The three-period lesson is a Montessori method which can help you clearly and easily teach concepts to your preschooler. It could be used to introduce anything from colors to letters to dinosaur names.
The photo is an inexpensive version of the sandpaper letters I used to introduce phonetic sounds at my school placement during my master’s program in England. (I don’t believe they’re available any longer.) To use the three-period lesson, have two or three objects or pictures you would like to introduce.
I’ll introduce the sandpaper letters s, m, t. They’re good letters to start with because they’re used so often in the English language. Bring the letters to a table or a rug on the floor. Have your child sit beside you.
Sandpaper letters introduced using the three-period lesson.
First Period: Introduction (“This is”)
Trace the letter “s” using the index and middle fingers of your right hand while making the /s/ phonetic sound.
Invite your child to trace /s/.
Do the same with the letter “m” and then the letter “t”.
It’s always good to repeat the word (or sound in the case of sandpaper letters) several times during the first period.
Second Period: Association – Recognition (“Show me”)
Say, “Show me /s/; show me /t/”, etc. (Note: Always use the phonetic sound, not the letter name when introducing the sandpaper letters.)
“Trace /s/; trace /t/”, etc.
The second period is the most important and should last the longest. You may use a number of variations, such as “hand me,” “point to,” “put __ on the tray,” “return __ to the shelf.” If your child has difficulty, simply return to the first period.
Third Period: Recall (“What is this?”)
Only go to the third period when you know your child will be successful.
Put a letter in front of your child and say: “Can you trace this and tell me what it is?” You could also say, “What is this?” Continue with the other letters in the same way.
Here’s a video from Montessori Primary Guide using the three-period lesson to introduce sandpaper letters.
Here’s a video from Montessori Primary Guide on how to use the three-period lesson to introduce color tablets.
UPDATES:
See my post with YouTube video “Using the Montessori 3-Period Lesson to Teach Vocabulary to a Toddler.”
I have a YouTube video and post on “Teaching Toddlers about Fall with the Montessori 3-Period Lesson.”
I have a YouTube video and post on “Teaching Toddlers about Winter with the Montessori 3-Period Lesson and Activities.”
For teaching both toddlers and preschoolers, I have a YouTube video and post on “Seashell and Sea Life Nature Tray: How to Teach Vocabulary Using the 3-Period Lesson.”
Have you used the three-period lesson with your child? Do you have an idea of a concept or vocabulary you’d like to introduce using the three-period lesson?
Sara says
June 11, 2010 at 5:53 pmWhat a great resource! I will be stopping back often. I love Montessori! I was a classroom assistant in a Montessori school before I had my daughters. I'll be using this activity with my almost-3 year old.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, too! So glad you did!
Deb Chitwood says
June 11, 2010 at 6:10 pmThanks, Sara! It’s great to be getting to know you! I love that many ideas from Montessori work really well in homeschools and at home in general.
Robyn says
June 21, 2010 at 10:16 amThis is a wonderfully informative post! Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks so much for joining in on Mingle Monday. Have a great week!
Robyn
Deb Chitwood says
June 21, 2010 at 11:00 amThanks for your kind words, Robyn! I appreciate your visit and comment. I’ll look forward to getting to know you. I hope you have a great week as well!
Cherees says
June 21, 2010 at 3:45 pmHi! Stopping by from Monday Mingle. I wish I had this information when my dd was in preschool. I hope that you have a wonderful week!!
Deb Chitwood says
June 21, 2010 at 3:51 pmThanks for stopping by, Cherees! Isn’t blogging great?! I love the way information is so easily accessible now. It’s hard to imagine that we didn’t even have Internet when I started homeschooling!
Heather says
August 4, 2011 at 8:52 pmHi, I am trying to find a program for my 3yr old daughter. She can read well, knows her letters, numbers,basic shapes,the USA map puzzle, can write her own name and more. We are beginning math concepts. She knows the addition, subtraction and equals symbols. Addition is easier than subtraction to learn. Greater and less than is next on the list. Any tips?
Deb says
August 6, 2011 at 2:34 amThanks for your comment, Heather! You daughter is obviously very advanced for her age. I love Montessori education for all children, but it’s really wonderful for gifted children with its emphasis on individualized learning. The hands-on materials are great for young gifted children who typically still need to work on fine-motor skills and can benefit from manipulatives even if their knowledge is very advanced. Here are lots of links to helpful Montessori math resources: https://livingmontessorinow.com/2010/09/13/montessori-math-activities/. Here’s a post about some Montessori materials your daughter will probably enjoy: https://livingmontessorinow.com/2010/09/19/my-favorite-montessori-math-material/.
desy fitriana says
May 19, 2012 at 7:38 pmhi im a new ass teacher at montesori school but im still what is technique of montesory??
Deb says
May 22, 2012 at 6:04 pmHi, Desy! Here’s a link to my posts on Montessori techniques: https://livingmontessorinow.com/category/montessori-techniques/. You’ll also find more helpful information in the links at the bottom of the “About Montessori” page: https://livingmontessorinow.com/about-montessori/. Good luck! 🙂
mya kasim says
April 29, 2013 at 10:39 amhi…my dd is 23 mo right now, she already know her ‘abc’ but not in phonetic way…will that make trouble for her to learn phonetic? and i’ve already bought a sight word program, is it okay for me to introduce that for my dd? this montessori method is so new for me, and make me a lil bit overwhelmed knowing all these informations at once…thank you for sharing…
Deb Chitwood says
February 19, 2016 at 6:31 pmHi Mya! I just found this. I’m so sorry I didn’t see it sooner. I hope you found what worked well for your daughter. You can introduce phonics rules at any time, although it’s easiest when a child is introduced to phonics right away. Even when a child is a bit older, phonics rules can help them make sense of the English language. I hope that helps. Deb
Veronica says
December 20, 2014 at 7:42 amHi Deb,
I wonder if the order of introduction of letters works in Spanish?
Deb Chitwood says
February 19, 2016 at 6:32 pmHi Veronica! I just found this. I don’t know if the preferred order would be the same or not. It would really depend on which letters are used most in Spanish. Deb