2-3 years · My first discoveries
10 pages with 6 animals and 6 foods in pairs, two games "big and small" and a guide for the adult. Name, show, and match identical images. The child does not need to read.
Download the PDF 2-3 yearsMontessori inspiration · from age 2Montessori Activities
Montessori Activities
to print for free
For ages 2-3, a 10-page illustrated booklet: images to name, pairs, and size games. For ages 3-6, animal nomenclature cards. Two free PDFs, no email required, to choose according to your child's skills.
A4 PDFNo registrationAdult guide included
Which free Montessori PDF to download?
3-6 years · Animal cards
The existing nomenclature pack: 12 animals, cards with names, images alone, and word labels. Start with vocabulary; the separate words are used later, depending on reading skills.
Download the 3-6 years cardsThe 2-3 years booklet, in pictures
A4 at 100%, single-sided. The adult prepares and cuts the cards. Start with two images and offer a few minutes depending on the child's interest. These activities are inspired by Montessori and continue with everyday objects.
View a page before downloading
Start by naming the animals and matching two images. The word labels are then used according to the child's interest and skills. An adult prepares the cuts. For the youngest, choose the specific 2-3 years booklet presented above.
🎬 In video
Montessori activities in video
Montessori nomenclature cards and printable materials to support children aged 3 to 6 years.
The pedagogy
Nomenclature cards, the classic Montessori tool
In Montessori pedagogy, the nomenclature cards (or 3-part cards) support children aged 3 to 6 years: first to enrich their vocabulary and refine their observation, then to begin reading by associating words with images — with one key principle at this stage: self-correction, as the child checks the answer alone with the labelled card. Before your child can read, you guide gently with the three-step lesson. It's simple, calm, screen-free… and children love it. 🌱
🦁 In the free pack
12 animals · 3-part cards · guide included
Soft watercolor illustrations, a format designed for small hands, and a 3-step lesson guide for parents.
🖼️
12 answer cards
Image + word: the lion, the giraffe, the hedgehog… to name and enrich vocabulary.
🃏
12 silent cards
Image only, to associate words with images when the child begins reading.
🏷️
12 word tickets
Word only, with its article, to match with the silent cards.
📖
Parent guide
The 3-step lesson simply explained: name, show, find.
🏠 No shopping needed
20 Montessori activities for 2-year-olds to do at home
You don't need expensive materials. At 2, your kitchen, your bathroom and a basket are plenty. Here are twenty Montessori-inspired activities, grouped by the skills they build. Show the movement once, slowly and without talking, then let your child have a go.
⚠️ Safety firstAt 2, everything still goes in the mouth. Anything that fits through a toilet paper roll can be swallowed. Keep small seeds, beads and pom-poms for activities done right next to you, and put them away out of reach afterwards.
🏠 Practical life
1. Pouring water
Pour from one container to the other, then sponge up any spills. It's the classic practical life activity.
2. Spooning
Move the pasta from one bowl to the other without dropping any. Count them together at the end.
3. Washing vegetables
Scrub, rinse, then lay them on a tea towel. The potatoes end up in tonight's soup, so your child really helped.
4. Folding napkins
Fold in half, edge to edge, then stack them up. Move on to folding in quarters once it feels easy.
5. Watering a plant
Same plant, same day each week. Your child becomes responsible for something alive.
6. Peeling a clementine
You start the peel, they finish it, then they pull the segments apart and share them.
7. Open and close
A basket full of things to open and close again, with a little treasure hidden inside.
8. Setting the table
Every object has its place, outlined in marker on the placemat. Your child sets their own spot.
👐 Sensorial
9. Treasure basket
Your child explores freely: heavy or light, soft or rough, cold or warm. Simply name what they touch.
10. Sound boxes
Two boxes for each sound. Your child shakes them and finds the pairs that make the same noise.
11. Mystery bag
Hand in the bag, no peeking: "Is it the spoon or the ball?" Pull the object out to check.
