time Reading together
lleed to make sure what the words mean and unless she gets stuck, in which case simply greater bet\l.,7een reading and \vriting them. You have been reading to your child every day
vou can do [his as tallows: out loud and knovi that you \viil try When she is wriring 'pomancomly wuh the
.. 'Today you can learn to recognize S0111e with this one on anorher day. \iovc;Jbic Alphabet, you CJn encourage her to
\:\/o1'ds tnat diftlcul[ to "{lund out. I-Jere is Can YOU read this; Do vou know what this refer to the puzzle YITords if she forgers how
one of them. (You write the word "your:' one says) they go. If they spelled incorrectly, you can
using the san1e sl"yle of script as the S'1ndp~per This lesson should take no longer than five gentlv remind her that she knows how to write
on a strip of p3-per.) minures, Keep all the puzzle words that you the words, and either help her to sequence the
• This savs "your" can't sound it om verv make in a Ettle box since you will need them~ letters correctly or suggest she finds the puzzle
casIiy, shall tryO (You try, but it comes om for the activities that rollo,,\', word that 'lOU 'ATote. Slowly and gently the
,is YU a u ru.This lmusc her: Now put \yords that she is writing WIth the Alphabet
the vvord "your" into a sentence so that she Reading sentences using the word that will begin to become closer to the accepted
he<lrs it in context. "Your dress is very pretty.~' has just been learned conycnt1Oif:ll spelling of your :Jngu:1gc.
"Your color is purple:'''I like your You should yo-:..:r chilo to rcad the Using paper
grin." \.vord in sentences. To begin \vith, you could Her !1nytcl\1nd ~hould ;tho
PUt the \-'lord aside and repeat the S;1I11e v:rite some simple senrences with the words eilect on she is writing down using
\V1t11 [\,vo other ""vords. '~the" dnd "like:' she has just learned.

Your dress is red, your lunch. Find R!GHT The so'caHed Puzzle Words (see page 112) often
create problems. One way to help your child to become
your doll. more familiar with them is to create individual puzzle word
cards and encourage her to use the Moveable Alphabet to
The kettle hot. Find the marbles, Is vour match them,

i 12 S I' A IZ. r! :'\! ( R ,\]) S T.'\ 1 ~ (; It f.\!' il3

since was tiny, and vou have watched her
deveiop love of books, You have watched her
begin to recognize s"me words in the flmiliar
and much-loved books that you have shared,
She now chooses hooks to read to herseif and
pores over the pages on her own, Her use of
langll;;gc has grown and she is now able not
only to speak well, but also to write down her
thoughts using the Moveable /\lplubet ~nd to
some extent in her own handwriting, and h"s
begun to read these, too, She can read most
phonetic words and those with digraphs, ;md is
extending her of puzzic words. The
reading that you do togerhcr nnw ,vill gr:tdual-
Iy change in halance: her reading '\vil! incrc:1se as
yours dCCl-cascs with certain books. You will
certamly not stop [c .• ding to her, but you also
need to find time for the two of you to read
together. and you will no",,,, begin 1:0 choose
bOOKS that you em read together. This will
pro"bJhly mean revisiting sorne of your old
favorites and looking out for ne\v bOOKS that
will hold interest for her.
Here :lYe some tips for getting started:
• Reading should be a pleasure. never a
chore.
Never force your c.bild to read.
• Choose a time when she is not tired.
• Ask her to choose a book she would like to
read, or otter her a choice of books and respcct
choice.
Encourage and praise ncceSS:lry;
don't msist on perfection.
Don't any kind of times calc - 10 minUTes
of concentrated reading is better than half an
hom of nagging.
Choosing books
You wIll want [Q haw the right kind of books
available to get off to a good start and so, in
addition to your old favorites. you may decide
i S iNG TO READ
ABOVE A treasure hunt can be educational as weH as fun.
Write out simpie messages for your chiid and hide them
around the room to find - and read. The final clue to this
treasure is in the mug.
RIGHT The more you read, the more your child (or grand·
child) will want to read.
1:0go to the library and come back with d selec-
tion, or visit your local bookstore.
• Choose books that have a strong story line.
Too much description in is not
helpful
• Choose old fwo1'1t('s or new :;ooks rhat you
know your child will be In.
• Choose bOOKS ,vhere
complemcnt the text: this will help her obtain
extra clues fi'om the pictures.
• Choose books whose content falls within
her experiences. She should lln,cl"r,nrlc1
the book is abom and be able to predict the
likely events.
• Choose books that don't have too many
.. Books \'vith large print not rlcCCSsarllY
easier to read; choose the bOOK tor the content
dnd the pleasing layout of the texL.
• Some books are \vritten with text on tvvo
different levels, both helonging w the story.
Very often the stor, text runs along the page
RTINC; TO REAP I
and the rlctures have ~impler which one might be most helpful. If the one CHAPTER SEVEN
you choose doesn't work, simplv tell her the ..
"\yhcn you are a book.
.. Don't exclude conlics and books about
word rather than ('ontinuins; to dweli on what
she doesn't seenl to know.
Reading for m nlng
- don't just read fiction. • You could ask a question about what has
.. Rhyme and rhythm pIa'\' an importJnt part gone before in the text .
in helping children to predict \vhat may come • You could ask her to predict what thinks
next. it might be.
• You could help her to sound the word out: if
Giving the right help it's long one you may need w break up
• it's heipfUl to run your Enger smoOthly into syllables .
under the text as vou read, and may help • You could to the picture; if the word child is now reading and and Activities to help fluency and
vour child to do the same. If she has difficultv actuallv in the picture, you could simply point is choosing books to read with you spelling
Ihe holding a strip of [0 and spont:mcously writing little stories and \Vhen reading Engiish chere are some helpful
paper under the line she is reading may help. messages. You will see her pore over books by clues that we can otter regards the many ways
.. Do nothing at ail if vour child misreads a Rcmemhcr that praise and go a herself, yvatch as her lips move silently, working sounds can be wr;cten down.
word but gets the sense of the right. long way [0 suppornng your child when she is out words that she gets stuck with. She has a If ,ye think of the sound "ai," for It
She alight mbscitnre \vord "supper" for learning something new. Don't be tempted to number of stnteg;cs that she can call upon as can be written as in train, play, cake, vem.
"dinner"This is tlne; she is criticize her reading or measure her against she reads, and when she gets into difficulty she Having given your child a start by including the
lnC:lnlng ;1nct the of the "cnrence isn)t other siblings. can be so casv to destTov the knows that she can ask you to help if she reallv digraph "ai" as a key sound, you could find a
altered. confidence rh~lt she needs if she [0 become a cannot a word she comes across.As way of helping her [0 begin to read other Ionns
.. If she makes a mistaI;:e in the mcailing, wait successful reader. she begins to simple books on her own, of··ai" quickly_
until she has tlnished the sentence :1nd see if you can sometimes discU5s story WIth her as Look all the waY' through the S:mdpaper
she corrects herself. If she doesn't, you could More games to play way of discovering how much she has Letters your child knows, the
ask if the word she used ,mmded rigbt. Return There are lots of commcrciJlly aYJihhle g:lmcs to the story sound rhey maKe, ;md choose those that
ro the sense of Ihe :md ifshc can that ,,'ill build on the skills vour child has You enjoy going to the library '.vith her commonly spelled in more dun one way. For
identIfy the word correcdy. acquired in this "hapter- Chapter 9 tor a list when you can, time passes easilv when you inst:mcc. from the Jist helow "ai" be spelled
of rec(1mmcrdcd ones visit the hookstore. in play (ay), cake (cake' and vein (ei).
If she is stuck on a word You will :lOt now have to worry about
rfshes stllck on a word. trv to judge which of the Book making helping her to read or write, and can turn your Key sound envelopes j
tol1ol,ving would be mosr hclphl1 for her.The In almost chapter of this book I have attention to seeing if you can play some games Age: around :3
most imporr;mt thing is to keep the flow of the encouraged you to make books with your child with that will make reading and writing Some key sounds that can be spelled in
story going, so you don't want to stop too often. and this one is no exceprion. Bv now can be even more different ways:
If she is rnaking so many It encouTrlgcd to write in her own words and Words not only need :0 be read with the
aI a-e. av, ci
[he rhvthm and pace of the story, you mav wish the more she does this, the easier it will be for eves: they need almosr to be tasted if we are
to read \vith her to lessen :::tny frllstr;ttl0n 'She her to read "her" book. reallv to enjoy using them, The activities that ee ea, le
begin to cxrcricnce. follow here will heip 'lour child get a lot more
Supplv [he word so that the tlow of the le 19h,
irom the words they w-ill focus both
storv \vorried ow,
her a feel Od

do them. As d
ue 00 e\v u-e
\vould benefit from your using result ,hese activities should raise her abiliT)' [0
one tol1ov-,°lng clues to help her to read interpret what she reads her to become ph
(he word you will be the best judge or- more playful with words when she writes.

