Sandpaper Letters.

We've been loving our little school! Roundabout loves it and Green Light is warming up to the idea. I have plenty of ideas and materials to use with Roundabout, but to find things that Green Light loves has been a little more challenging. We've found a few Montessori methods that work well.

Sandpaper letters have worked wonders with him! He loves tracing the letters and making the sounds that each letter makes while he's tracing. The texture captivates him and has really taken to this activity. His handwriting. in just a few weeks, has improved from basically nonexistent to actually legible! Not only that, but he's learning the correct way to form each letter.
How to make:
From posterboard, cut either 26 or 58 (depending on if you want to make the uppercase and lowercase) 6" x 6" squares. Using a pattern, cut letters from black sandpaper. Glue each letter to a square.

Take two letters of contrasting shape and sound. With the child's two fingers (index and middle), trace the letter and say the sound that the letter makes.

The first time: Make the association between the letter shown and it's name and sound. "This is B. /b/ /b/ /b/". Repeat until you feel your child understands the association.

The second time: To assure that the child understands, say "Give me the ___ letter."

The third time: See if the child remembers the name himself. Point to the two letters, saying "Which is the letter that says, "/b/ /b/ /b/". He should be able to differentiate and choose the correct letter. If not, help him.