12. Water painting
"Paint" with water: the picture appears, then fades as it dries. No mess, and you can start again forever.
✋ Fine motor skills
13. Threading big beads
Thread them one by one to make a necklace. Start with three beads, then add more.
14. Screwing and unscrewing
Find the right lid for each jar, then screw it on. A real little puzzle.
15. Clothespins
Clip the pins all around the edge of the box, then take them off. That thumb-and-finger pinch is the one that will soon hold a pencil.
🧩 Logic and language
16. Sorting by color
Put each object in the bowl of the same color. Name the colors, and your child repeats them when they're ready.
17. Hands-on picture cards
Place the real object on its card: the toy car on the car card, the apple on the apple.
18. Matching socks
Find the pairs and lay them side by side. A game... that also sorts the laundry.
19. The three-period lesson
"This is an apple." "Show me the apple." "What is this?" Three steps to learn a new word without ever putting your child on the spot.
20. Knob puzzle
Each piece has its own knob and its own place. Your child succeeds alone, then wants to go again right away.
💡 Filoumi TipOffer one activity at a time, on a tray or in a basket, and leave it in the same spot for several days. Repetition is what helps children grow. A child who pours the same thing ten times in a row isn't bored. They're concentrating.
Montessori at home, explained simply
Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor and educator, started from a simple idea: children learn by themselves, as long as they are given the right materials at the right time. You don’t need a Montessori school to be inspired by it: a few printed cards and twenty minutes are enough.
🌱 Sensitive periods
Between the ages of 3 and 6, every child goes through sensitive periods: windows of time when they soak up a skill effortlessly, such as language, order or handling small objects. Offer an activity during that window and it feels easy; offer it too early and it becomes a struggle.
✋ Fine motor skills
Cutting out the cards, handling them, sorting them and tidying them away all build fine motor skills, the ones that prepare the hand to hold a pencil. That is why Montessori activities always let children handle things before they write.
👀 A sensory approach
Sensory materials and sensory activities work through touch and sight before reasoning. In Montessori classrooms, children trace sandpaper letters with a finger: your child feels the shape of a letter before writing it. A sensory approach that leaves a lasting mark.
🔤 Towards reading
Nomenclature cards are a picture dictionary that builds vocabulary, then a first step towards learning to read: matching a word to a picture, recognising sounds and letters of the alphabet. A very gentle way to start reading, well before CP (age 6-7).
🏠 Practical life
Pouring, buttoning, laying the table: practical life activities are at the heart of the method and cost nothing. They build independence and concentration in every child, the same invisible muscles that schoolwork will call on later.
🧸 No need to buy toys
There is no need to invest in expensive materials: printed cards, everyday objects and a little time are enough for Montessori games that are both fun and educational. It is exactly what many nursery staff and teachers do with limited resources.
These cards suit toddlers as well as preschool children, and they still help to build vocabulary at the start of CP (age 6-7) and CE1 (age 7-8). Filoumi is neither a Montessori school nor a training organisation: we simply offer materials and activities inspired by this approach, to print at home, as a free complement to any Montessori book you may already own.
“Help me to do it myself”: the spirit of the method
It is Maria Montessori’s best-known phrase, and it sums everything up: the adult prepares, shows once, then steps back. The rest belongs to the child.
🧠 The absorbent mind
Before the age of 6, a child has what Maria Montessori called an absorbent mind: they take in their surroundings effortlessly, like a sponge. That is why a child’s development depends first on what is around them, long before anything they are told.
🤲 Learning with concrete materials
Sandpaper letters and numbers, puzzles, objects to handle: Montessori learning materials are always concrete and tactile. Our cards follow the same logic: no tablets, no screens, just paper and hands.
🌟 Self-correction and confidence
The materials let children spot their own mistakes, without an adult pointing them out. This gentle self-discipline builds self-confidence: they did not succeed to please someone, they succeeded on their own. That is where real fulfilment comes from.