[N G TO R E ,,; D [ ~ C F 0 11.. .\1 :\:"-i 1 ~ (;

 i\S mail train the station. SLarLed :1iffercnr rhey arc written: \vill discover that the letter "y" can say "ie" and
(Q rain Take out the pack of little words and read I it can also say '~ee."e.g. "sky" and "party." dnd
ge/gi age
through the words, putting them next to the that the let'Cers .• ea" can say''; ee" and also" e,"
Every day we play hide and seek and then
ci/ce kev sound. e.g. "teach" dnd "bread."This is the reverse
run away.
Take out che little booklet and read through discovery to the one she uude earlier: first she
aU,dW,
Let's bake a cake and then make some It. looked at sounds that were spelled differemly,
lr. ur biscuits. She will find this activity relatively casy to can
Finally, put little packs of "vords \vrltten vvith the do and you should compliment her on how haye more than one sound, too.
ou ow
alternative spellings into the envelope. For well she able co manage.You should also Once the cards can be sOHed out, mix up
You will need to make some or little instance. keep drawing attention to the different ways in the >"ords from the di£l:erem packs and encour-
paper strips for the alternative ways of spelling ",-rich the sound can be spelled. age her to wnte some more or
Train~ rain, InaiL tail
[he key sounds. Write each sound on a card or Do this for as many envelopes as your child stories usmg these words.
strip and on the back put the sound in lVlake, bake, cake, crate \vouJd like. This activity can be spread over
small letters 1,., color. Put each pack manv days so there's no need to prepare all the Puzzle Words 2
Vein, skein. ii-eight
mark (ront of the packs at once. ~\lthollgh it's mee to be 8blc to Age: around :5
envelope with [he key sound. Plav. stay, day, awav orrer her a choice of which key sound she You may already have made a set of Puzzle
N ow pm a little book of paper strips into How to play \vould to explore. Words in Chapter 6 (see 111).Thi5
the ElCh paper strip "page" of the Bring out an em-elope ~nd ask your child to If Vall need to explain the "a-e" card, make variation of the original will on
book should carry small scnt('ncc containing recogmze the key sound you have written on some additional cards that explain how It your child's increasing interest in the In

number of words wlth the :iOlmd in it. the outside. works: for instance, cap bcrorr:cs dnd [:ip ''1hich words formed - the Key Sound
For FXample, in the "ai" folder you might Explain that all the cards inside envelope becomes tape. EnveloDe game above will have helped
arc going to say the same sound. Look the Next step stimulrlte this.
Invite her to '.nite out the words and the For this vou wiH need to make
if ;;;he ...visnes. either using her own i second set of puzzle words which this \vil1
Ifsne focus on com!TIon patterns vvorcis that once l

learned, can be applied to d wide range of

otner words (see Chapter 9).
dnd Write some Choose some of the to ~nro

the \vord spelled using the correct "'3.i"' second

spelling.
could
You will notice thar having become 8ware
ofche ways in which this can through
be spelled when she wriring, she will begin
all - call, fall, hall
to ask which "ai" i1: is for play.
To help her to remember air - fair, hair, chair
\JVhen she has read a number of the envelopes,
silent K - knee, knot, knit
take two or [nree together and take out the
cd.rds or strips. ;vlix them all up and see If she silent B lamb. thumb. comb
can sort them back under'neath
silent W write, wrong. who
they belong to. She will be able to check
herselfbv t'lrning over all the c:lyds to the tion - station natioD-
l

key sound written on the back. This set of puzzle words is to show sm8U rules
This game is quite important to play, as she i that may be useful for her to know. Begm by

118 1:::" h. I) I N G r 0 R lVl E A l'>i ! N G ivi

 elre thar vou to be the
archetype: ·'ail,""air:~·'tion.'~ Choose three
anv one time dnd imrodure them as you did
the mher puzzle words - first bv putting them
into context then by tnllo'.ying ,he three
period lesson. I\1ake sure you examine
letters to see ho'.v they go together.
When your child is able to reau these three
archetypes, introouce ochers that are like For
example "Now that you can read ;air~' you
read 'fair,' 'lair.' 'hair.·" Either have ~lready­
prepared oros for these or simply write them
down and see if your child can thip~l;: of anv. It
'Nill be easy for her to come up vvith rhylnes,
but more (hfficult tor her to which
words have silent
Classified cards and labels
help your chi'd's nuency, it can be
he 1pnll to m:1kF me of the cards that you used
ongimlly dewioping YO cabl1larv. \Vrite the
name of the object C'1,~h on the
R
of it and make a label that is seprirare. PUt out
the cards and ask your child to read and match
as manv of the labels as she to the cards.
She can turn chern over to check if she has read
them correcdv: if the words match, she knows
she's got right.
Naming the house
You could write all the names of the objects in
different rooms of the house f()[ her to read -
usmg post-It notes tbs is fun and very
com-cnienr.You write and she reads.~'\fi:er a
\vhile she '..vill "vant to \\'Tite, too.
Using books
Af\nother '"'lay of extending this experience is to
aack to the books that you used w1th her
when she was around 18 months [Q two years
old. Many of them were single pictures on a
page with a word undcrne1th. Cover words
\vith posr--it nOles and \vrite labelS on nl0re
post-it notes. She can read and match the
names. There are some \\'ClDdcrtul
books chat you can buy that are
designed for incrc;1::ing vocJ.bl'-bTY
in particular subject are;;s the
in Chapter 9.
Reading for meaning
Your child has an intrinSIC kno\vl-
ecige and syntax and
how words work together. It is
rh:1t Iorma1 gr:nnTn:1r and
syntax lessons can beconle so
boring and obtuse that most of us
believe thar cannot do it.
an lin,jcI'standi:lg of the
way words work for us, and what they do, will
help us get the taste of what read and will
give us the opportunity to play with words.
You ,honld have no intention of teaching
gnmmar to your child. At this stage it is nor
only unnecessClry but even undesirable. \Vhat
we can do. however, is to give her a direct
c:xperience of what words can actually do, to
explore how they work. The preparation you
provide at this stage is simply to expencnce
em a level at "vhich she can have fun.As you are
av'vare~ rhe way that: mind works means that
these experiences arc not lost they will help
to support and bolster the more formal ideas
she will be presented with at a ]:Jter date. The
r;\l]o\ving are des1gned to gi\Ve an
experience to help her appreciate the way
word, can be made to "York.
Thev are done based on
some w1th dramatic overlay.
Using descriptive words
around 5 - 6
What you will need
one of the toil owing: a child's t'irm, clolh-
house, garage collection, Playmohl people,
Barbie doll. or Action-man in short,
beion1:,'S together. Also mrtKc: sure
that there are several copies of some objects
but that they look a little ditTerent - ror
irl'lance, if you have garage, you will need
some of the following: :1rge truck and a small
one. t'NO dit1t:-rcnt-colored V:in~) a heavy van
and a dirty/clean van; a fast elf, racing car. a
yello\y car~ J.nv other color car.You don't need
several of ail the objects, but there should
more groups of obje'c[s than single objects.
You \vill also need paper and scis>ors, dnd two
pens or penc11s. one ordinary color like blue
or black (or lead), the other a bright color not
usually used for writing: red, orange, purple.
How to play
Tell your child she is going to be able to find
the VerY object you are thinking of without
any difficulty. Think very hard and write down
mc,s:lge for her. This says "The van."
Your child reads the message :md collects a
van from the garage. You agree thaL it is a van
but not the one you were thinking of Tell her
that you will give another clue. In a
different color pen write down the'
word that will the orjecL It couid be
read the word.
Chop the original label in half and put the
in choosing ,he' :lppropri:ltc obie'et.
Do this for several other objects. She will
ahvays ask yon to put in the special word that
helps her [Q find one object trom many similar
objects.You can continue writing down
descriptions of ail the objects tor her to read;
tor if [here is only one man you can
novv vvrite ~'The busy :nan:' rather than just
"The man."Trv to use lots of different types of
descrirtions for the objects - very to
stiCK with just color and size, so see if you can
be a bit lllore If!1J.gin:1t1yc th~H1 l};(~ vvords
such as kind, gEntle, angry,
[0 really stretch her :mcicr(t:;nriing of rh~~ type
of word. You have the ideal oppnrnmiry (Q
discuss them \Vltn
Discovering how important word
order is
Ihis activirv is hilarious for children to play.
i\dults don't ahyays quite [he hUl110r
that children fInd in nonsense! Take CIne
your stnps of paper and mix up (he word
order. The old van becomes: old the van
old the, van old.·Try all the con-:l'1n:H1()llS
and then together put it right.
Do this tor other descriptions.'louT child, ('If
course, llDl:krvands \vhich is the correct
verSion she kyo",,,, what sounds right.
Bv doing dm you emphasize [hat words, to be
effective, must go in particular order.
Using more than one descriptive word
You can develop this garne on another day
into one in "\'vhich you use several descriptive
worOs. For example, you could write, "The
van"; she choo')c~ you then have to
another word a different color: "The
yellow van'1 (if there are [\VO
Now you need to another word: "The
old yellow van." and if there lre nyo old \Tllmv
vans. you may need to vnite yet :lI)other
"The dirty old, yellow van." Hopetll11y, you
have now identified the van ,be vou
You can have fun playing derectives roge::her:
either vou your child add one word at a
time until the objecr that you were thmking of
is idf"ntifie-d.
To your to in rhis vvay
about the ohjects, see if she would like to
create her own labels tor her farm, garage, etc.
You could then use [hem to combine them
into a story, which you can either tell, write
togethey- or she can write, depending on what
suits the moment.
In a MO:Jtes,ori I(hoo1. children play the game,
that tollow and use symbols as
line. The purpose of the symbols is to highlight
the pattern created we
in a panicular way. If your child attends a
~vlomcssori school, then the school will do these
actiVIties and vou will just need to follow up at
home using all the different objects [hat you
have there. If she does not go to a ]\;lonressori
school. you may wish to make the symboh
add them co the semences.
Making the symbols
this activity ~/ou \vill need to
make three ditTcrcm-lized
in three difie-rent colon.
When cutting them Out, you couid
make them trom
paper so your child call

