The Montessori language curriculum is constructed through the young child’s experiences identifying and categorizing the world around them, enhanced with very meaningfully created activities and exercises that support the child’s language development.
The language curriculum is very deliberately woven into all other curriculum areas, and the child is fully immersed in very intentional language experiences during all other learning.
The child who is still building their basic vocabulary may be identifying and matching objects, or pictures within a theme. They then may advance to sorting multiple objects by groups and categories. The child is then able to understand how objects relate and connect to one another through “go together” activities, in which objects and pictures are paired by how they correspond to each other.
The more advanced child then takes these fundamental language skills and begins broadening and enhancing their vocabulary through activities such as 3-part cards, which require the child to identify and label various parts of animals, foods, automobiles, or any other object one would find in the world. The ability to transfer these activities to any category creates vast possibilities and allows the child to further their language acquisition based on their own interests, educational themes, and areas of improvement.
The Montessori curriculum also focuses on sounds through the sandpaper letters, which are presented in a very specific order and procedure through the tactile sense. The child then uses the moveable alphabet to create words from those sounds and eventually phrases and sentences, making reading and spelling a hands-on activity. The older child is then introduced to grammar, with specific and consistent symbols that make it tangible.
The goal of the Montessori language curriculum is to expose the children to their world in a very real way with true word and meaning, that is never oversimplified for the child. We introduce them to advanced language and provide concrete activities that build upon each other and grow with the child.
The Montessori language curriculum creates a very comprehensive understanding of language not only in the ability to effectively communicate, but also with a very well-developed language skillset.