Movable Alphabet Work (Photo from Counting Coconuts)

I’ve already written about inexpensive and DIY sandpaper letters and a DIY alphabet box. Today, I’m writing about the movable alphabet, an important Montessori preparation for spelling, writing, and reading.

The traditional Montessori movable alphabet uses wooden lowercase letters with blue vowels and red consonants. The classic wooden Montessori movable alphabet is beautiful, but an attractive inexpensive version can be prepared using printables for home use. There are also other inexpensive options for homeschools and schools outside of traditional Montessori schools.

Inexpensive and DIY Movable Alphabets

Movable Alphabet (Photo from Montessori Print Shop)

Montessori Print Shop has a number of inexpensive moveable alphabet materials, including Movable Alphabet with Lesson Instructions (which also has a word list and picture cards). In addition, Montessori Print Shop has a page with preparation instructions (Make a Montessori Moveable Alphabet), information on Moveable Alphabet and Extension Lessons, and Moveable Alphabet Colors.

Simply Montessori has The Moveable Alphabet: Lots of wallet friendly alternatives for your home (and links to make it simple!).

Preschool Universe has ideas for inexpensive alternatives to the traditional Montessori movable alphabet.

My Free Montessori Materials Online post has links to lots of inexpensive Montessori material suppliers with movable alphabets. (Counting Coconuts often shows materials purchased from one of the less expensive Montessori material suppliers. The photo at the top of my post of movable alphabet work using a wooden movable alphabet is from Counting Coconuts).

Pipe Cleaner Moveable Alphabet Used for Suffix Work (Photo from Homeschool Escapade)

HomeschoolEscapade made a pipe cleaner moveable alphabet.

Montessori Mom has ideas for preparing and presenting a moveable alphabet and Exercises for the Moveable Alphabet.

Montessori Materials has free movable alphabet printables.

The Little House on the Prairie made a cardboard movable alphabet.

Phonogram Rocks (Photo from Little Schoolhouse in the Suburbs)

Little House in the Suburbs has Movable Alphabet for Word Building and Phonogram Rocks.

Criss-Cross Applesauce has a lima bean movable alphabet.

Maybe Montessori tells how to create a movable alphabet carrying case.

Directions for Presenting the Movable Alphabet

Montessori Primary Guide has moveable alphabet presentations.

Montessori World has movable alphabet presentations.

eHow has a post on How to Use the Montessori Small Movable Alphabet.

Movable Alphabet Words (Photo from To the Lesson!)

To the Lesson! shows the movable alphabet in use.

Jessie from The Education of Ours has posts at Mommy Moment on First Experiences with the Moveable Alphabet and First Exposures to the Movable Alphabet.

Movable Alphabet Work (Photo from Montessori MOMents)

Montessori MOMents has links to lots of resources for using the movable alphabet.

Advanced Movable Alphabet Work (Photo from We Don't Need No Education)

We Don’t Need No Education has elementary-level movable alphabet work for renewing interest in spelling.

Montessori Monday Link-Up

If you have some Montessori activity trays/lessons to share, please link up below. It’s fine to link up a post from your archives – and you may link up anytime during the week! Please place the Montessori Monday button (using the code from the right sidebar) in your post or put a link back to this post.

My co-host, Nicole at One Hook Wonder, is taking a 1-2 month Montessori break right now while she decides on the direction for her family’s homeschooling. She has a lot of Montessori activities in her archives!

Thanks for participating! (Note: If you have a giveaway on your blog, please add it to my Family-Friendly Giveaway Linky Page!)

Linked to AfterSchool Linky Party, Living Life Intentionally Linky Party, Pinterest Tuesday, The Mommy Club Resources and Solutions at Milk and Cuddles and Crystal & Co. , Thrifty Thursday, Preschool Corner, Show-and-Share Saturday, Link & Learn, and The Sunday Showcase at Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas and Classified: Mom.

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Montessori-School-Quality Sandpaper Letters (Photo from To the Lesson!)

Sandpaper letters are one of the most commonly heard-of Montessori materials. My son absolutely loved them (Learning to Read Can Be Just a Fun Game). Montessori schools need to buy high-quality sandpaper letters (photo from To the Lesson!), but you can purchase inexpensive sandpaper letters or make your own for home use.

Where to Purchase Inexpensive Sandpaper Letters

If you’d like to purchase sandpaper letters for home use, there are a number of inexpensive options:

eBay

Montessori Outlet

Alison’s Montessori

Kid Advance

Here’s a more thorough list of Montessori material suppliers along with comments from parents who purchased from various companies: Where to Buy Montessori Materials.