stick them on to sentences that she

has constructed.
You will need
Small light blue tri:mglcs, medium-
sized dark blue triangles and large
black triangles - the templates
provided in Chaptf'r 9.

RIGHT Certain words join other words

together. Choose toys or objects from
around the house to provide a context.
Here the differently colored Leg-a blocks
and the smail posy of flowers remind your
be

1'( E A !) ! c.; FOR MEA ~ I N G E r\ N l N (

R INC; FOR
 Ten your child i::hat you are going to D1.ake a
pattern out of the tri~ngles by asking
~llesrions. Take a phrase such as "the large van."
Ask her to identifY the word that told her
what it was you were thinking of. If you need
to make clearer you could ask her, "Did I
\vant a car, bus or .:::omcthing ('he?" She
should be Clole to identifY the word "van" md
put the black triangle above it. Now ask her
what word told her which van you wanted. Or
you could ask, "What kind of van did I wane?"
Your child 'houie' point to "old." Pur the
rncchum-hlne tr1:1nglc over that \'vord.l-hen
you could explain [hat the word "the" tells us
chat there was a particular van that was
required, and if it had been any van you would
have written "a."The symbol you use for the
word that tells you if 'lOU wanted a particular
van or just anyone is the small blue triangle,
Continue to ask the and pidce the
symbois tor
Wrltten.
Looking at the words can be
joined together
We are going to ,imply look at the word "and"
since other joining words such as "bur" would
be rather too difficult this
'fou will need
Objects that can be Join"d (see
below). Two pens, paper and pink symbols that
look like hyphcm.
How to play
Take several objects that literally be joined
together, such as lego blocks, flowers and so
on. Write out label each
tDr inst;)Dre) "the red lcgo block,~! "the blue
]ego block:' ",he vellow !ego block."
Ask your child to read the labeis, then to
match them to the appropri:1(e biocks. [n a
co:or "\vord Hand twice~
l
' : moon shapes
Place the first "and" between two
she has idenrified, then have her read and join
R I\D NG cOR M
the tvvo bricks together. "The red lego block
and the blue lego block," Now add the second
"and," the last phrase and the third objecc. Have
your child read and join them all together. Of
course t\vo ands is not gramrnatilcally
but it serves to make the poine.
Find out where the "ands" need to go by
moving the phrase around. "The blue Ie go and
and the red lego yellow lego." Keep going until
it makes sense again.
Ask her to put on the symhols for the words
that knows, then ask her which word told
her to join [hem all together. Show her the
pink bar, which 'lOU now place over the two
"ands"
Using the phrases that you and your child
have ",rritten for the garage, farm. etc.,join up
as many different pieces as she wams to. She
can make up sentences, using the Joining word
and stick the syrllbols over the tOp.
Using the comma
i At a later stage, around the time when you are
iookmg at punctuation (see Chapter 8), you
could create a long list of objects l~sing the
"and." then show her how to avoid using "and"
all the time ov using commas until vou to
the last object.You can plav around with chis
idea using the "ands" wi[h a variety of diffE'renr
objects, tor your fridge, frOlTI the
toy box and so on, then removing them all
l except the last one and putting in commas.
Investigating the preposition
Use any objects in which you alter the
place of one set of objects easily. For exan1ple,
I [he dolls' house would good, or simplv use
some pencils and a pencil case.
I You will need
The objects ::is above, some crescent
[he same way as you made the
i tri::lngles).You'll also need pens, p8per and
SClssor~ as before.
How to play
Write a long phrase such
The red pencil and the blue and the
green pencil.
Have your child read and put the pencils in
their appropriate place above the phrase. Then
write "The long pencil case." Have her put the
case over this phrase. Now. using differenr
color. write the word "in." Place ir betwecn
the two phrases. have her read it and place
pencils in the pencil case. Write the ,vord
"beside;' have your child read ir and takE
pencils out of the case and put them beside the
case. Finally, write the word "under" and have
her read and intcrrrct thi~. Continue in this
\vay for as long as she enJoys it.
;Vlix up the phrases you have written to see
if she can read them md tell you what makes
senseYou'li bmh discover thar 'omnimes you
can s'evap rhe objects over and the phrase WIll
still make sense and 'omctimcs vou can·t.
The pencil case in the pencils
The pencil case nex[ to the pencils
The pencils nex[ to the pencil case
Use all sorts of words such as:
beside, beyond, next ro, with, behind and
so on.
Ask your child to put over 7Jl the
words she knows. then ask her which \vord
told her where to put them. For a word that
tells us '\vhere" \ve place a green moon above
it. Of course there are many different kinds
prcp0sition. but stick to one that she can
physically intecpret, thar of place.
Now put Out the garage, house, whatever
mujdle. Write. or have her write or have
already rrcpared, a great many cards that
describe prepositions of thee for her to use,
and phrases that describe the objecrs.Ask her
to gnclually str:1ightcn the up llsmg
preposHlons.
Identifying verbs and adverbs
Moving on to look at verbs, you can to do this
with children by acting:.
You will need
Paper, pen and large red circles or disks (made
m the same way as you made the triangles for
the verbs) and. orange circles tor the adverbs
How to play
first to identity· verbs. Write an
action on piece of paper dnd have her act it
act it out. then ask her to guess what the word
is. You will notice that she will alwavs choose
action words to descnbe what it is you are
doing. Let her write down :m acnon word and
act it Out. and you have to guess what it is she
ciomg.You will quite natunlly up
a whole variety or different words that are
actIons. Finallv you write and she acts Out.
When vou have done lots of them,
S;lv111g we use it to
when a word tells vou what to do.
To expand the game to include adverbs, play
as above, but this time vvhen your child has
cor::;p]etcc1 the Jctlvir-y', ;1Ctd :ll1oiher
different colnr. For insLmce. write hop and ask
your child to do it. Then. ho,v
she does write another word in a different
coior to change the "vay she did it. For
if she hopped around quickly, then write hop
slowly; if she hopped noisd:-, then write quietly.
Do as many of these as she interested in
doing, then change the \vord order. <':'ometill1cS
is possible to do IS not:
a question ofjudsmcnt: on fier p:lrr:.
11o~i(10n the sYIT1bols, your child to
idemifV the word [hat told what to do and
place a red circle over the tOp: then Jsk her to
 CHAPTER EIGHT

