Parents' Guide to

Montessorium: Intro to Words

By Christopher Healy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Clever, hands-on method for learning how to spell.

Montessorium: Intro to Words Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

Community Reviews

age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

age 6+

Worked good with my first grader, but not as fun for my 4 year-old

This app runs smooth and has a lot of educational value, especially for kids who already know their letters and letter sounds. My first grader has a great time playing the various phonetics games. However, the only part of the app my 4-year old can really use is the "I Spy" in which the reader reads and shows three pictures, then asks which ones starts with a particular sound. She really liked that. However, there were a few confusing ones. For instance, in one simulation it showed a "rod," a "chin," and a "snail"- then asked which one started with the "k" sound. Technically, none did. Also, in the storybarding part of the app, my first grader worked so hard in building some sentences- but then there was nothing to do with it, except bring it to me to read. I would have thought that once a child finished they would click a button and it would be read to them. Some definite pros, but some serious cons as well. Don't feel it was worth my $4.99.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Montessorium: Intro to Words is an attractive and easy-to-use educational app. Although it could use some up-front instructions, once kids have figured out what to do, they can have a lot of fun sliding around talking letter tiles to form words -- learning a lot about spelling in the process.

The "Alpha Spy" game is a great way for kids to extend their learning as they practice letter-sound recognition. The app's "Storyboard" feature is basically a sandbox, in which kids can slap together letters and pictures. For older kids, who are already somewhat adept at reading and spelling, this can be a neat feature to play around with. But younger kids just learning the ropes will most likely treat it like a Colorforms set and just put together interesting scenes (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).

App Details

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