Sandpaper letters

What are the Sandpaper letters?

The Sandpaper letters are similar to the Sandpaper numbers used in Montessori Math. The Sandpaper letters are letters made from sandpaper that has been stuck on the right-hand side of a piece of wood. The vowels are in blue and the consonants are in pink.

The directress uses the Sandpaper letters to teach the child the shapes of the letters by tracing them as well as learning the sounds of the letters. She teaches the child the phonetic sounds of the letters.

A three-period lesson is done with the Sandpaper letters to teach the child the phonetic sounds of each letter. The child also learns the correct way to form letters by tracing each of them in an accurate manner.

How a three-period lesson is done with the Sandpaper letters

The directress invites the child to work with her. She chooses three different letters out of the box, they must not sound or look alike (ideally she includes one vowel), and takes them to the table.

She places the three letters face down on the right-hand side of the mat and sensitizes the child’s fingers like before.

First period: the directress places a letter in front of the child and traces it with her right hand while supporting it with her left hand. She then sounds out the letter for the child.

The directress asks the child to have a turn, once he has had a turn she places the letter down on the right-hand side of the mat facing downwards. She repeats in the same manner with the other two letters.

Second period: the directress spends a great deal of time in this period. She places all three letters in front of the child and asks him to feel and show her different letters.

Third period: All three letters should be facing downwards. The directress flips one over and asks the child what it is, she then replaces it to the right-hand side of the mat. She repeats in the same manner with the other two letters.

The directress consolidates the lesson by reviewing what was learnt. A fun way of consolidating this activity is by playing the knock-knock game.

The directress does this by placing all three letters upside-down on the mat in front of the child ‘knocking’ each one and asking the child ‘‘whose there’’. The directress then helps the child to pack away.

Looking for more Montessori activities?

Here is a list of all the Montessori Language activities. These include Early Language, Pink Language Materials, Green Language Materials, Later Language, and Grammar. Just click on the page you want to learn about to go there.