Creative and accurate ng

identifY the word that tOld her "how" to do it
and place the orange circle over the top.
The t\vo of you can now think up lots of
sentences that actiom and how to do
them. J\1ake sure that you act them out, as this
allows you to feel what the words are doing.
Becoming more aware of what words do and
how they do it will help enrich your child's use
.md ability to get more out of
her re'lding.Actmg or acting upon objects the
Key experIence In dCt1\jtiCS as it begins to
have a personal on how words are felt and
interpreted. Tbe symhols are also very impor-
tam because they otte, a pattern tor the mind to
ABOVE One way of identifying a verb with a red circle
above it is by acting it out for a frjend!
absorb, which tells her more about wavour
I, words work together than any explanation that
a teacher could offer.
The \vhole process one of exploration.
i Children already undemand all (he princirles of
at deep level; we Gm tell because they
I speak their l:mgnage. ~What these games do is
simply to explore that on different
level an.d in a
have used children's bnguage
~thrClughmlt this book: as a point
tor developing their vvriting skilh,
important to recognize that there signif-
icant differences het\C\'een spoken and wriLten
When we speak, we are able to check as we
go along whether the person listening has
ll:ldcrstood what \ve are s;lVing, ami to back
dnd clarifi,', repeat or explain what it was that we
wanted to say. 'lInen we write, we need to be
Iuuch more precise in the \vay that \Ve use
\VOraS, and in logIC and ')cql1cncing of OUf
thoughts. In \ve speak, ~'vve use
nise an eyebrow, poim our finger or use our
hands to ciabor:1tc our 'reecho 'llhen we write,
our vvords need to convey informa(ion "\ve
would normally pick up through our different
senses; they need to have the power to conjure
up [he :)ituatlon our heads as if vve \",,~ere there.
\Vriting also has the power to use time in
,'lay trom the way that we use it in
speech. \\lhen \vriting, it poss1blc to move
±orw~rd :md backward in tilTH\ to stop still for
long periods of time when the thoughts of
are being the story line
luust be strong, the logical thread maintained.
Stone, also have a specific structure: III simple
terms, they have a beginning, middle and end:
the story moves from a given set of
circnmstances through to a resolution.
The g:unes you have played in the prcviollS
chapters \vil1 have helped enrich your child's
vocabulary, made her aware of the way stories
are 'sritten, and given her a "feel" tor the way
which words can be used to convey thoughts.
You can now go back and play some of these
games in a way that will help your child formu-
late her In <;torv form.
Remember that your child an author.
There are many perspectives ,hat authors can
take when ,hey choose to a S[Dry:
sometimes they are :mtohiosnphicaL fc)r
1l1stance children love to tell stories about
:lnd the that hJ\'C fuppent'd to
them. Thev particularly like to tell
things that amused them. And they t"peciallv
like to write about things
mischic\~ou~: a f'p,,'orltc <;t0ry in
the time [hat my children filled the bathtub
with cold ,vaLer and rricked their fa[her into
jumping into it!
Stories like these can be relatively easy to
structure since there~s neJ.rly always a denoue-
ment. In addition, your child will have lived
event and will be able to cmbclli;;h the S111lple
facts with extra details if you ask ;inout it.
Stories can .;lIso be told through
technique reporter use to retell e,'ents that
have harpened - a straight n"porting of r;;ct. Stories
like Lflls are often chJrac[crizcd b\. \,>ords "and
tnen ..."This type of story couid be written
visir to the park or a museurn, tor instance.

READi~G FOR IvlEA>JIN CREATIV /\ND CCURATE ,XlRITING


Stories Cln ~ornC'rimc<:; be rc\YOrkCc1 or retold
stories that she already knmvs. A 'lear-old
Ii-iend of mll1d spent all mornmg wricing her
own version of Slccpng Bf':mty.
There will be times when vour child would
like to 'vi/rite her o\vn story but can't think
<:;UDJcCT: she vvant:s to vvrite about. not to
discol1IJged when she rejects your sugges-
tions but still wants you to make more
It can be helpful to think of a reason for
writing down story. Giving purpose to your
child's writing is very ;mponam. Most of us
"vvrite things do\vn for a reason anci the same
\vith '.vriring story: either we ,-vrite it bec;1use
we want to ma.ke more permanent ~o!ncrhing
that we are thinking of, or became we want to
have someone read whaI: we have put down.
Authors wrire with the idea that v)meone will
read ""'lhat they have written. Trearing her story
interesting and important in own right
and to it ag:lin can Important
indicawrs to her that was worrh the effort.
Helping your child to 'create a book from her
story and perhaps "puhlishing" it may be appro-
Here you would need the ofa word
prOC(,S'flr or at very least;] ph()W,COf'ier
11l11stratlons can be very useful
ston,\\-rlt-
- they can used to enhance the story i
It has been written, or they can be used as
base around which the story can be I
conSlructed. Be\vare, hovvever, of making your
child think that she is writing story, she
should also be dnwir:g, or ,nee Not all
children like ')onlC don't feel th;:n:
3.re very good at it. tor If can make
\vriting and drav..ring are felt to
hand, the fact of one may
orher.
In helping your child to 'write \veIl, vou \vill
to help her structure her e~fectiye-
,viii need to her co use
or the \vay \vords function, you \vill
CREATiVE ;\~D /\.CCURAfE IXTRliI!'<C.:
"\Vhat can vou tell me about
need to help her to savor the words that she
the character?
chooses and you \vill need to give her an ability
co use punctuation effectively. In doing all this When did you bake the cake;
you will give your child the opportunity to
Where did you bake the cake?
becoHle PO\"\Trttil communicator.
or Why did you want to bake a
Helping with the structure of a story cake?
around 6
How did you bake the cake?
In Chapter 3 you looked at the Question
Game that helped to ahout and With whom did you bake the
expand their ideas around a tOpIC that was cake?
familiar to them. In order to develop her ability
What happened when Vall
to relate co one theme rather than many, you
baked the cake?
asked your child lots of questions
built up int,r;rrr:atlon that How did you teel?
could be turned into a story.
How did other people in
You can now use this same game to develop
the Story feel?
your child's ability to write and structure stories.
each of these questions there
What you will need
will be many answers and, thtough
i Paper and penCll yourself and Your child.
discussion, you'll discover
How to play
of posslbil1ties.liS <-Ire gi\"Cn , record
You can suggest that you and your child are
them on one of your sheets of paper with a
gomg to playa In the game you are
word prompt such as \Vhv? or How? Record
going to ask lots of qucsriom of
much as is rclcvam. Try to elicit more than
you will write down the answers. FoEow the
more than
same line of questioning [hat you did when
you played this game your child.
For exampie, begin bv explaining tbe every story has three
First you need to agree on a topic or subject
~i/h}'bake u cake? parts. The Erst part is the which sets
for your scorv. Sticking coughly to subject
Because I like chocolate bcc;}u.;;c I story you
of the original game, you could "Let's '\vrite
was hungry; it was mv birthdav; we had
about the time you baked a chocoiate cake and
the mixer yvent wrong'" NIake it clear you Grannv and Grandad coming tor lunch.
who it's about
intend to write story about this but There are no right or wrong answers and
that you don't need to stick to [he of urJess your child insists, you do not have to when it takes place
stick to ,he facts of a real "true life" story.
\vnat h:1ppcncd. as this is a "Tory and a \\Titer where it takes place
Having gathered the raw data for story. vou
h:1rpen In .;tory that they
need to help her to understand the strnctC.1rC of and :myrhing else that might be Importam to
"vouId like to happen!
the Story. say so dut the person reading the can
What could call our story? Planning the story lln,cierstorld it trom the
Estahlish whether this ston; is going to have The second part of the stOry is 1111ddl:=:
The I baked u cake
pictures or nor. Decide whether to "vrite the usually in the expkun
Let's begin bv thinking who this storY ail story first or draw the pictures first. ~vvhat
h0I'pens to
about. about. We shall need to know:
Before you the Story with your child,
REA. T I
 what happens
how things happen
why they happen
Record to JIl
Finally, our story has to have an cnd~ng.An
ending be happy or saci~ tunny or serious.
Bm you need to tinish the story. \:{Te shall need
to know:
how the swry ended.
\Vrite down some ways that the story could
have ended. As you bye read co child
manY tnnes, she w'ill be t~miiiar with a variety
to be very close to (he
abom writing. M:my of them seem, quite
'po,nrJnc()u,i.v. to stones "One
day..." and end them with the of
"ami they allliwci happil\' eyer
Writing the story
You and your child can \vrite a story together
using the outline that vou wrote. Explain that
when a wnter wnres a story, she may choose
what she wants to S:lY and how much she
\,vants to say.\Vriting a story does not rnean
everything, bur what will
suit the \vnter best.
Vhite the title ofthe story, then begin to
choose how to start the Story. Follow your
child~s advice; you could even take turns
writing or vou could act as scnbe on this
Or:C.l:Slon.
Choose what you ,va,l[ to say, the words
that you want to use Jiscl1~sl()n \yith your
child.
'when you get to the end, make sure that
the story reaily finished. If you like you can
END or THE at the Children
tD like this as it ,hem real
SatISfaction at having finished sOTnerhing.
After this first rlttempr enCOtlT:1gc child her reading aloud [Q orhers unless it hapr cns I .. Capital letters at hcgmning of importanr
:::0 \:vrlte stories as often as \vishes, bearing Ho,\yever. a k:nO\\~jec1gc of nouns sllch as names of people and places.
in mind the questions ,hat lllCC'd puncrualloll how it works will help her .. Ql1ot;]tion marks to highlighr \vhen
story is to be really good. cn(]~mously when w what someone is talking, including PllllCrtl;]tion rh:lt
she reads, and will help her to pm more expres- follows.
\Vriting poetry sion into her voice as a consequence of this. If .. QuestIon marks.
It important not just [Q look at the structure yon see. for example, a at the tend .. Comm;]s used for a list of lrems.
of story and forget about other there arc other marks you may
kinds of writing that may be fun to undcrstand. the tone that normal when a question is wish to introduce, such as exclamation points
art of poetry writing also needs to have asked. On recognizing quotation marks, it and commas that art' used in manv more
some help. Children have always loved poems heromt's to on tIl(' of the complex 'Nays th;1Il [hose mentioned
and rhymes, and as 'well as these being important person who is perceived to be to keep it simple and clear as pmsible: you
in their 0\"'11 right, they have helped to underpin aren't teaching your child punctuatIon bur
illuch vfthe reading and \vTiting that your cl>ild yOll read to your child you drew aerention to helping her to recognize in her own reading
is now doing. A child's natural love of rhythm capital leeters, question marks, periods and and apply when she (eels able co in her story
and rhvme will lead her [0 spr,nrane(}us1lv create quotation m~1rks in a DJtl!frll \-vay. and poetry \vf1tlng.
poems fi-om her earliest work with the .A.. s she began \vriting, you e:x:p!ained various What you will need
;'Vlo\'e;Jhle Part of the appeal of a conventions such as capital letters at the begin- For ,=ach different topic you vvill need to
poem is the wav that it is om on a page: the TIlng of and periods at the end. prepare a htde story. If you aren't teeling very
way that each new sentence begins on a new \Vhen you were looking at the waY ehat "and" crea[ive. it would be alll'ight to look into one
line and in a fe\;v' \vords conveys a great used as a cOIl]unc[ion, you tackled the of of your children's rayorite storyhoob copy
deal. the comma when [here was a list of items rhere. (~hoosc ;o111('thing
You can also study different kinds of poems, ch::n belonged together. So in many 'Nays you Depending on which punctuation you
for instance nonsense rhynles :lnd and have informally begun to look ;Ct
look at the different wavs in which these poems punctU::1t10n.
work. If you wish to highlight this
Having a tr}mcwork tor helping aspect oiwriting more dearlv, there
your child begin to structure her stories and are games that YOll can play with
poerns~ you "vill need to begin to look at the your child.
"vay in 'vvhich punctuation CJn help to rnake
story more Punctuation games
Recognizing the "val" which simple You ,,,ill need to decide which
pUnCtllJtlon used \"vii1 also help in the vvay marks you are going [0 iook at.
your child unde[sr.mds what she is reading. You Don', focus on them all at once. A
will rrnhablv End thar by the age of six, she is possible '\V:1y them up
TI10\7}ng from aloud to [C';1ding to would be as T()l1ovYs:
herself. Don't insist that she reads aloud aU the .. Capital letters at the
tlrne: there IS a very great Dct\vccn of .;;cnrcnccs and periods at the
reading aloud tor your own comrrchension of end.
Iivh3t you read and reading aloud to other
people. Reading aloud to others is great art
and needs to be practiced. Uniess your child is a
t1uent reader. not a good idea to insIst on

