This post is your one-stop shop to learn all about Montessori 3 part cards, including what they are, why they are useful, and different ways you can use them. I have also included links throughout the post for places you can get your hands on some 3 part cards of your own.

What are 3 part cards and what are they for?

Montessori 3 part cards are a tool to help young children learn new vocabulary and language. Sometimes they are referred to as classified cards, nomenclature cards, or naming cards.

As the name suggests, the cards comprise three parts.

• There is the control card which is a card displaying an image with a label underneath. This acts as the ‘control of error’ (I explain this below).
• There is the image card, which is the same image from the control card but without text.
• There is the label card, which is the same label from the control card but without the image.

As with the vast majority of Montessori materials, the crucial element that makes these cards different to your average flashcards is the control card. 

Part of the Montessori educational philosophy is to, as far as possible, enable the child to be self-sufficient and independent. The self-checking or self-correcting nature of the control card allows the child to do just that, acting like a mini answer sheet.

The principle aim of three part cards is to introduce and review new words with a child but they can be used in multiple ways (more on how to use them differently down below).

Vocabulary can be introduced which associates a word with an object. For example, in this image below, there are four different types of food, each labelled with their own name.

However, 3 part cards can also be used to teach specific vocabulary about the parts of an object or thing. For example, in the image below you will find the different parts of a kangaroo.

As you can see in the example, attention is drawn only to the relevant parts through the use of bright colour with the corresponding label card underneath. This is a way to introduce more advanced or specialist vocabulary and is also a precursor to labelling work and working with diagrams.

How do you use 3 part cards?

Most common uses

1. The 3 period lesson

The most common way to use three part cards is through the 3 period lesson. This is a pretty formal name, but it simply means three basic stages of learning. 

The first period or stage is naming – you would point to the control card and state the vocabulary for the child: “This is an avocado.”

The second period is association – you would ask the child to show you that they can identify the correct language with the correct card by pointing to it or giving it to you: “Can you point to the avocado?” “Can you please pass me the avocado?”

The final period is recall – this is the final stage because it is almost like the test! You would reach this stage once your child has shown they are confident with periods 1 and 2. Here you would point to one of the cards and ask your child to say the answer: “What is this?”

The 3 periods don’t all have to happen one after the other or in one go – you can follow the pace of your child to guide you and only move on from one period to another when you are sure they are ready.

Funnily enough, as parents we have probably used three period lessons with our kids without even realising it throughout their lives in less formal ways. For example, with our babies, we would talk about objects and say their names, we would ask our babies to point to those objects and eventually, we might ask them to say their names when they begin to speak.

The 3 period lessons are a natural extension to those types of organic interactions we have with our children, but slightly more formalised through the use of the 3 part cards which have the added benefit of being useful for hands-on learning, repetition and review. 

The simplicity and effectiveness of these cards through the 3 period lesson is why it is a staple in Montessori classrooms and Montessori homeschool environments.

2. Matching activities

There are various ways you can use the cards for matching activities which can aid your child with their visual discrimination skills (the ability to tell things apart from each other).

You can lay out the control cards and ask your child to find and match the correct image to each card.

You can then go ahead and add the corresponding labels underneath the images they have matched using the control card as a way to check their answers. 

Even non-readers can have a go at this by using those visual discrimination skills to identify and match the letters of the words.

Another version for readers would be to lay out all the images and have the child match the label to the image, without using the control card. Of course, the child should have ready access to the control cards to allow them to work and check their progress independently.

The other version for readers is to start with the labels and find the pictures to match – however, as this is a language learning activity, you could do this with non-readers by reading the label for them and they can find the image to match what you’ve said. They can then check their work against the control card.

Less Common Uses

1. Initial and Ending Sounds Matching

For children who are starting their early reading journey, the picture cards can be used as part of an activity to identify beginning and ending sounds. This can be done purely through conversations between you and your child or if your child is ready, they can do this themselves with a movable alphabet/physical letters as shown below.

2. Writing out the words

As your kids get more comfortable on their language learning journeys, you can introduce them to writing out the words from the 3 part cards. A good place to start would be with CVC words if they are just beginning.

They can do this by hand if they are ready or if not, with a movable alphabet which allows the child to build words without having to wield a pencil.

They can create their own labels, fill in the missing words for a control card, or create a list of words – lots of possibilities!

3. Make into booklets

There are many themed 3 part cards online to teach kids about a specific area of learning. Children can use these to make their own booklets which they can have as their own little record of learning.

There are various ways to make the booklets:

• They can staple all the control cards together as a mini information book
• You can print the control cards with alternating blank sheets for the child to draw and write in themselves
• For life cycle three part cards, the kids can put them in sequence to create their information booklet and refer back to it whenever they need to.

4. Sorting or classifying into categories 

As you will have seen, there are many 3 part card variations out there and they can be used in many ways. If your child is showing interest in sorting, you can have them sort the cards into categories. For example, if you have a collection of food-related 3 part cards, you can have your child sort them out into categories such as fruit and vegetables, or animals can be sorted by species. 

Games!

Of course, the best thing about 3 part cards is all the games you can play with them!

1. Memory matching

You play this by laying a number of control cards face down on one side and the corresponding picture cards face down on another side. You then take it in turns to find the matching cards. The one with the most matches wins.

2. Mystery bag

For this you will need objects that match the 3 part cards you have available. You can place the objects in the bag and have the matching control cards laid out nearby. Your child has to close their eyes (or use a blindfold for extra excitement) and choose an object from the bag. They say the name of the object and match it to the correct control card. 

For added challenge, they can then find the matching label and add that in too.

For even more challenge, the control cards could be laying face down so the child has to choose the object, then guess which card it matches with. If they don’t find the match, the object goes back in the bag and they can try again.

3. Shopping for cards / 3 part card bingo

Each person takes a set of control cards and lays them out in front of them. The corresponding picture cards are laid out mixed up and face down. Each person gets to turn over one card to see if they can find a match. If they don’t, they turn it back down and the other person has a go. The winner is the first one to find all their matches.

You can add further challenge by laying the label cards out flat and having each player try to find their matching labels too! 

4. What’s missing?

This is always a favourite with my kids. You lay out several 3 part cards, let your child look at and examine them. They then turn around or close their eyes as you take one away. They then have to guess which one is missing! Repeat as desired!

5. Scavenger hunt

My final idea is to have a 3 part card scavenger hunt around the house! This takes a little bit of prep, but is loads of fun. You set up by hiding the image cards (and the label cards for extra difficulty) around the house. You give your child one control card at a time and they have to hunt around to find the matching picture card (and label card if up for the extra challenge!). Once they bring back the matches, they get the next control card and can go on the hunt for the next matches.

Alternatively, they can have the whole set and match as they go along – it is totally up to you. You could even add ‘hot and cold’ to the game for extra help and fun.

I hope all of these ideas show you just how versatile the 3 part cards are. I hope it has given you some inspiration on how to use them in your home with your children and just have fun! Let me know in the comments below how you get along, or tag me @salaammummy on Instagram.

If you like this type of educational content, you may enjoy my other posts:

• Building Phonemic Awareness With My 4-Year-Old (& CVC Words FREEBIE)
• 7 Tricks You Need to Know to Make Worksheets Fun for Kids
• Should you Teach Life Skills or Academics? (& Fun Maths FREEBIE)

Salaam x