How to use the Montessori 3-Part Cards

What are Montessori 3-part cards

The Montessori 3-part cards are a fabulous and fun way to introduce new vocabulary to your child. These cards are also known as Montessori Nomenclature Cards. They are usually grouped in themes such as fruits, birds or vegetables and so on. To be honest, the choice of themes are endless. I love these cards because they enable my child to learn and self-correct while doing this activity (which is one of the beauties of Montessori education). 

What does it consist of?

A set of Montessori 3-part cards consist of:

1. Control cards a.k.a labelled picture cards, which are cards with a picture and label written underneath

2. Picture cards which are medium-sized cards that only have a picture

3. Labels which are small cards with only words

How to use the cards? 5 Brilliant ways to use the Montessori 3-part cards.

First off, I recommend printing and laminating before use as this ensures durability.

 

1. You can use them as memory flash cards. I like to place the control card and the picture card face down. I spread them out on the working surface and have my child turn over two at a time (flipping them back face down if they do not match) until she finds a pair. Each time she gets a correct pair I have her say the name. 

2. A simpler way for younger children, that is also effective, is to match the identical cards. There are two ways to do this. You can print out the sheet of control cards without cutting them out and place them in front of your child. You print out a second sheet and cut out the control cards and have your child match the cards to the sheet. The second way is to print out the control cards twice and have your child match the cards. The cards are to be presented face upwards.

3. Use them as flashcards by printing out only the control card and have your child name them as you go through the set. This works well with younger children.

4. As your child gets older you can use the cards to teach them different parts of an object. For example different parts of a tree. The cards in the set would highlight the part of the object that the child is learning. 

5. You can use them the traditional way which I will explain in detail below.

The cards are usually kept in a wooden tray like this (it is not a must, but nice to have. A budget hack is to use small baskets/holders):

Wooden Tray

How to use the Montessori 3-Part Cards the traditional way (simple)

You should always present Montessori activities to your child first by showing them how to use it and letting them take over and do it themselves once they show interest in trying alone. Once they get the hang of it you would not need to introduce it every time they do that particular activity.

1. Spread out the control cards to the left side of the child's working area and set the picture cards in a pile in front of your child.

2. Take the first picture card out of the pile and say its name then compare it to each control card. Once you have found a match, lay it down to the right side of the correct control card. Point out the similarity and repeat the name of the picture. Ask your child to say its name. 

3. Repeat step 2 until your child shows that he/she wants to do it alone. That's perfect, let them do so.

4. After all the picture cards have been matched up to the control cards. Set the label cards in a pile in front of your child. Take the first label card from the pile and compare it to each control card. Once you have found a match, place the label card below the picture card.

5. Name the card and have your child repeat it. Repeat step 4 until your child shows that he/she wants to do it alone. Let them take over.

6. Make this activity accessible to your child and let them play as much as they like. It is not as tedious as you may think. They love this activity!

To get you started I have made you a sample of Vegetable Montessori 3-part cards for free! However, if you would like other themes, you can head over to Budget Montessori's Etsy shop for more 3-part card printables. The theme that you want is not listed? No worries, please feel free to send me an email at budgetmontessori@outlook.com with your requests and I can make you a custom listing within 24-48 hours.

How to use my printable

Download and print in colour as many times needed for your use (usually twice). Laminate the sheets using a laminator and laminating paper. One sheet will be the control cards so you can go ahead and cut them out using a scissors or paper cutter and the second sheet will be the picture cards and label cards. Cut them out separately (picture and label apart).

Bonus tip #1: If you are having a hard time getting your child to be interested, you can find cards that are related to your child interest. For example, if your child love fruits you could introduce the Montessori 3-part cards on the theme of fruits. 

Bonus tip #2: If you have figurines of the photos on the cards, you could have your child place the figurine on its respective card for added fun.

I hope that this information is useful to you. If you have any questions you can drop me a comment below or email me at budgetmontessori@outlook.com.

See you soon!