C 11. E \ ~ l) \VIUTI0i CUR l\ T E \V i<-- I T I t-J (

wish your child to focus on, "'Tite everything
out normally except that vvhen you come to~
for eXJmple, a Clpltalletter and a period, you
will write that in a different color. On a
second sheet of paper you will write om the
salTle story. ~Io"vever, \vhenever you con1e to a
capital letter you will wflte it in in
the saIne color pen as the rest of the piece.
Vlhen you come to a period, you will miss it
out altogether bur le,lVe a little gap for it to be
inserted at a later date. You will also need to
"\vrite our each capital letter and period that
you left our on small squ2,res of paper in
coiored pen. (Or ifit would be more
srirmIiating her,just cut little squares of
paper and can rill in the correct
pllncmation on them as she goes along.) Make
sure that the size is correct tor the prepared
story thev will have to fit iuro.
How to piay
Take the correct version of the story and read
it thmugh with your child, using your voice to
show the pause and breath that you take v,hen
vou come to the period. Then
look at the other verSIOn of the
wlry:this it
thtough withoUT pansing at
end of '\cntences~ running one into
the other, stopping you
actuallv run out of breath to t;lke
one. This makes the story a very
tunny one and well [he
fimction of the period. Produce
pnnctuat10n ;1nd Jsk
help eNrect story
that has left it all out. Show her
th::-;.t you have capital letters tor the
eRE AND Ac ATE WRITING
beginning of the sentence and periods for the
end. Give her the oppormnity go :hrm:gh
the incorrect srory adding in the correct
punctuation. Read it thrnugh at end to see
if i, sounds right.
To begin with, if your child finds this
difficult she can copy original piece of
writing but if she can manage doing
this, encourage her to do so. When she has
finished she can check at the end what she has
done with [he originaL
Quite often when you have spent a little
time on this activity, you will see :111 over-use of
punctuation tor time in her srories and
poems.Verv often the period, in particular,
turns up in abundance for a while after
this game and also the question mark
very popular, not least because children seem to
like ro drav,l it!
Letter writing
You can now begin to show your child some of
the conventions used when we write letters.
Show her hO'.v to pur her own address on
the leeter and the date. Explain the normal wav
of beginning and ending a letter. Take an
divide it into tour and show her that
the address in the first (Juadram
and that it can proceed verticailv trom that
point. Encourage her to write to other people.
Spelling
Quite and ,pontancou5]v your child
has been developing her ability to speil
accurately: rhe more ,he reads, the better her
spelling has become. You have plaved many
games that will help her to hecome more fluent
in her reading, dnd these coo ~\yill helred in
spdling. Being ahle to spell. "vell does not neces-
sarily mean someone is more intelligent or
more wdely read than another ~ there are
some good writers who have terrible
trouble ,vi,h their spell.ing and some very good
speilers who can't write at all. Having said that,
of course it's helpful if spelling is more otten
correct than incorrect. The more cxper;ence I
have with children \'vho are naturally good
spellers, the more cOl1\'inced I rim that although
some combin:ltion< of letters need to be
learned, a good speller is one who senses the
patterns in \vords. She is SOlTI('onc who is aHe
to apply a knowledge of pattern to the abstr;Jct
of spelling. I am convinced that this ability
has been developed from an early age and that
is a combination of:
• The ability to similarity and
in
• The ability to compare and
patterns.
• To have a good sense of shape.
.. To be able to predict likely
• To be able to make an attempt without fear
of failure.
All of these skills have been developed in
children long before they come to even
thinking about the need to spell.
In ~ddition, rhe sound-letter :lpproach which
your child used in the '\10vcable i\lphahet
helped her to gain confidence in
dovvn vvii:hout \vorry or fear of having :0 get it
right. She was able to build words, sometimes
breaking them down into componC'nt parts
when they were verv long and building them
up syllable by syllable. She J1so has very good
sound and rhyme recognition skills, so she
nmkrsrands thar a word that sounds like another
vmrd may very well be spelled like too.
She can hear the "provi-
sion" and "station" and vvii] be able to apply the
'',;ion'' to words like "tc]eY1S!On" :md the "tion"
to words such as '·caution."
Without necessarilv being aware of it, in
playing the acrivities c:lrlicr in the book you wiH
have been indirectlv preparing your chIld to
heconle good at
Learning lists of spelling at home will not
really be very productive became list has no
real purpose. Spelling games are much more fun
to play. Here are some ideas.
Key sound envelopes 2
Take one of (he envelopes you prq'arcd for the
version of this ga...'T1C that appeared Chapter
I 7. Ask vour child to write down all the wavs
that she r0nv,,..,,t->ets the sOlmd "ai" could be
written ,he can look at the cards if nCCCSqr::.
Write each cOr!"lbin:lrion at wp of a page.
Now take out all the cards with the words
written on them. Call them om at r:;ndol11 :md
place them face down in a pIle.Yom chIld has
to ,-,vrite each ,"lord under its correct colu111n.
..t-\x the end she can check to see how ulany ::.:he
got right by going through the pIle of cards
Various patterns can be nhcrved 111
for insta~cc, vvith the key sound "oy," \vhich
she has also seen vvritten JS ;'01," a general rule
can be observed - "oy" usually C0111es at
end of a \vord and -'oi" usually COD1C'S in the
\V R 11' J N (;
CRE,A.TiVE.'\ D
middle. Of course there are exct:ptlons [','170 ciiffcrcnr colored pencils and ',vrite them
to this rule, such as "oyster" bur: it is an dO'vvn.
observaEion that: 'Nil! serve her very '.vell.
Collective nouns
Sit7gLrllJjrs and plurals/masculines and Children also like match up collective nouns
and there are some very colodul ones abom.
Another of ,tudying words md how they Yet again rnake small card:- that C;lTI be pbced
,1re written is to look words and how tbey in two columns: flock sheep, pack wolves, pr-ide
change frorn ,inguL1r to plural or from lions, gaggle geese, crowd people, etc.
11lJscuiine to fcmir:inc How to play
You wili need Have vou1' child set out the collective nouns in
For ;mei plunls, you will need to one column and match up the correct single
gather together a number of words as foPO'','s: ;lnimal to e<lch one. You vVl11 need to have
Find words where the plural is made by little matching symbol on the back of each pair
adding In C3.t bird birds so thar she can check herself.
Find words where the is made bv by
adding "es" ~ catch catches, watch watches Words within words
Find words where the piural is made Choose a long word such as clcrbnt ~sk
ch:mging the middle of the word ~ foot teet, your child ho'vv many \vords can rnake out
tooth teeth. mouse mice ofiL
Find words where there are ['NO parts to the
pan, t~n, pen, hal. pant. pet. etc
word and only one clnnges in the plural
'poon!:11 'poons+:tl, bbckbi1'd blJckbirck
brother~in-la\-v brorhers-in-Lnv. Spelling snap and peimanism
you will need You need to make:: set of cards 'with four
words in each pack sharing 'rlme spelling.
kl11d such as gnndf:1thcr, For ex~mple, coat, Goat. boat: crush. ABOVE Discovering how words work call be very well and writing well. She enJoys books and
godmorher godhther: words that derived brush, push. rush: string, srrap. straw. struggle. interesting, Once your child is writing. he can highlight
loves reading on her own together WIth
the change from singular to plural by writing the plural in
ti'OlTl one another such prInce prIncess, To ploy another column, in a different color. you. She likes to look up things in rcticfcncc
c1l1perOr or Th;tr C0111plctcly :{ou can play snap or you CJn rheIn out race books as much as she loves to read fiction. She
difterent trom one c,nother ~boy girl, uncle down and find pairs. seems to have a way ,,'nh words.You are justifi-
Junt. 'fou will find that your chiid is flKinated by confident at expressing herself in writing. Her ably proud bccause she did all this by simply
How to play the Vial' words work and will piaying all spelling is quite good and she \CHites im:lgina- living in an cIwironmcJ1( that was im''''1«''(,(11Iv
:1nd 1~!lJr8h, give your child two these games. Occasionally you may find that tive and well-cratted stories. It would probablY rich and had fun with
pencils. Rc:ad and match the cards. SIX be (he mr\r()T"';'1'" rnornent to <;ho\v her ho\v to C0ngrat~l];;tions all
H;;ve her \vrite do\vn the \\:ords in cohnnn'S age draft and then produce a fair coPy when she
al~ways put the plural in a differem color. of seven. If you believe this to be the case, talk wants to prodUCt, for special OCCJ'l;ons,
('Help me to do ir myself!" eloquent: is
jf she can do it frOnl memory. to her tcachers md see [hey feel. If vou You \yould not have dreamed this
this parad0xical The adul, must
For fcrnin1nes, vvrite are srill worried, then lt llUY be as well to until she was at this level.You wiIi also show her
helD the child but help him in such a way
\:\/ords on cards and have her mix thenl up and check turther to be ciisc:nver if she has how to look in a 6icrion~rv using her knowi-
[hat he mav act himself and perform
thenl. If you have enough cards, do it i or some other torm of difficulty with words. edge of the order of the ;;lrhabC'f and her ahility
real work in the world.
nne set at a time to begin with.\Vhen has to make good guesses!
looked LlI thell1 and SOIL rhern, let her take
<....
Your child is now able to wnte clearly and she is She is no\v at the stage \vhen she is :-cading

C ,( E i V t:: :\ ~]) cu \YJ R l i N (;

