Learning to write and read can be a struggle for six- or seven-year-olds. In Montessori, it’s a joy—for four- and five-year-olds! Dr. Montessori discovered that the best age to learn to write and read effortlessly is in preschool. With Montessori materials—such as Sandpaper Letters to associate shape and sound—most Montessori preschoolers who join Wendy Montessori by age three are well on their way to being readers by age six. As each child is different, and instruction in Montessori is individualized, some children won’t read well by age six. Even children with learning differences, though, benefit from the phonetic, hands-on approach to writing and reading, and the ability to identify emerging difficulties early, when intervention is most productive.