Learning phonics to learn to read takes time and commitment so you have to put in the effort if you want your children to master reading. Learning to read is crucial to success throughout school and throughout

     Phonics are very powerful and when your children are learning phonics they should be able to read fairly early on in the learning process. The phonics code is the same language we speak, so if your child can pronounce the word correctly then they will know what the written word means. 

     When learning phonics there is one drawback and that is: your child might be able to read perfectly but they might not understand what they are reading. So you have to keep explaining the meaning of the words. 

     I have found the Montessori way of learning phonics to be very effective. Her method uses sandpaper letters and the child traces the phonic sound with the sandpaper letter therefore helping to implant the written sound on her brain. Also when tracing the letters your child is effectively writing so writing comes naturally to children who have been taught with sandpaper letters. 

     So when learning phonics with sandpaper letters your children should have an advantage over children learning on a computer screen or in a classroom. The Montessori method of teaching reading by learning phonics has been around for about a 100 years so it has lasted longer than most learning to read systems. 

     For more information about a course on how to teach reading using Montessori sandpaper letters see our teach reading page.