WI:z.l :'(c c '-\ N D
 CHAPTER NINE
Te p
this book vou will find rerer-
iHv''':'';''LUl"'
to various marerials, equipmem and
information cnntJlned in this chapter, vvhich
vlill help you use and enjoy the garnes and
activities I recommend, Nothing f2atured here
is expensive to buy or very time-consuming w
Inake~ and all of them 'vvill help you create the
nch c;wironmcnt will lead vour child to
read <-lUct \,vrice ease and
\Ve begin at the beginning, with whole
senes of terr;phte,. which will form the
blocks tor letter recognition and,
reading and vvriting. They can be
used to create the Sandp"per Letters and
Alpbher tcatured in Chapter 3, and
they can even be used as classified cards'
These IFmplate, :lre easy to make and will
only a short inveqment of your time.
Access to phorocopier would make things
even e~\S1er: you make multiple copies for
the games that require these, or make them
larger or smaller, depending on the needs and
prctcrcnces of vour child. I recommend that
you one set of originals, 'Chen use photo-
copied sets tor Ihe games themselves.
make sandpaper letters
What you wi!! need
10 make the letters used in this book, you will
need three dirfcrcnr colors of cardhoard to
rnount letters themselves on: one color for
vo\-vels, one for the C0nson::tnr::; and one tor the
13A T [;\-1 P t
;\1'-:0 OTHtR RES
3 addiwnalletters "r"
1 :1c1dit10T1J,] len:er "s~'
er resources 1 additl0nalletter "'e'
2 dddltionalletters "u" (3 if you mal<:e "au
1 ::1-dditionJ,] letter "y"
Cur our: the black letters. Pin them or
glue them omo the back of the chosen paper or
tabnc. (Remember to pm the letters on back to
ti'om! If you don't, ail your letters will be the
wrong wav around when you cut them out.)
Cut around the ren1plates as caret111ly as p0:-:'iible
digraphs. The colors tfdchionally med in and glue the s:mclparer or other material letters
Montessori schools are blue for vowels, pink onto [he :1ppropriare colored card that you have
tor green for digr:lphs; hut you can prepared. Use the to judge
use any color you vvish. card you need; the will need card rhat
a little wider than the single letters.
! You will also need: You may wish to PUt a little spot [Q indicate
! a tactile material [Q make the letters from: where to start feeling the letter and also a
sandpaper (as the name 15 the shaded line at the base so your child knows
traditional but you could also use which wav up to hold the letter. See the
or PJlnring p:1per. velvet diagram on page for where to place the dot
(\vhich is nice to feel but tends to ravel after a dnd the directlonal arrows so that she feels the
, while).lfvou do <andfJaper, use the finest leIter using the right movement.
grlt.
The teem plates. which you will find following To make the moveable aphabet
these instructions on pages 142-149 This activity is so l1nrCl[unt that you
think that you can do without it! It's quite easy
I What to do to make. Take the letter templates and
PhotocofJY the templates. Decide in advance their size on a photocopier so thac letters like
how many of the you want to make and "0" are about 2 inches high. Letters
and make sure vou make extra copies of the Eke and "h" should be about 4 inches high.
letters needed.If you make all the CigrafJhs What you will need
<l1ggcstcd in Chapter in addition to tile usual Colored c:lrdboard use the '3me color that
11phaber letter, vou will need: vou used for the backgrou:1d of Ihe Sandpaper
,I Letters.
3 additional letters "a" (4 if vou make the Photocopv dOOut 8-10 copies of each
digrapb "au') and abom 12 of each vowel.
1 addirioml Lrrter "c" Don't forge;: docs and Hj."
5 additional letters "e" Making the box to keep them in is a little
' 3 adclitinmlletters "h" more as it needs to be quite
2 adcbtiondlleners '''il' can nYmnPl,'nd two pO'isihilities:
6 adchtional1etters "0" Many liquor stores give away cardhoJrd wine
1 additional letters "q" boxes to carry away botdes. These may hold 6
L)RC~S
or 12 bottles, and all have c:lrdbmyd dividers.
Cut the box and the down until you
l
') 1
have a tray and dividers of about 2 inches high.
Stick them together to create tray that has
cno'.Jgh comparrnlents for letters.
You could also find a cardboard bm: that has
i a lid and use the lid as a tray.
Cut strips oL-,miboard the length and width
i of the box and make slots in them at abom
4-inch gaps. Slot the ctrdhoard ,trips into one
another to make grid, then fit this into the
box lid.
SIze of
Other ways of using the
I templates
Sewing
: Photocopy the letters of your child's name and
make holes in the letter. Thread up a large
needle WIth colored yarn and tie a knot in the
i end of it. If your child is old enough to thread
her O\",n needle. provide her with a plait or
braid of multicolored yarn to an
1ppropr1:lte and secured looselv at each
end with some varn. Shmv how to pull [he
not I yarn tram the middle of the braid, one strand
i a[ a rime. In this way the braid stays intan and
siIe can choose from a beautiful ,uray of colors
without haviIlg to use scissors.
Cutting out letters
Have your child choose her tavorite letters :md
cur them out. She can then pasre chern to
different colored paper and decorate the FJFt'L
Some children like to draw pictllrt's, some
patterns and others dray\! more letters! You
I could use til.em to make a alphabet book if
She is not yet \vriting but can cut out \vell. Help
her create cards w send to loved ones with thelr
I initials cut out, pasted and decorarecl.
To make Duzzle words
Chapters 6and 8 1ntroduc:ed g1nl;:~s ll"ing- '.vhar
l'L;\TES AND ()THfR l~ES~'UR.l'
 \ve call Puzzle \Vords (so called beC:Juse tbey
can't be ,mmdcd ont
provided templates lor a possible List of words
tor you use, but don:t be tempted to rnake
an exhaustive list ~ 10-12 for sec is all you
need. Your child will learn many more just by
reading.
What you will need
You need to make two sets of Puzzle Word
(Cardho;lrd is be<;t since you v..;-i11 use
these words on their own, with the Moveable
.'\lrn;]hcr, and as guide for ,pelling.) fVlctke
each card inches long and about 2 incnes
high. Choose one color for set one ;ll-;d
dlfferent one tor set [WOo Keep the cards in a
little box on your child's writing shelf so She
can always find them when she needs [hem.
When writing the Puzzle Words on [he canis
RIGHT Once sile has made
decorate them in lots of
ways.
do remember ~:ou ,ho111d write them in
same type or'letters as the S3Ddpaper
Letters.
To make the classified cards
These cards can be usdul for your child in two
ways: they call be used to help
vocahulary from around the age of two and
also when your child is just be-ginning to reacL
around the age of four and a half.
What to do
You Cdll Inake as Inany different of cards
as you Eke. Ti"y to follow your child's interests.
Each card should have clear picture or the
