Language learning and problem solving

As I am prepping for the spring semester I am reviewing the Montessori lessons to prepare students for language activities. There are couple pre-language activites that are simple and yet crucial to reading:

1. Sequencing - Montessori does this by stringing beads in a pattern, following a sticker pattern or similar types of activities.
Eventually, children will realize that letters are also sequenced to form words (and if they are out of sequence they say something different).

2. Sorting - Here there are activities like alike/ not alike and putting similar items together (we grouped plastic ice cube shapes together).
Here children are learning to match and group items according to similarities - this will be key as they learn the specific shapes of letters and need to figure out what letters are alike.

3. Visual Discrimination - this is very similar to sorting but it focuses more on patterns (like those found in fabric) and moves towards the more abstract. Playing games like memory help with this process - again looking at what is similar.
Children have to be keen observers to realize the difference between "b" and "d" and helping them hone this skill can be fun if we do it with things other than letters all the time.

These simiple, seemingly unrealated activities, are key to helping children prepare to read. Likewise, there is an approach to problem solving and discipline that uses what seems like unrelated factors to help children grow in their ability to deal with "real life".
In the world of child discipline I have only found a few programs that really seem to focus on preschool age children. Currently the "I Can Problem Solve" program captures my attention. It is aimed at parents of three and four year olds - but if you learn the vocabulary early and use it consistently I imagine younger children will catch on. I like it because it focuses on building specific vocabulary (or here) to help children problem solve. It breaks down phrase is like some/ all, same/different and encourages games that use these terms. Then, when a problem arises you use the terms and apply it it to the issue at hand. I skimmed this book a few months ago and I intend to check it out again today. I think it might be interesting to incorporate some of these terms into our Montessori classroom. There are further steps and here is a good summary of the overall (ignore the part about preventing delinquincy- oh wait, that might be a good thing regardless of who you are) approach:

The first section focuses on learning a problem solving vocabulary in the form of games. The second section concentrates on teaching children how to listen. It also teaches them how to identify their own and other's feelings, and to realize that people can feel different ways about the same thing. In the last section children are given hypothetical problems and are asked to think about people's feelings, consequences to their acts, and different ways to solve problems.

One study showed pretty impressive results:

Specifically, as a group, children trained by their mothers at home became better able to wait for what they want, better able to share and take turns, and less easily upset in the face of frustration while they were in school as measured against their control counterparts.

The longitudinal study showed that at the end of grade 2 (they learned the program in kindergarten/1st), mother-trained girls were the least impulsive and the least inhibited, and showed the fewest behavior problems as observed by independent raters.

Children don't automatically know these things but that they can be taught. These programs break down complicated issues into simple steps that parents and teachers can use to help children learn. They also try to teach children in engaging, tactile and varied contexts so it doesn't feel like a "lesson" but the kids are learning nonetheless.