Parents and teachers may be pleased when children can identify the name of each letter, but it's actually not a useful skill when children are first learning the fundamentals of reading. Unfortunately, this method of learning carries with it a strong cultural paradigm...

Teaching letter symbols before their phonetic sounds creates confused learning and contradicts the ways our brain acquires language. The best way for children to learn reading is by following this successful learning principle: Start with concrete concepts and,...

Why the ABC Song is Not an Effective Tool for Teaching Children to Read By Richard Colombini, MA By far, the most popular way to introduce children to the alphabet and reading is the famous ABC Song. It's a cultural icon that is carried from generation to generation....

Practical Life at Home, by Marcy Hogan If you were to ask Montessori teachers which part of “curriculum” is the most important, my guess is most teachers would say Practical Life. Practical Life is the foundation for everything that follows in a Montessori classroom....