🧪 Observe and experiment
The same activity will not interest two children of the same age at the same moment. The adult offers, watches, and puts it away if it doesn’t catch on, ready to bring the tray out again three weeks later. Patient parenting rather than a rigid method.
🏫 From the Children’s House to your home
The first Children’s House opened in Rome in 1907. Today, a Montessori teacher completes a long Montessori training and works with specific materials in a classroom. At home, there is no need to copy a school: we borrow the spirit, with whatever is to hand.
💛 A kind attitude
No marks, no comparisons, no “you should know this by now”. A Montessori activity ends when the child wants to stop. That is also what makes these activities relaxing for parents: there is nothing to pass.
🎯 The method
The 3-step lesson, in 30 seconds
This is THE Montessori method for learning new words — everything is detailed in the pack guide.
1Name
“This is the lion.” Show the card and simply name 2 or 3 cards at a time.
2Show
“Show me the lion!” The child points to the correct card. Shuffle, play.
3Find
“What is this?” The child names it alone — and is never put on the spot.
🎁 The bonus
New: the “Fruits & Vegetables” pack has arrived 🍓
12 new watercolor nomenclature cards — apple, strawberry, carrot, leek… Print them for free right now, no email needed, just like the animal cards: 24 cards in total, including silent cards and word labels.
🍓 Print the Fruits & Vegetables cards → Free · no email · print at home🔜 Coming soon
Upcoming themes in the collection
❓ Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know
Which printable Montessori activities suit 2-3 year olds?
The free 10-page booklet offers pictures of animals and food to name, matching pairs and two size games. It comes with a guide for the adult, and the child does not need to read.
What are nomenclature cards?
A classic Montessori material: cards in 3 parts (picture + word, picture only, word only). The child builds vocabulary, then starts reading by matching words to pictures, with self-correction.
Is it really free?
Yes, 100%. The “Animals” pack is a PDF to download and print straight away, with no email and no sign-up.
What age is it for?
The new booklet suits ages 2-3, for naming and matching pictures with an adult. The nomenclature pack is for ages 3-6; the word tickets only come in once the child starts to read.
Should the cards be laminated?
It’s optional but worth it if you can: the cards will last for years. Otherwise, slightly thick paper works very well.
Why is each word written with its article?
Each label reads “the lion”, “the owl”: the child learns the word the way they hear it in a sentence. English nouns have no grammatical gender, so every article is the same and there is nothing extra to learn.
What Montessori activities can I do with a 2-year-old?
Try practical life activities (pouring, transferring, washing, folding), sensory play (a treasure basket, a mystery bag, sound boxes), fine motor work (threading, screwing lids, clothespins) and language games with picture cards. Offer one activity at a time, stay close by, and let your child repeat it as often as they like.
👍 With confidence
Designed by parents, for your children
✅ 100% free⚡ Instant PDF🚫 No email required🖨️ To print in A4📵 Screen-free🇫🇷 Designed in France
To go further
Other free printable resources
🦉 Kindergarten holiday workbook
The free printable workbook for 5-6 year olds: graphics, first numbers and games with Bibou.
📚 All holiday workbooks
Free workbooks for each level, from preschool to CM2 (10-11 years old).
📖 CP reading sheets
From syllables to first sentences: the natural next step after preschool.
Ready to print your first Montessori cards?
Download the "Animals" pack for free — immediate PDF, no email. Ten minutes of printing and cutting, years of use.
📥 I download the free cardsAdapting Montessori cards for 3 years and beyond
The animal PDF contains cards with image and name, images alone, and word labels. Prepare the cards before the activity, then offer a few at a time.
At 3 years: observe and name
Start with two or three familiar animals. Name them together, then invite your child to point to the requested animal. They do not need to know how to read to play with the images.
When the child recognises the images
Offer to match two identical images or sort the animals. Word labels are used later, when the child starts to show interest in writing; they are not a mandatory goal at 3 years.
Follow their interest: a short activity is enough. The printable cards are a language support to share, to be complemented by handling everyday objects.
Download the animal cards in PDF
Also discover: kindergarten activities and printable games.