The process of learning how to read should be as painless and simple as learning how to speak.
The Montessori child begins reading when he is ready and proceeds at his own pace. His experiences in practical life and sensorial education serve as preparation for this. Montessori begins by placing the youngest students in classes where the older students are already reading. All children want to “do what the big kids can do”, and as the intriguing work that absorbs the older students involves reading, there is a natural lure for the young child.
Montessori teaches basic skills phonetically. Reading skills normally develop so smoothly in Montessori classrooms, that students tend to exhibit a sudden “explosion into reading”, which leaves the children and their families beaming with pride.
