Sewing is incredibly relevant to modern children’s lives. But the skill of sewing isn’t taught in every home, and home economics classes have disappeared in many schools. That’s where activities the Sewing supplies printable Montessori 3-Part Cards come to the rescue. These cards introduce beginning sewers of all ages to the tools of the trade!
Beyond developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and the ability to follow sequential instruction, sewing teaches patience, delayed gratification, and builds confidence. Sewing prepares young children for writing, and improves older children’s precision and dexterity in everything from sports to science.
When presented to the children, along with the actual objects, the abstract instruments come to life and the children begin to visualize themselves pulling threaded needles through fabrics. In early childhood environments, the possibilities abound for using these Montessori sewing vocabulary cards solo and in conjunction with a simple sewing project on the shelf.
Not sure about actually sewing with children? That’s okay!
There are lots more preliminary sewing activities these language cards can be used with to promote learning across the curricula. Let’s explore a few.
Use the Cards with the Moveable Alphabet
Use these Montessori picture cards with real images and/or labels with the moveable alphabet to name and build the words.
Play the Memory Game
Play memory using the picture cards and the control cards. Mix the cards up and place on a table or rug, face down. Each player turns over 2 cards at a time. If they match, the player keeps the pair. If the cards don’t match, they are turned face down. Players take turns turning over cards to find matching pairs.
Play the Distant Command Game
Play the Distant Command game. Prior to the game, the adult puts the control cards and, if the child can read, the label cards in other areas of the room. The adult sits with the picture cards in a different area of the room from the labels and control cards. Invite the child to play by offering a picture card. Name the item on the card together, thread for example. Ask the child to find and bring you the card with the matching picture — or ask them to bring you the label of the name of the item on the card. Repeat as many times as the child enjoys.
Create Montessori Booklets
Create classic Montessori booklets based on the 3-part cards. Even 6-9 year old children still enjoy making booklets when the topic is relevant to hands-on work they are doing. Present a sewing cards booklet to older children as a sewing reference dictionary. These cards become great Dictionary Research work prompts when the child defines each item and writes the definition into their booklet.
Learn about Sewing
Explore the world of sewing, tailoring, and fashion across the globe! Sewing is a rich tapestry of history, culture, and art. These beautiful cards can be a jumping off point for sewing vocabulary in and of themselves, and beyond, open new doors to worlds of creative inspiration and cultural learning.
At the Elementary level, tie this card material in with the Fundamental Human Needs or Timeline of Humans and let the research flourish! Kimono tailors of Japan, Māori weavers of New Zealand, punjabi tailors of India, and the runways of Paris all have something in common — sewing tools and techniques.
Start Introducing Basic Sewing Skills
Don’t hesitate to introduce simple sewing/lacing work or actual beginning sewing projects in conjunction with the cards! Even if you aren’t a sewer yourself, the basic running stitch (up-down-up-down) is a fun starting point and allows the children and adults to all be learners together.
Let these Montessori Sewing 3-Part cards bring sewing to life across your learning environment!
You can find these Montessori 3-part cards in my Free Printables Library. It is a free resource for my newsletter subscribers.