Language is the most important skill that a person has in order to communicate, express himself and think. The first years of life are very valuable for expanding a child’s vocabulary and strengthening language mastery.
The Montessori method is based on the child’s desire to learn. It enables the child to find the easiest and best way to learn by working on his/her own. The same is true in language studies. The child reaches his language acquisitions in line with his own will, through his own discoveries. This enables the child to learn the language more effectively and permanently. The aim of Maria Montessori is to develop the conceptual aspect of the language with the help of structured exercises as well as the child’s free expression. For this reason, specially prepared materials are used for language education of children. Language studies are mainly carried out with the use of these materials. By using these materials, the child learns new concepts and new words in a natural process.
Maria Montessori found that writing develops before reading, contrary to what was accepted up to that time. For this, he developed materials based on the sensitivity periods of children. After working with these materials, the children learned the letters in a very short time and started to write. They could write but could not yet read. One day, Maria Montessori noticed that while she was writing, the children were looking at her and chanting the letters she had written. Both Maria Montessori and the children had discovered something new. They discovered that just as the voices coming out of the mouth can be perceived, the writing is the thoughts passing through the mind. As a result of this experience, Montessori thought that reading is easier to learn after learning to write, and that writing should come before reading.