4th (of 6) Phonetical Order Set: : h  j  u  l (Montessori 🔤 101 Language)

In a Montessori language curriculum, alphabet letters are not first presented to a child in an alphabetical order like A, B, C, D, etc. The idea is to introduce letters phonetically (the way they sound) rather than by their name. Phonetical grouping of certain consonants and vowels had proven to be very effective in allowing children to form as many words as possiblequickly. 

There are few Montessori phonetical grouping orders suggested, and we are following the one suggested in How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin (buy the book here, which is a Montessori -beginner must-have book.)

 Today, we are replicating the fourth set:  h  j  u  l. 

We are using a traditional Montessori wooden Movable Alphabet (buy here) with vowels represented by blue color, while consonants by red color. You can also use Sandpaper letters (buy the upper case here or a bundle here or here). Sandpaper letters are very easy to make at home too (see here a ✂️DIY 📽 on how we made sandpaper 🔢 numbers). Lastly, you may use any letters: foam, paper or wooden ones you have on hand to introduce these phonetical sets: no specialized Montessori materials are required. 

Horse, hen, and a hat for "h"

 Jam/jar, jug and a Jaguar for "j"

Unicorn, umbrella, and underwear for "u"

Lion, leaf and a lamp for "l"

Tracing letters sensorially on the sand-tray (we are using polenta) allows the child to perceive alphabet letters not only visually, but also through the sense of touch, stimulating the tactile association. The more senses the child triggers during the learning process, the better is the absorption rate of the information perceived.

To make it more interesting, I lined the tray with red cardstock to give tracing a color-pop. 
You can see here a video-post "How 🎥 to Make Montessori Sensorial ✍️Tracing Tray."

For more on our Language curriculum and the Phonetical order sets, read here the introductory post: "Montessori Phonetical Order of presenting ABCs Alphabet letters." For individual letters, read here our Letter Series post.