object that you are going :0 teach the
of and each set should oniy comaln pictures
[hat belong together. For very young children
(hcnvccn rhe- of nvo and four')~ collect
pictures of objects rhar rhev will find in theIr
environmem. Group the cards according to
locltion.
You could, for mstdnCe, collect pictures that
show objects trom around the house.
If you do so, each set should be
according to the rooms in your house, for them or draw vour child's attention to them
a set of objects ii'om the hatnroom.
kitchen. bedroom. living room. coHeeted a set of pictures of pets perhaps
You could collect pictures that show objects pictures of J. cat, dog, rabbit, h:1111ster. goidtIsh,
fi:om around the neighborhood. For Stick insect. While you are out and aboLlt, you
of pictures froTn [he park~ Qlr,0"rnOl'k-n of
street or etc.) that she (;In

\X/hen your child becomes older you can look at type of anirnal (say cat), you could In:1ke
other" groups" of objects that may :ntercst him. or· card, that would show the
and the pictures can be of Cdt. such Persian. Tabby, l:z.usslan Blue or
rnore speciBc \vays, ahvays folio\vint; hi') .<J\by')slnian.
\Vherever link the cards '"vlth your and
your child's c:-,-plor:lrion of the rea] world. '.lila group them
If you collect cards of the itelTIS you Inight
find in the park: bench. slide, swings. Jungle
gY1Tl, tennis courr, etc then do go to a park J.nd ;,.-;.ccording to you Inight ;:i1enl"
look at them. If YOU have collected pIctures of garden tlovvers, aipine tloVV"ers, \voodland
animals, try vvhen you dre out, to looking for tlo\vers, hothouse flc)\vers. j\jvvays try to Ct1ClOSC

!38 Tc PL.A..T S ~i.ND OTHER RES OUR (\ i\" D () T H

T
pictures that: reflect your child's In on the back of the picture. In this way, having can fInd picmres to paste in that stan v"ieh h"amifi11 cover that you have made together.
this you will help them to explore their read the word on the iabd she can turn [he each lemon. Do these on loose pieces of sure to put a title on the coYer :lnd the
\:vorld in more and develop the vocabu- picture over to see if she has identified the item paper you join togerher so the book can author's name. Read it to her whenever she
larv to extend their thinking and help them to correctly, It is importam to provide [pjs self- be added to. RCn1cmbcr that this 'tage she wants. She will also take it and "read" it.
talk about what they see. Perhaps your child checking mechani:;m as w11l ll1 charge ,\(111 noe know the of the alphahet. Your child may draw many pictures thctt ,h"
will become expert at recognizing all makes of her o\vn progr(,,~5, \vh-ich is good for ner When vou have a book with aU the letters and 'Nill start ro label, and occasionally she mav put
of car on the road if that is her inrerest! self-esteenl. she knO\\'5 her ::dphahct scq:lcnCE\ you C3n speech bubbles on rhem. See if they can be
Where to find pictures for cards suggest she organize, the book accordingly. nude into a collection.
rvlail order are good for ilnding When she is able to quite well, vour
pict11n"'s of the home and garden.
To rnake books Story books child may draw a picture that has a story and
If you hJYC a you couJd your Thwughour this book I have encouraged 'lOU These may or may not have pictures with you can encourage her to vvrite do\vn a te\,v
Qvvn pictUres. ;}[c a very good ,ource and your child to make books of your o\;yn. them. Don't make your child thmk ,hat semenees to descnhe She should be quite
of pic-tmes and you can find these at good Here are some ideas for all has to be attachcci to Some good at this ifshe has using the !\'!nw~Clhle
,t;;conery shops m museun:tS love to others do GrJduaily Alphabet.
l\ group I once t:mght ,vere Picture books as your child starts ro teU you stories, you can In Ch:lprer 8 we looked at a way of helping
mfected with my enthusiasm for Monet. and Dra\v pictures that (ell a simple story and 2.sk begin to vvrite them down for her in the torm your child structure :l S(Oly and then \vfite
although none of them were over the of your child to organize [hem in ordeLYou can of a book. She sees the words that she has one. In this else [he story comes first and can
six, they could recognize many of his paintings then tell a swry around the pictures. dictated being \.vritten. Do not be tt'mpred to illustrated iryour child wishes. Write J stOry
and make judgments on the Kind of subject PhotClgraph a day in ynl1f life- (or any change the words she uses or the sense of what together to begin with and then cnCOUr:1gc
matter he seemed to iike 1 other event) :1nd her she savs at this stage. However. do make sure
How to make the cards them into some kind of order and paste therrl that vou spell everything correctly.You could
If vou wish to the cards nseful on colored Tie chen) together \'vith illustrate the story or simplv keep it in a You can make this into a book bv
YOC:lbl1hr; and for re:lding, it would ribbon. If you do this at the corner ie's easv to tnn'cribmg omo a comput<~r
be best [0 collect caples of each picture: turn the over. If your child CJn \vrlre she ;md it together - you caD
one will be used to teach the name or the 1 may like to write a word or two under the buy good binders from q:?[inner),
object and the other Vilill be used as J pictures or she may dictd'[e and you can vvTir:e stOres. Some kinds you simply
,-necking mc:cn:mism, the "comrol of error" tor her. on co keep the pages wgNhcr
,<vhen your child reading. \Vhen she is more able. she have a blaJlk while others hold the pages
Glue the picture, on colored C1rdho,ud. page opposite to wnte her own story, together using a series of prepared
ivbke [he cards for the 5erond set (han holes.Trv to make the bOOK look
th.e cards tor the set \)lncc to Letter books as close w a real book as
write the names of the objects underneath Fold a of paper 1mo three or more sections
them. lV1.ake a set of separate labels for !1.rst to create zigzag or tan book. Put letters at the
set. You WIll USe the first set as described in top of each section. These call be cut Out ti-om
Chapter 3, teaching the names of the cards by letter tcrnplarcs, or
~1 thre~-period lesson. \-Xlhen your child is dravvn by you or by your child.1'he letters could
C-:hJpter she "'vViH reJ.d the labels spell her name or an objecL You could find
and match them to the cards of the first set. picmres that hegin \v1fh 50nnd on
each makes, Or your child may want tel
COlD_pare \vo!-d;:;, :lno ~ee dra\v b<egh'1. with that sound.
reacts it correctly. If you aren t able to buy tvvo
1
You could make an alphabet book with your
se(s of pictures, you shou1d still111akc set of child. As she learns more and more Sandrapcr
labels and sinlply vvrite the name of the object Letters, you can add thenl to book and she

