The Ultimate Guide to Montessori Nomenclature Cards

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Have you heard of Montessori Nomenclature Cards? Once an obscure term only found in Montessori classrooms, these cards have gained in popularity in recent years. These cards are an easy and affordable way to enhance your child’s education. Today I will tell you a little about the history of nomenclature cards, what they are, how to use them and why they work so well. Best of all, if you make it to the bottom of this post I have 3 free sets of nomenclature cards available for download! So let’s dive in!

History of Montessori Nomenclature Cards

Like most Montessori materials, nomenclature cards were pioneered by Maria Montessori, the founder of Montessori education. The word nomenclature comes from the Latin word nomenclatura which means “assigning of names”. This is very apt because the primary purpose of these cards is teaching children the proper names for objects in the world around them. The earliest nomenclature cards featured simple line drawings created by hand. The reasons for this style were twofold. First it was the easiest and most accessible method of production in the early 1900’s when Maria Montessori was pioneering her Montessori Method. Second, she believed that a simple image provided less distractions thereby allowing the child to focus solely on the vocabulary word being featured.

It’s important to note that many traditional Montessori nomenclature cards teach the parts of plants and animals. This can make finding the right image difficult. For example, if you wish to teach the word ‘stamen’ an image of a stamen alone might be too abstract, but an image of the entire flower might not adequately show which part the term ‘stamen’ refers to. In this scenario a simple drawing in black and white is the perfect tool. Several cards can feature the same basic drawing, with a different part colored on each card. Over time the cards have evolved with modern technology. One school of thought today is that a photographic image is superior to a drawing. I believe that when you are teaching broad concepts (i.e. bear, mountain, Nebula) this is true. However, as stated above, if you are teaching specific components of an object then an isolation drawing is usually best.

What Are Nomenclature Cards??

In the simplest terms nomenclature cards are simply flashcards that feature an image at the top and the name of the image at the bottom. I have seen them come in several sizes although the most common size is 2.5″ x 3.5″. Often laminated for additional durability, these cards are easy to make and surprisingly popular with children.

How Do I Use Montessori Nomenclature Cards?

There are many ways to use Nomenclature Cards, depending on the age of your child, so I will present a few basic activities and then some extensions based on age.

Activities for Toddler – Preschool Aged Children:

For young children who are not yet reading, nomenclature cards are used to build vocabulary. These children will do best with a one-piece card that shows an image at the top and name at the bottom. I prefer to present nomenclature cards early in a new Tot School unit so that the child can become familiar with new phrases and concepts that may be used in later activities.

To begin the presentation I sit down beside the child and place the cards face up, one by one. As each card is placed in front of the child I recite its name. For this introduction I try to keep my explanation of each card pretty brief, but if the child asks questions I will answer. Particularly large groups of cards may need to be divided out over several days so the child isn’t overwhelmed. As always, follow the child. They’ll make it clear when they’ve had too much.

Over the next few days present the cards several more times, and add some of the games below.

Game 1: Figure Matching

I often incorporate Safari Ltd. Toob figures with my nomenclature cards. This allows me to offer a fun and easy matching game that the kids always love. Just lay out the cards and a small dish full of matching figurines and encourage your child to match the figurine to it’s card. Holding a 3D model of the item they are learning can really help cement the vocabulary in your child’s brain.

Game 2: “I’m Thinking of …”

This is a fun variation on 20 questions. Place your nomenclature cards face up on a table and select one (mentally) without telling your child which one. Then have your child ask questions until he or she names the correct card. For example:

• Child: “Does your card swim?”
• Parent: “Yes it does.”
• Child: “Is it orange?”
• Parent: “Yes, it’s orange.”
• Child: “It’s a Clown Fish!”

A younger child might struggle to articulate their questions, so you could help, or even offer clues describing the object yourself until he or she is able to guess what it is.

Activities for Early Elementary Aged Children:

By early elementary your child is likely fully able to express herself verbally, and perhaps reading or close to reading. This is when you’ll begin introducing the “3-Part Cards” aspect of nomenclature cards. 2 Make your own 3-Part Cards simply print a duplicate of each sheet. Prepare the first sheet as described above, and then cut the cards from the second sheet apart. This will leave 3 pieces:

• One complete card showing both an image and name
• One upper portion of a card showing only the image
• One narrow strip from the bottom of the card showing only the name

Place one complete card before your child and encourage him to find the matching image to place beside it. Once the image has been matched look closely at the name on the complete card and ask your child to find the remaining portion with the matching name. This will be easier for children who are already reading, but even if your child isn’t reading it’s a great opportunity to point out the distinctive shapes of different letters to help her match the words. Continue this way through all of the cards or until your child seems tired. This is a challenging activity and they may need to work their way up to completing an entire deck of nomenclature cards.

Advanced Extension:

When your child is no longer challenged by the previous activities, you can remove the complete card altogether and ask your child to match the name and image alone. This is the most challenging task but proves true mastery over the vocabulary.

Are your ready to introduce nomenclature cards to your child? Sign up below for access to our free Digital Resource Library. There are several sets of nomenclature cards already available, and more added each month! If you would like to see a specific themed set, request it in the comments below!