Items You Will Need

To prepare your Montessori card materials, you will need a variety of supplies, tools, and materials. Below is a list of everything you will need to get started.  

​

Supplies and Materials

• White Card Stock: For printing the cards. Choose a heavier weight (65-110 lb) for durability.

• Color Printer: A high-quality, color inkjet or laser printer capable of handling card stock.

• Color Ink: Ensure you have enough of each color ink for printing all materials at once.

• Laminating Pouches: For protecting the printed cards. Choose appropriate thickness (3-5 mil).

• Laminator: To laminate the cards after printing.  We do not recommend using the large laminators available at big schools, as they do not produce top quality results.

• Color Dot Labels: Optional, for labeling cards with control numbers or colors.

• Flair Felt Tip Pen or Marker: For labeling the backs of the cards or labels with the control numbers.

 

Tools

• Paper Cutter and/or Scissors: For cutting the printed cards accurately.

• Corner Rounder Tool: To round the corners of the cards for safety and aesthetics.​

 

Preparing the Materials

Below are instructions for downloading, printing, and preparing your Montessori card materials, supporting documents and lesson guide:

 

Downloading

1. Click each of the three links provided in your purchase confirmation email.  We trust that you will abide by our Digital Product Agreement and Terms and Conditions and kindly respect our copyrights.  While we do not permit the sharing of our copyrighted material, please share by talking with others about your children’s experiences with our materials and encourage them to visit us at empoweredmontessori.com.  See Digital Product Agreement and Terms and Conditions. 

2. The first link contains A Guide’s Guide to …’s Life Journey Lesson.  Printing on paper is recommended.  

3. The second link contains the Lesson Materials: Color Card Materials.  We strongly recommend printing on card stock (usually 65-110 lb weight).

4. The third link contains Supporting Materials: Blackline Printable Extensions.  You have permission to print copies for the children in your classroom or homeschool setting.  Printing on paper is recommended.

5. Save the Guide’s Guide and Blackline Extensions PDF files to a location on your computer where you can easily find them in the future.

6. Ensure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed (free download available at adobe.com).

7. Open the PDF file with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

 

Printing, Cutting, and Laminating The Lesson Materials: Color Card Materials

 

Before You Begin

• Ensure you have enough white card stock and printer ink.

• Check that your printer can handle card stock (usually 65-110 lb weight).  If it cannot, you can print on paper, if you use 5 mil thickness laminating pouch when laminating.  For best results though, we strongly recommend printing on white card stock.

• Note:  If you are missing any of the printing supplies, or if you prefer, you could bring the file to an office supply store for printing. 

 

Printing

1. As an option, before you print your card material, print the cover of “A Guide’s Guide to …’s Life Journey Set” as a test page to check alignment and color. 

2. When you are ready to print the Go to File > Print.

3. In Print Settings:

   • Choose 1-sided and color printing options.

   • Select "Actual Size" or "100%" for Scale.

   • Choose "High Quality" or "Best" for Quality.

   • Select card stock in Paper Type.

4. Print all pages of the card material one sided.

 

Cutting

1. Use a paper cutter or sharp scissors to cut along the borders of each card.  Cut a tiny bit (less than 1/32 of an inch or .75 mm) inside the border to ensure no white edges remain around the printed area.

2. For rounded corners, use a corner rounder tool (available at craft stores).

 

Laminating

1. Place each card in a laminating pouch, leaving more than ¼ of an inch or 6.5 mm between cards.

2. Run through a laminator set to the appropriate thickness (usually 3-5 mil).

3. Using sharp scissors, cut around each laminated card, leaving a small, sealed border (about 1/8 inch or 3.25 mm).  Ensure you cut outside the sealed edge to prevent peeling.

 

Labeling

Control Cards, Picture Cards, Labels, and Life Story Cards

1. After laminating, number the backs of the cards sequentially using a permanent marker.

2. Place circular labeling stickers on each card and write the control numbers on each of them.

Grammar and Sentence Analysis Cards

1. Label the backs of each sentence strip and the corresponding word cards to align with one another (e.g., "SA1" for Sentence Analysis 1).

2. Use a consistent labeling system across all sets.

Vocabulary and Definition Cards

1. Use colored dots or numbers on the backs to pair words with definitions.

2. Ensure matching pairs have the same color or number.

Timeline of Life Arrows

1. Number the backs sequentially to allow children to check the correct order.

Math Number Story Cards

1. After laminating, write answers on the backs with a permanent marker.

2. Alternatively, create a separate control chart with answers.

 

If you encounter any issues during the download or printing process, please contact our customer support team at info@empoweredmontessori.com for assistance.