Three Part Cards

Three part cards are an excellent tool to help a child expand his or her vocabulary, and can be found in more than one area of the Montessori classroom. The topics of the cards vary, and they might be kept in whatever type of container the guide feels is neat and tidy on the shelf.

Let’s take the example of types of birds. The three part cards for this theme would include beautiful photos of different varieties of birds, like flamingos or cardinals. Those are the first cards. The second cards are small labels with new vocabulary to fit underneath the photo cards. The third part is the control card, with both the picture and the name on the same card, for the child to check for themselves if they labeled the photos correctly.

These cards are an engaging classroom material that children enjoy revisiting. Every so often, the lead guide may decide to change the cards out for something new, which is always exciting! The cards may rotate according to season, or perhaps to fit in with what the majority of children are interested in at the time, such as dinosaurs or world leaders, and inspire a love of language learning in young children.