We’ve all heard it. The exuberant, sometimes worrisome, sound of a child repeatedly sounding the first letter of a word before FINALLY pronouncing that word.
“a - a - apple!”
“c - c - caterpillar!”
Affectionately known as the Montessori Stutter*, it is a phenomenon that often happens in Montessori classrooms once a child begins to internalize the lessons of the sound games. It indicates that the child is now hearing and listening for the first sound of the words she hears in her environment. It means she is acquiring one of the skills (auditory analysis) needed for reading.
*Please note: I mean no disrespect to those with true speech challenges. I did not coin the phrase.