My 3 Year Old Reader

Here are the steps I used to teach my 3 year old how to read. The process took about 5 months after he learned the uppercase and lowercase letters. I combined technology, Montessori material, and a simple song to solidify his mastery in reading. Each child is different so just enjoy your time together with your little one as they grow and learn at their own pace.

Step 1 – Learn the sounds of the consonants from Starfall.com.

www.starfall.com provides interactive learning for each letter.  The section is called “ABCs Let’s Get Ready to Read.” I made this my digital learning board and sat down with my young one to introduce each letter to him.  Starfall also has a free app that can be downloaded on your smart phone or tablet.

Step 2 – Check for phonics mastery by using a Montessori Language Object Starter Set.IMG_5392-min

My little one REALLY enjoyed holding these objects in his small hands as he told me the sound he heard at the beginning (and at the end) of each object. It’s something special about being able to touch these objects.  There is some “God-created”connection between the brain and that object.  We started out with 3 letter words only.  I would also play the “I Spy” game. “I spy with my eye something that begins with the ‘mmm’ sound.” He would then pick up the object that started with the letter M. I purchased my set from montessoriservices.com.

Step 3 – Learn the Abeka vowel song.

Printout or purchase a chart that list the vowels only (a, e, i, o, u). Listen to the Abeka vowel song below.  Point to the vowels as you introduce the song to your student.  Sing the song with your student and then let them sing the song to you as they point to each vowel.  We did this daily for about 2 weeks.  We sang it in the car, in the tub, outside, everywhere!

Step 4 – Solidify vowel sounds using the Montessori Language Object Starter Set.

Use the same method described above in Step 2.

Step 5 – Use the Montessori Moveable Alphabet to begin combining letters together to form words.

The beautiful thing about the Moveable Alphabet is that it allows a child to spell and read even if they haven’t mastered writing. This takes the limits off!

a.  Take fivIMG_1301e “at” combinations from the moveable alphabet and place them in a vertical row.

b. Ask the student what sound he hears in cat.  Child responds and finds the “c” placing it in front of one of the “at” combinations.

c. Continue to ask about other “at” combinations.

d. Have the child read all 5 words.  Finish here.  It’s super important not to frustrate your student by doing too much.  Be sensitive to their desire to learn.

e.  Repeat with other short vowel, 3 letter words and let the love for reading take flight!

Step 6 – We started using beginner books that focused on 3-letter words.  Once my son mastered a book, we moved to the next book.IMG_5391-min

We used EyeQ Phonics books to begin reading.  We did not have the entire Learn to Read set and didn’t need it using this method.  Bob books may be able to accomplish the same result.

That’s it!  We read and read and read and read!  Let me know if you have any questions!

Blessings to you!  The All in Mom

1 reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] How I Taught My 3-Year Olds To Read Using Montessori […]

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.