Montessori at Home: Learning Sounds
The English alphabet has 26 letters. If you need to what sounds the letters make you can watch our YouTube videos or download our cheat sheet.
One quick thing, the sound for the letter /x/ is not heard as a beginning sound in any English words. For instance the word xylophone, sounds like /z/ not /x/.
Objects organized by sound.
Introducing Sounds
It’s fun to start with the sound of your child’s first name.
When introducing vowels, we start with the short sound. Examples are below.
/a/ “cat” NOT “plane”
/e/ “pet” NOT “Pete”
/i/ “fix” NOT “fight”
/o/ “ rot” NOT “store”
/u/ “pug” NOT “flute”
Sound Pouches
Use bags, envelopes, containers to divide objects by their beginning sound.
Purpose: Isolate and identify the initial sound for each word/object/picture
Materials: Small bag, envelope or pouch. If you cannot obtain 26 pouches just use what you have and switch out the letters and materials.
3-4 items per pouch
*Look for items at thrift stores, missing game pieces, doll accessories and small toys are great items to use without blowing your budget.
Open a pouch and slowly remove the items one at a time.
Say the name of each item, place emphasis on the initial sound.
“Rrrrrrat” “Rrrrrrock” “Rrrrrradish”
Invite the child to name each object.
Zoo keychain, zipper and pouch for the items.
Objects for the /p/ pouch: popsicle, pear, pineapple, peach, pinecone, parrot and pouch.
Extend this work
Use 2 pouches at a time, let children sort the objects by sound.
Use the sandpaper letters and ask children to remove the object from the pouch and place next to the correct sound.
Remove the objects from 2 pouches and place on a table, ask the child to bring you an item that begins with one of the two sounds. i.e. please bring me an object that begins with /b/ .
Please bring me an item that begins with /g/.
Continue this work and extensions with Ending Sounds
“Please bring an object that ends with /t/.”
“Please bring me an object that ends with /s/.”
Continue this work and extensions with Middle Sounds.
I hear /a/ in “cat”, “jam” “fan”
