Sandpaper letters are one of the most innovative of Montessori learning tools.   They are the key to unlocking the wonderful world of words.

With the innovative Iphone App "Sandpaper Letters", you can help your child mimic the act of writing the letter.  Using the touchscreen to emulate the tactical sensation of the sandpaper, the child gains a muscular memory of the shape of the letters as a prelude to writing.

Sandpaper letters help develop the skill of reading and writing at the child’s fingertips – literally!

The Montessori method of teaching of the sounds and letters is through a multi-sensory approach. The child will hear the sound, see its representation in the form of a letter, and feel the way it is written as the child feels the letter with his fingers. Since a motor pattern should be learned correctly the first time, it is important that the child trace properly formed letters.   This will help him develop a good pattern for handwriting.

In the Montessori approach, the sounds of the letters are taught before the child is introduced to the names of the letters.  Research has shown that it is best to learn one thing at a time. It is too much to have to remember both names and sounds. If the child is taught both the names and the sounds in the beginning, it has been found that the child gets confused when trying to sound out a word because it is difficult to remember which the letter represents.  Therefore, to avoid the added difficulty, the phonetic sound of each letter is taught first, and the names of the letters are taught later.

Sand Paper Letters are a classic Montessori approach to teaching letters and sounds. These materials were originally created from high quality wood and sand paper to allow the child to sense letter shapes with both sight and touch. The Sand Paper Letters app on the iPhone provides tactile and sound feedback to the child as they trace out their letters.

David Pettigrew is an Iphone application developer and a Montessori parent. We interviewed David to find out what prompted him to create Sandpaper Letters as an Iphone app.

Q: Why did you choose to develop a Montessori focused Iphone application?

A: I know Montessori is a great educational method because both of my children have attended Montessori schools and found it really engaging.

Q: When did you come up with the idea to develop the app?

A: Earlier this year, I was looking in the App Store for a good Montessori based application to share with my six years old daughter. I was surprised to see that there weren't any available. A short time later, I was invited to participate in the Corvallis Startup Weekend. When I mentioned the idea of a Montessori based Iphone application, I received lots of interest from the other participants, several of whom were also Montessori parents. Based on the positive feedback, I decided to develop this application.

Q: How will this product enhance the learning experience of your children?

A: It will definitely build on their experience at Montessori schools. It will help my daughter learn how to read and write.

Q: How does the future look like for Montessori Apps?

A: There are so many learning materials available in Montessori classrooms and all those can be translated into opportunities for Montessori Applications. With the IPhone market being expected to grow from $4.66 billion in 2009 to $16.60 billion in 2013, and with us developing new Montessori Apps, I am definitely optimistic about our mission to make this Iphone and IPod Touch software available to childrens and their parents.

Q: The pleasant class atmosphere is a key element in the Montessori learning experience. How do you address this?

A: The pleasant environment is indeed a key element and this is one of the reasons I wanted to be able to use the home environment and the moments I spend with my children as an opportunity to actively engage in their development.

Q: What are the skills that make your team successful?

A: Even though it sounds like a cliché, I really think that it’s the diversity that makes us stand out as a team. A key element is also the fact that two of our team members have strong connections with Montessori schools – Matt, my website designer ’s wife is a Montessori professor and I am a ‘Montessori parent’.