Sandpaper Letters

Sandpaper Letters
Language - Writing
Level	Primary
Age	2.5
Prerequisites	auditory discrimination I Spy Rough and Smooth Boards
Materials	3 Sandpaper Letters

This activity introduces the child to letters.

Presentation

1. Take three sandpaper letters to a mat or table. Place them in a stack face-down in the upper right corner.

   

2. Flip over the first letter and trace it with your index and middle fingers. Follow the same path that you would use while writing the letter.
   Say the sound of the letter (not the letter name) as you trace it.

   

3. Give the student a turn to trace the letter. Have them say the sound as they trace it.
4. Move the first letter out of the way to the upper left corner of the work space.
   Repeat the procedure with the other two letters.

   

   

5. Set out all three letters and do a Three Period Lesson.
   Be sure to have the student trace and say the letters sounds often throughout the lesson.

   

Material

The original material designed by Maria Montessori for this lesson was a set of letters that were routed grooves in small boards. Cut-out sandpaper letters glued to boards were used instead later because these were cheaper and easier to make. I'm not sure why we don't use routed letters instead now that technology has advanced. The routed letter version is clearly superior.

Make Your Own

• These boards were made from pieces of masonite. The letters were first printed on regular paper, then cut out, traced on sandpaper, and cut out again.

  

  (For a detailed description of how this was done, see Maybe Montessori.)

Where to Buy

Prices and links checked: 23 January 2022

Print
Store	Price
Adena	$39.82
Alison's	$98.00
Alison's	$40.68
Bruins	$120.00
E & O	$56.70
Hello Wood	$125.00
IFIT	$46.00
Kid Advance	$36.99
Material Company of Boston	$78.00
Montessori Concepts	$55.00
Montessori Outlet	$36.95
Nienhuis	$100.50
Thinkamajigs	$49.95
Bruins lower	$109.00
IFIT lower & capital	$36.00
IFIT lower	$38.00
Kid Advance lower	$30.99
Kid Advance capital	$37.99
Montessori Concepts lower & captial	$45.00
Montessori Concepts lower	$46.00
Montessori Outlet capital	$45.95

Cursive
Store	Price
Adena	$39.82
Affordable Montessori	$49.00
Alison's	$46.30
Alison's	$110.00
Bruins	$125.00
E & O	$62.10
Hello Wood	$141.00
IFIT	$46.00
Kid Advance	$31.99
Material Company of Boston	$85.00
Montessori Concepts	$56.00
Montessori Outlet	$39.95
Nienhuis	$100.50
Thinkamajigs	$46.95
Bruins lower	$100.00
Bruins lower, D'Nealian	$120.00
IFIT lower	$38.00
Kid Advance capital	$37.99
Kid Advance lower & captial	$30.99
Montessori Outlet capital	$46.95

Semi-Cursive
Store	Price
Alison's D'Nealian	$39.90
Alison's D'Nealian	$110.00
Alison's Sassoon	$89.77
Hello Wood	$141.00
Hello Wood script	$129.00
Material Company of Boston D'Nealian	$88.00

Other Alphabets
Store	Price
Alison's Arabic	$44.10
Alison's Hebrew	$44.10
Bruins Spanish - print	$93.00
Bruins Spanish - cursive	$93.00
Material Company of Boston Spanish - print	$95.00
Kid Advance Chinese	$23.99
Kid Advance Chinese	$23.99
Kid Advance Chinese	$23.99
Montessori Outlet Spanish print lower	$42.95
Nienhuis Spanish - print	$18.90

Sandpaper Letters on Cardstock
Store	Price
Resources for Reading capital	$25.95

Box
Store	Price
Kid Advance	$14.99

Further Reading

• Basic Montessori: Learning Activities for Under-fives by David Gettman, pages 139-140
• Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years by Elizabeth G. Hainstock, pages 70-72, 97-107