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!
Montessori classified matching cards are a great activity that can be enjoyed by a toddler as young as one-year-old, to 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 and 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 + | matching an identical object to picture | identical | object to picture |
STAGE 3 | 15 M + | matching a similar object to a picture | similar | object to a picture |
STAGE 4 | 2 Y + | name an object and match to a similar card | 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:
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:
Matching an identical object to 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:
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:
When a child is familiar with the images, you can show the picture, then an object and 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:
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 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 is matching a label to a control card with an exact written word on it.

Stage 6:
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.
You can also have fun and match REAL animals to Nomenclature cards!

For more Montessori Nomenclature 3-Part Cards:



Please, always supervise your children.
For Montessori Classified Card PDFs:



2 Comments
where can i get the animal matching cards
If I did not link them on my blog, I would not have them to share. Sorry about that.