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September 05, 2013

Virtual Montessori Pre-Writing Chalkboards Review and Giveaway!

At 2.5, Henry is constantly asking me "what that say" or "write my name." He is suddenly engrossed in all things reading and writing, and it's amazing to watch. Montessorians believe that children have sensitive periods where learning a particular skill comes easy to them because they are so  totally engrossed in that work. The sensitive period for literacy -- reading and writing -- is between 3 and 5 years old. Early exposure is key in helping to make sure your child is ready when they reach that sensitive period.



Recently, I was given the opportunity to try the pre-writing chalkboards from Virtual Montessori. These chalkboards provide a fun way to expose your toddlers and preschoolers to the skills they need to start forming letters. 


Instead of just any fine motor work, these chalkboards specifically help children learn the motions they need to form letters. Slants, circles, and straight lines are all covered! The boards even provide a directional arrow to help kids move in the appropriate direction. On the back is a blank chalkboard for the kids to practice their skills all on their own, or just have fun drawing. 




The wooden chalkboards are lightweight, yet sturdy. They were easy for Henry to pick up and put away completely on his own. They easily wiped clean with a damp cloth. These pre-writing chalkboards from Virtual Montessori provide what I call sneaky learning -- to Henry, he is just having fun, to me he is working on valuable skills. 



And, boy, does Henry love these. I have had to pry these out of his hands more than once since we've had them to get Hen to eat dinner/take a nap/whatever. In the short time that we've had these chalkboards, I've seen an improvement in Henry's pencil grip and tracing skills. One day, we even got an accidental letter T from him as he was practicing his straight lines! Henry loves these so much, he even has shared the activity with his "friends." Mickey Mouse and Minnie have both gotten a lot of writing practice too lately! 



In addition to chalk, one day I gave Henry a q-tip and some water. He could then trace with the q-tip instead. This was a huge hit, and an easy way to keep the chalkboards fun. 



Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about these boards! And, Virtual Montessori has been awesome enough to giveaway one set to a lucky The Kavanaugh Report winner! Just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter for your chance to win! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I did receive the chalkboards to review, but all opinions are my own. 

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Comments

Susan
Susan said…
These looks super neat!
Anonymous
Anonymous said…
My son would loves these in our tot school
Unknown
Unknown said…
I would love to use these in my son's tot school and also in my Sunday School class :)
Joyful Baby Planning
These would be great for my daughter to learn hw to write while I homeschool her big brother.
Heather
Heather said…
These are so awesome! I have been working with Lennox on this kind of thing but with paper - this would be much easier!
Sarah (aka Mom)
Sarah (aka Mom) said…
I would love to win these. Nate is in OT and we are working on his writing. THese would also be great with V!
Amy @ No Greater Honors
I love these - what a fun 'busy' work for little ones when the older ones are busy (which is how I would use it, if I had them!).
Cheryl
Cheryl said…
I think my son is ready for pre-writing practice. These chalkboards would be a great way to get into it.
cpcable
cpcable said…
I have been seriously lacking in giving Silas opportunities to practice writing. This would help me remedy that! Thanks for the opportunity!
Amy
Amy said…
This would be perfect for my daughter's current abilities
Jessica B.
Jessica B. said…
I would love to start teaching my son how to write (he is 2 1/2). These would be a perfect teaching tool. jj250@aol.com
Unknown
Unknown said…
I would love to win these as a brilliant resource for homeschooling my two little one's. Thank you for the opportunity! I have seen Virtual Montessori's etsy store in the past (I have some favourited!) and think that it's such a great idea.
Claire
Claire said…
Nicole these sound great! L has just recently enjoyed tracing and I love that these are reusable rather than all the paper we've been throwing away recently.
allison
allison said…
This looks like a great "toy" I'm starting to build our stash and this would be a great addition.
Marisa Haas
Marisa Haas said…
These would be perfect to help my son start learning how to write!
an unexpected turn
This would be a great idea for my 2 year old!!!
The Edwardsesesesss
I had no idea these existed and now I need them lol
Beth
Beth said…
I love this idea! My 2.5 year old loves to write and color. I've never thought about the benefit of practicing straight lines and curves as a way to start learning to write letters. Nice giveaway.
Unknown
Unknown said…
I run an in home daycare and Have several kids learning to write.
Unknown
Unknown said…
My daughter is 2 and loves crayons so far, these would be great soon!
Unknown
Unknown said…
Perfect for my little one's :)
Jenn A
Jenn A said…
Such a wonderful idea! My 2 year old absolutely adores drawing and I've been searching for new activities to engage her. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Crystal
Crystal said…
I'm so glad I found this blog!
Michele Chronister
My two year old girl would LOVE these!
Kaysha
Kaysha said…
We've been working on writing skills, so these would be perfect!
Anonymous
Anonymous said…
I am a childminder with a very clever 2.5 yr old little girl and would love to have these for my setting xx
Allyson
Allyson said…
These are wonderful- I've looked at their items so many times! As a teacher, I'm loving the pre-writing activity- so many people skip over this step and jump right into writing! Hoorah!
Unknown
Unknown said…
We would love this! My son loves Kumon, and this would be great because it is reusable and looks like a road!
Jenn @ Mr Little Man
My son would love these! he is facinated with writing his name right now and while he's a way off from doing it, I think this would be such a gift to help him take the next step!
Lindsay
Lindsay said…
We would love to try these out! Ethan is really big into tracing and trying to "make letters" and these would be great practice!
The Pajama Mama
The Pajama Mama said…
I would super love to win these, because I think these look like a lot of fun. And if they end up at my house, you know some trucks will get driven on there!
blew415
blew415 said…
my niece turned 3 and this would be good for her
Jackie
Jackie said…
What a great idea! I've never seen anything like these before. My son would have a ton of fun with these!
the naptown organizer
I'd love to win these for Little Man! Hen is so cute!
Anonymous
Anonymous said…
This is so cool! Lucas would love it. I totally get the "sensitive" period for learning. It seems like Luke has had explosions of learning and development at different times. I just got him phonics flash cards with big pictures so we can talk about sounds/names/letters. Henry is too cute in these pics! xoxo.
Buffy
Buffy said…
I didn't even know these existed! We've been slowly starting to learn how to write letters and I NEVER would have thought of something like this!
Heather
Heather said…
Love the name boards as well - great way for kids to learn how to write their names!
Unknown
Unknown said…
I would love this for my 2 year old son!
Shelby
Shelby said…
I am always looking for new ways to introduce real world concepts.
Lacie @thedanielsons
My son is 2 1/2 and im just starting on this totschool journey. I would LOVE to win this :)
Unknown
Unknown said…
I would love to win this for my daughter. It is perfect for pre-writing skills and will let her work on her fine motor development. I found your blog through a friend.
Unknown
Unknown said…
I would love the Montessori Inspired Chalkboard Numerals. chasingbaby at gmail dot com
Olive
Olive said…
I would love to win for my daughter! I think that pre-writing skills would be great for her to pick up as she hits preschool age!
Olive
Olive said…
I also LOVE the sound book!!
Fairy Cakes
Fairy Cakes said…
I would love to win these for my son! We are just getting into Montessoi in our
dm
dm said…
These will entertain my son while I care for my newborn daughter. Please!
Fairy Cakes
Fairy Cakes said…
I would love to win these for my son! We are just getting into Montessoi in our
Meagan L.
Meagan L. said…
I really like their continent boxes.
Unknown
Unknown said…
their continent boxes.