One of the biggest misconceptions that people hold about Charlotte Mason's philosophy during the preschool years is that there is no literacy instruction. Because formal lessons wait until the age of six, some people believe that we don't introduce early literacy skills at all- even when a child is very interested. It makes me sad when people try to hold their eager child back from reading.
I believe that a mother's most important role in a Charlotte Mason education is to be her child's friendly ally- a collaborator and planter of seeds. When my daughter was eager to learn how to read at the age of four and a half, I wondered how I could be her friendly ally in this, while also honoring Charlotte Mason's philosophy.
What I realized is that Charlotte Mason said there were many literacy skills we can, and should, teach our children without it being considered "formal lessons," beginning with introducing the ABC's, and ending in phonics skills and word building (I wrote more about the scope and sequence of reading skills in this post). Since reading instruction is right in my wheelhouse, (my Master's degree is in reading curriculum and instruction!) I created the Mindful Alphabet to help guide moms with playful early literacy lessons.
The Mindful Alphabet
The Mindful Alphabet helps to build a firm foundation for reading. I used Charlotte Mason's advice for the early years, as well as research-based activities that help your child develop a deep, mindful understanding of letters and their sounds. By approaching it this way, it is my hope that when it does come time for your child to learn how to read, he or she will be fully prepared.
The Mindful Alphabet is broken into five parts:
Part 1: Introduce letter sounds and uppercase letter forms through playful lessons centered around nursery rhymes. Engage your child's senses through various letter-building activities, and help them develop important phonemic awareness skills by blending, segmenting, and rhyming.
Part 2: Review the letters and sounds through playful games. Then, introduce long vowel sounds.
Part 3: Introduce lower case letters using Froebel's recommendations, and games.
Part 4: Begin learning more advanced phonics patterns by building word families.
Part 5: When your child is ready for formal lessons, The Mindful Alphabet includes first reading lessons to get them started. Either use this as a guide to make your own additional reading lessons, or continue on with Reading Printable Packs, available here.
Who is the Mindful Alphabet For?
I intended this lesson guide to be for any child who is eager to learn the ABC's, from ages 3-6. I have no doubt that older children would enjoy it, as well. Given Charlotte Mason's advice, it would be best to wait until your child is interested. But, if you are required to teach kindergarten language arts in your state, this is a delightful way to do it!
If you're feeling daunted by the task of teaching your child to read, The Mindful Alphabet will equip you and your little one in a sweet, Charlotte Mason way.