Human beings did not “discover” reading in a single moment. Reading evolved over thousands of years alongside writing systems. Unlike spoken language, reading is not innate; it is a learned skill that repurposes existing brain functions to process written symbols, a process researchers call neuronal recycling.

“If writing serves to correct, or rather, to direct and perfect the mechanism of speech in the child, reading assists in the development of ideas and language. In brief, writing helps a child physiologically, and reading helps him socially.” (Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child).

Speaking is natural - an infant exposed to language will learn to speak. Reading, however, requires instruction. MRI studies show that when people read, no matter the language, the same areas of the brain responsible for visual processing and language comprehension are activated.

Reading is, therefore, both a tool for language development and a gateway to thought. Through it, the child engages with the ideas of generations and begins to form ideas of their own.

This is a multi-step process: decoding, comprehension, interpretation, and engagement. The child must first master the mechanics of decoding and strategies of comprehension before becoming fluent enough to appreciate the feeling behind the words. Interpreting written language also requires a certain maturity of intellect.

“Reading is the entrance of written language to the field of culture. It is not, like writing, a means of self-expression. It has instead, for its aim, to gather and reconstruct by means of the alphabetic signs, words and ideas expressed by others who ‘talk to us in silence’.” (Maria Montessori, The Formation of Man).

Maria Montessori recognised that the human capacity for reading - this profound ability to understand those who “talk to us in silence”- is not spontaneous. It is a discovery that depends on careful preparation. The work we do in the Casa lays the foundation for this preparation, offering the child the keys to unlock written language and to enter the vast field of human culture.

In recent years, the Science of Reading has become a major focus in educational research, exploring how children learn to read, and the brain processes involved. Hollis Scarborough’s Reading Rope is one model that illustrates how reading is composed of two intertwined strands: decoding (the ability to recognise and translate printed symbols into sounds) and language comprehension (the ability to make meaning from words).
In Montessori, we address both components - though not as isolated skills, but as interconnected parts of a whole developmental process. Our advantage lies in our understanding of sensitive periods and ultimately the vastness of the potential of the young child. These innate windows in their development allow the child to absorb, refine, and construct language naturally when supported by a carefully prepared environment.

The other component of the mind of the child, the “Absorbent Mind” capacity allows the child to incarnate the patterns and relationships of spoken and written language effortlessly during this stage of life. Sensitive periods for order, language, and sensory perception combine to create ideal conditions for this monumental human achievement. Modern neuroscience now confirms what Montessori observed over a century ago: that the brain forms a specialised region, the visual word form area, to connect visual symbols with sounds and meaning. This neural network grows stronger through repeated, meaningful reading experiences, and the child is embodying each of these human discoveries of reading. 

From the moment a child enters the Casa, we begin cultivating phonological awareness - the understanding that words are made up of distinct sounds. Through sound games, children learn to listen carefully and to isolate the sounds within words. This work grows naturally into the use of sandpaper letters, where sound is connected to symbols through the act of tracing.

As the child’s consciousness of sounds expands, we introduce the movable alphabet. Here, the child begins to represent each sound with its corresponding symbol - discovering for themselves the alphabetic principle: one sound, one symbol. This moment marks the child’s first true decoding experience, often long before conventional “reading” begins.

The child’s early work with the movable alphabet allows them to build words by assembling symbols for each sound they hear. Object Box 1 allows the child to discover that when the symbols for the sounds I hear in the word are put together, I can decipher, decode, and understand. With Object Box 2, they explore phonograms, discovering that some sounds are made up of multiple symbols. Through commands, lists, cards, and booklets, the child practices decoding in varied and engaging ways, gaining fluency and confidence. As the child continues to practice with all this decoding, we offer the key phonograms and variations which allow for the discovery that the same sound can be created in many ways.

Later, puzzle words (or sight words) provide opportunities to recognise words that do not follow regular phonetic rules. Step by step, these experiences weave together to create a seamless understanding of the decoding process.

While decoding enables the child to read words, comprehension allows them to understand. Meaning is not created by decoding alone - it grows from the child’s lived experiences. When the vocabulary and ideas in text reflect what the child already knows and has experienced, comprehension flourishes.

In Montessori, we build this background knowledge intentionally. We enrich the child’s environment with classified cards, real objects, stories, cultural celebrations, and nature studies connected to experiences. The adult serves as the dynamic link, planning meaningful experiences that connect the child to the world - plants and animals, people and music, language and geography. This planning, carried out with purpose and rhythm across the year, ensures that every child has a context in which new words and ideas can “stick.” This is what creates meaning.

Vocabulary grows out of experience and is refined through precision. We cultivate this through oral language games such as “Bring Me” and command games, in which words are used in context and action. These prepare the way for an understanding of syntax -how word order affects meaning - explored further in function of words lessons and reading analysis activities.

In these activities, the child experiences semantics and syntax first through oral games, then through written symbols and sentences they can act out. Meaning in the context of syntax - word order is offered in the Casa through the function of word activities, continuation of commands, and reading analysis activities. All the semantics are explored first in the oral games and then in written slips as the child acts out what is written. Inference is demonstrated in the acting out of each of these activities. This joyful exploration of language lays the foundation for later reading comprehension and interpretation.

Finally, the child approaches books. We teach them how to handle a book, how to use illustrations to infer meaning, and how to navigate left-to-right and front-to-back in English. We introduce punctuation, genres, and the beauty of written expression. Through stories, the child finds connection - to time, place, and culture - and a growing sense of self within the human community.

In the Montessori Casa, reading is not simply a skill to be mastered; it is a cultural inheritance - a bridge between the child’s creative self-construction and humanity’s collective wisdom. Through thoughtful preparation, observation, and guidance, we support the child in this magnificent human discovery: learning to hear, in silence, the voices of others who came before.

BethAnn Slater, AMI 3–6 Trainer