Why are phonics important in the Montessori classroom?

When it comes to teaching reading, the Montessori language curriculum focuses strongly on the phonics foundation of learning, where children are taught to read through the recognition of sounds that make up words.

Phonics structure involves the relationship between sounds and their spelling. The goal of phonics instruction is to teach students the most common sound-spelling relationships so that they can decode, or sound out, words. This decoding ability is a crucial element in reading success.

In addition, Montessori phonetics also help develop stronger reading comprehension. As the child become a more fluent reader, they are able to stop focusing on the individual letters of each word. This gives them the opportunity to focus on the meaning of what they are reading.