How to Make Your Own Sandpaper Letters

If you’re crafty or enjoy DIY projects, you might like to make your own sandpaper letters. There are some great tutorials available:

There are patterns and directions for making your own sandpaper letters (in addition to many other Montessori materials) in the book Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years: The Pre-School Years by Elizabeth G. Hainstock.

D’Nealian Style Sandpaper Letters (Photo from A Bohemian Education)

A Bohemian Education used sandpaper and MDF boards for Sandpaper Letters.

Making Montessori Ours has thorough instructions and links to templates for making wooden D’Nealian sandpaper letters and cursive sandpaper letters.

Montessori Mom has a free sandpaper letter printout: Free Montessori Sandpaper Letters Printout.

Here’s a tutorial from Beautiful Sun Montessori for making handmade wooden sandpaper letters: Sandpaper Letters Tutorial.

Jojoebi has directions for making wooden sandpaper letters. Sandpaper Letters.

The Accidental Crafter has DIY Montessori Sand Paper Letters and Numbers using cardstock and colored cardboard.

Here are directions from Maybe Montessori for making attractive yet inexpensive sandpaper letters from masonite: Sandpaper Letters.

Little Tiger Growing Up made an attractive set of DIY Sandpaper Letters with sandpaper and colored cardboard.

Kaisu Parents has directions for making sandpaper letters from vanguard paper/manila card. Do It Yourself : Alphabet Cards (1) -Montessori Sandpaper Letters.

There are some basic directions for making sandpaper letters at Family Education:   Sandpaper Letters.

How to make sandpaper letters from Momtessori: Do I need any white out for this? {Sandpaper letters}.

Raising Genius Fish has the idea of using smooth card stock and card stock with a glitter finish: DIY Tactile Letters.

ABC Jesus Loves Me has both instructions and templates for making sandpaper letters (and numerals).

Montessori Materials has sandpaper letter templates.

Activity Village has letter templates.

Walk Beside Me has a D’Nealian template with lower-case letters (and numerals).

At Totally Tots, Julie from the Adventures of Bear showed how to make Simple Sandpaper Letters that used cardstock, sand, and glue rather than cutting letters from sandpaper.

Glitter Glue Letters (Photo from Kingdom of the Pink Princesses)

Kingdom of the Pink Princesses made Glitter Glue Letters that can be prepared easily in any language.

The Moffat Girls made DIY Montessori Sandpaper Letters with felt on wooden discs.

Some alternatives to sandpaper letters from Momtessori: This is the next best thing …

Sandpaper Letter Presentations and Ideas

Inexpensive Sandpaper Letters

How to introduce sandpaper letters, including a video on introducing sandpaper letters:  How to Teach Concepts and Vocabulary to Your Preschooler Using the Three-Period Lesson (my post and a Montessori Primary Guide video)

In What Order Should You Introduce Letters to Your Preschooler? (another post of mine)

Here’s a helpful post and video from Momtessori on how to pronounce the phonetic sound for each letter: You want me to do what?

Another video: “Preschool Montessori Sand Paper Letters – Introducing Sounds of Letters”

Sandpaper Letter with Salt Tray (Photo from Peaceful Parenting)

Peaceful Parenting has a number of extensions for sandpaper letters and phonetic sounds: On the Road to Reading: Eight Months of Montessori Literacy Work.

To the Lesson! has a post with helpful ideas for Record-Keeping for Sandpaper Letters.

Here’s an Associated Content article by Andrea Coventry with sandpaper letter extensions: Games to Play with the Montessori Sandpaper Letters.

No Time for Flash Cards has Sandpaper Letter Tracing, a fun extension.

Montessori Monday Link-Up

If you have some Montessori activity trays/lessons to share, please link up below. Please also place the Montessori Monday button (using the code from the right sidebar) in your post or put a link back to this post.

My co-host, Nicole, at One Hook Wonder is still on a trip this morning, but she has a lot of Montessori activities in her archives!

Thanks for participating! (Note: If you have a giveaway on your blog, please add it to my Family-Friendly Giveaway Linky Page – and check out all the great Christmas gift giveaways!)

Linked to AfterSchool Linky Party, Living Life Intentionally Linky Party, Pinterest Tuesday, The Mommy Club Resources and Solutions at Milk and Cuddles and Crystal & Co. , Thrifty Thursday, Preschool Corner, Show-and-Share Saturday, Link & Learn, and The Sunday Showcase at Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas and Classified: Mom.