AND OTHER R U RC ES
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 on prepared paper for eXlJloratJlon Games that you can buy that i letter of the object, and one the name of the
of paper [hat are overleaf of the meaning of words will be both fun and helpful object. Each card is cut so that it can
(pagesJ 54~5) vvill be useful for your child as a guide In Chapter 7 explore ways in which your child be correctly asscmbld C:lsily.
to helping her to place her letters correctly on can discover how difterent words have There are many cOlnrrlerc:laiiy available games Stencil Set
paper. It is important choose p8per that roughly be cut om and that are useful and tun to play that can support l-" box (nntaining for the clpitJI :lnd
m;}tches rhe size of her v/Titing when she is \vriting used to create the pattern of shapes [hat she places your child's learning, lOY\TTc;J,sc lerrers. Paint and pencils are also
on plain paper. The size in which she ·writes her the labels that you write, You will find I included.
nalne a useful g1ude. for all of these in rhi' Orchard Toys
Keep them in little jars so you onlv need to bring Shopping List Game Jolly Learning
Graph paper our the ones you need for each garE-e. The objecr of the game is to fill your shopping Jiglets
This paper allo\,vs your crild to write her letters on cart with food, This is fun co play and will help ;\1agnetic that \yill ;ltGch to your
the base hoe but it doesn'[ iimit her letters to a your child to recognize famili;u words. fridge or to the small magnetic board that is
her to try to keep them Slug in aJug suppiied, The letters can fit in any order so the

6(\(\
coughly the same, using the as a guide, This is a rhyming player must find only wav to do it is to "sound Out" correctly
a card that rhymes with one of their cards, The words are either phoneDC or have a
Four ih'1es that are color-coded which they to do bv turning over card digraph in them: Dog, Cat, Hen, Pig and
\Vhen vou photocory th",e lines VOll will need to run tram a selection that has been placed face Boat, Ship and Train,
over the middle lines in blue and the top and bottom dowu. Once your child has a pair, a fUlillY Letter Sound Games
in red, (You couid use any color, but you will need to rhyme must be made up using the words on These games are tor chiHren who (an already
illa[ch it to a hbckhn:1rd if you \vish heT IO use one the cank read but need to practice, E:lch one has a swrv
colored lirles on ILl / \ book and the game will use the words and
/
Ihis paper gives
:::he letter. The ascenders go up to
for all pans of
top red line'
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and Learning
I Spy ArOlmd the H0rld
scenes trom the storv,
Individual games include:
,lnd the dcsccnd~r) to the hotrom [cd Detailed cards that need dose nbscrvation Donkey Niatching SounDS Game
'vvhile the rest of the letter fits the 10 small Hght blue triangles provide the basis for this I spy game, Children Rook Beg1n:1ing Sounds Game
blue 10 medium dark blue triangles spin a letIcrcd first to spy something Rabbir Sounds Qmz game
10 iarge black triangles on their picture with that lerter gets ro cover it Goat Rhyming Words Glune
Shaded Line 10 pink bars (hyphen shapes) with a card. first person to cover their Toad Word-:,uilding G.lme
This paper will help your child to form the main 10 green crescent moons pICture WIth cards is \vinner. Cocky Rooster Digraphs
bodv of the letter the ,haded pre and Animal Sound Tracks
the height of the :1scendcn :ind dC'~c('nders to ht":f Listen to the real sounds of animals the Parker
Qvvn jl.!dgmer1t. tapes and match them to your game board. Junior Boggle
which has delightfil1 photographs Children try to beat the timer and reproduce
Double Line with darker base the word on their card using letrer dice, This
l-Iere raper serves 111uch the same function as Galt game can be played by copylng, [hen frOID
the shaded line ..dthcugh the doned line is le" Picture Word Dominoes memory
definilc and rnay be left to cventu:dlv ~1de Picture and word cards linked together bv
k-aving a single line tor \vriting on. cards ,vithjUst words on them,Verv helpful for Spear's Games
If you decide to I'1hotocopy m0.re th;-:n nne word recognition. Junior Scrabble
of paper, it would be heh)iul to your child if they Letter lYfatch A gaII1e whlCh Vall match the letters [hat
\vell-illustnted ('ards have bee'n separated om you have to \vords already \vntten on the
rnakes it casier for her to identif)r and 1['5 also nice into three One part has the picture, one board. This is a usefui imroducrion to
to have to '.vrire on \vhite all the time, 10 smail orange disks or circies 10 red disks or cirdes capical and lowcrc3se version of the first ordinary Scnbble

T PLi\TES A:-":D OTHE RESOUR 01' ER QURC 153

 : .. ,
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Good books for Roald Dahi (Puffin'),

children

Books for you to

read

Sp~Clai oreier book

Books about the ;\1ontcssori

;\1:.:::roc Leaf (Puffin Books _ rrle Story
Rhymes and Poems approach

''1D OTHER RES l<-CES

TEI'viPLl\T ~ND OTHER RESOURC
 Index
Vinci, Rome 7
nun~bers

use 19,36

feeling :md \:<"'T:'ting 92-3, 94

UIJ,,/lll 11

104,111.

gluing letters 96 136

hand control 20,

Hmchms, Pac, Rosif'~ r/~dlk 46

collective nouns 13-1-

Key Sound Envelope<; j ! 8,

120
lisr:enmg 19 usmg 0bjects 106, 106-9

158 rN D
IN EX! 159
 spelling 36. 3.3,101, 117. 133 \Vorld widc
Useful Addresses General inn",;ri." ,he,." held in

UK can be :ddressed ;;0

A~s(l c i::ttion M oncC$50 rl Imcrnatl0nJle
Kon inglnne\Veg, 161
usetul.
US A T he N ethcrbnds
.A.ssociation i\1ontcssori TmernJrjon31e
USA. Nienhuis Momessori
410 idexar:d er Streec,
14
Rochester,
New'iork 14607 The Netherlan ds
mabng 122, 124
(716) 461 5920 +31 31 462711 0
This company manli6c tu re.~ Montessori
11 cqutpmcm
remplates, letter 136-40, 142-9
North Amerlca n i\1omesmr i TC:l chcn
Three Period L~sson 37-8
,!\S50 cl;1rion
Treasure HullC 11 3-14, 114
J 1424 Bdlflo'.vc r R oad NE
TV and video, watch ing 27- 8

decan ting 87
1.lnderm;H:,
UN ESC O 11

verbs and adv~ rbs 125-6. 126

12, 14.1 9,51,105, 108, 127 education , co urses and sch o ob;

Nienhuis [v1onressort USA.

15- 16,16,17. 320 Pioneer \;lay
(800) 942 8697
MOllTItJin View,
words 36, 5l
descriptive 121, 122 CA 94041
This Qr~ mzatlo ll seils I'vtomcss()ri
123.124
and boob

Mo messori ed ncItlOn.

Montesso r i Educarion (UK)

21 ViIH,'y~rd Hill
London, SW19
+ 44 (0) 181
r:aodeIs This organiZJDOn :':lS tntormarion on
on li nes 98-100. 99 \-1ontes.sorl schools in rhe LJI{.
')n p rcp;"m:~d 152
p:l tte::-ns in 3rtwork 59-60

ISB N 0-609 - 80335- 2

eqwpmenr, reSOllrc~s and IirCf:J.am":.

SCI; i11S0 ]angl.:;lgc; fe:'l<.i ing "111'Si

II' II
I

160 IN D E X