How To Use Montessori Nomenclature 3 Part Cards

Montessori Nomenclature 3-Part Cards, also called Montessori Classified Cards, help toddlers and preschoolers expand vocabulary by learning the names of things and promote tactile learning when used with matching objects.

Presenting Montessori 3-Part Cards is a great way to expand vocabulary through fun tactile learning activities. Besides, Montessori Classified Cards help develop fine motor control while stimulating cognitive development when a child matches cards to objects. Most importantly, Montessori 3-Part cards are very versatile and can be used for vocabulary, sequencing, classification, reading, writing, and more! They are also a great addition to any tactile hands-on invitation to lean while keeping little hands busy and minds active!

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What Are Montessori Nomenclature 3 Part Cards?

Montessori Nomenclature 3-Part Cards are a foundational tool in the Montessori curriculum, designed to aid young children in their language development and visual discrimination skills. These three-part cards consist of three components: image cards, label cards, and word cards, each carefully crafted to foster hands-on learning.

The image cards (often displayed on a white background – see below) show clear pictures, helping children focus on the real objects being represented. The word card and label card reinforce word recognition and the identification of parts of an object.

Whether it’s farm animals, life cycles, or other themes found in the Montessori classrooms, 3-part cards are an amazing resource for early years development. By matching the label card to the corresponding picture card, children develop their cognitive skills in a simple way while strengthening their fine motor skills.

The Role of Montessori 3-Part Cards in Tailored Lessons and Vocabulary Building

The use of three-part cards in Montessori lesson plans also supports the period lesson, a Montessori philosophy technique that introduces new vocabulary in a structured manner. Montessori teachers or homeschooling parents use these cards in different ways to tailor lessons to the needs of each child, whether focusing on classification cards or matching control cards.

The cards can be used with free printables (download below) or pre-made Montessori materials, and their flexibility allows them to fit into various activities, from language objects to real-life experiences. Through years of experience, educators have found that these cards not only encourage word recognition but also provide a gateway to more advanced language explosion phases, ensuring that young learners are well-prepared for the next step in their educational journey.

Montessori Classified Matching Cards

Montessori classified matching cards are a great activity that can be enjoyed by a toddler as young as one year old, as well as a child who can read and match the labels in addition to matching the images. Nomenclature cards use control cards as built-in control of error so that children can self-correct without interference from an adult or an educator. There are a few ways of presenting nomenclature cards, and the matching stages for Montessori 3-Part-Cards depend on your child’s age, so they should be introduced in order.

Presenting Montessori 3-Part Cards:

STAGE 1	10 M +	matching identical pictures	identical	picture to picture
STAGE 2	12 M +	name an object and match it to a similar card	identical	object to picture
STAGE 3	15 M +	matching a similar object to a picture	similar	object to a picture
STAGE 4	2 Y +	reading a label and matching it to a picture	similar	object to a picture
STAGE 5	2.5 Y +	matching letter to letter	identical	label to label
STAGE 6	3.5 Y +	reading a label and matching to a picture		label to picture

Stage 1 of Presenting Montessori 3-Part Cards

Matching identical pictures. So, your child will be matching a picture without the label to the control card that has a picture and the label. This is the simplest matching, and you can introduce this type of matching even before a child’s first birthday, beginning by introducing just three cards at a time. Once the child is able to successfully match the pictures, gradually increase the number of cards presented.

Stage 2 of Presenting Montessori 3-Part Cards

Matching an identical object to a picture. In THIS Lifecycle of Salmon post, you can see that the pictures are exact copies of objects being matched. This requires a little more advanced critical thinking since the child is matching a 3-D model (figurine) to a 2-D flat picture, but still, this is one of the easier ways to use the matching cards.

Stage 3 of Presenting Montessori 3-Part Cards

Matching a similar object to a picture. This type of matching is a little more challenging since the images are similar but not exact to the model. You can use toy figurines and real photographs of animals, for example. This stage is best introduced at around 15 months old.

Stage 4 of Presenting Montessori 3-Part Cards

When a child is familiar with the images, you can show the picture and then an object, ask the toddler to name the object, and then match it to the appropriate card. For example, by showing a sheep, you would ask your child: “What is it?” and ask to match to a similar picture image. This matching can be introduced to a two-year-old toddler.

Stage 5 of Presenting Montessori 3-Part Cards

A non-reading toddler can try to visually match the labels. For example, at two-and-a-half, Adrian is very interested in letters. So, when we look at pictures in a book, he traces his finger under the image and over a word and asks me to “read” so that he can repeat the word. Hence, with the animal cards below, he is attempting to visually match simple labels like a cow or a car. This is a type of letter-to-letter matching, where a child matches a label to a control card with an exact written word on it.

Stage 6 of of Presenting Montessori 3-Part Cards

A reading toddler reads and matches the label to the image. This is the final stage of matching Montessori Nomenclature 3-Part Cards. The child matches a label to the image and has a control card that has the image and the label attached as a control of error to self-correct.

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Adding a Tactile Dimension with 3D Objects

You can also have fun and match real objects (like apples above) or 3D animal figurines (below) to the Nomenclature cards!

Read HERE a post on Adrian matching labels as well as real African animals.  

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For more Montessori Nomenclature 3-Part Cards:

See HERE Polar Animals Matching cards at 39 months.

Also, see HERE Animal Tracks Matching Game.

Lastly, see HERE Land, Air, Water Matching Activity.

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For Montessori Classified Card PDFs

See HERE Safari-Ltd-Life-Cycle-Of-A-Spider-PDF.

Also, see HERE SafariLtd Salmon Lifecycle Toddler-Safe-PDF.

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