Montessori Movable Letters Rug

This Rug is to be paired with Montessori movable alphabet :

Bilingual Montessori cursive alphabet moveable letters & numbers

There are several stages in the Montessori approach to language development. The moveable alphabet should be introduced in the word-formation stage after children are familiar with all letters and their corresponding sound.

How do I use the moveable alphabet with my child?

There are several stages in using the moveable alphabet, and you can start at any of these steps, depending on your child’s readiness.

1. Introduction to the moveable alphabet

   If your child has never worked with the moveable alphabet before, the first lesson should be about familiarising them with the material. Take the box off the shelf, place it on a rug and have a look at it together. Name the material - ‘this is the moveable alphabet.’

   Start by showing your child how to straighten and stack the letters in each compartment so they can be seen clearly. Then pick a letter, take it out of the box and place it on the rug. Name the letter while having a feel of it, then place it back in its compartment. Let your child have a go at it too. Keep doing this and letting your child explore the material and get familiar with it.

2. Matching with (sandpaper) letters

   The next step is to match the letters of the moveable alphabet with (sandpaper) letters that your child is already familiar with. To do this, pick three to five (sandpaper) letters and place them on a rug next to the moveable alphabet. Pick one (sandpaper) letter, then scan the moveable alphabet to find the same letter. Place the moveable alphabet letter below the sandpaper letter on the rug. Repeat for the remaining letters, then let your child have a go. Keep going as long as the child is still interested.

   It might be useful to do this exercise with all the Vietnamese/English alphabets so the child becomes familiar with their placement in the moveable alphabet box. If it seems as though they are familiar enough and ready to start forming words, then move on to the next step.

3. Forming CV words using language objects

   The next stage is to use the moveable alphabet to start forming simple CV (consonant-vowel) words. In Montessori, this stage í usually paired with corresponding boxes of tiny objects for more tangible learning.

   Place the objects on the rug, then use the moveable alphabet to start spelling out the word. Demonstrate it with one or two objects, then let your child have a turn. Do not correct their spelling at this stage, as we want to build confidence and encourage them to write what they hear.