Montessori sandpaper letter cards
I remember first seeing these sensory letter cards in my children’s preschool and thought they were such a simple and clever idea. The vowels and consonants are a different colour. They are textured and easy for little hands to trace. The original Montessori cards are wooden with sandpaper letters. Here is my make-at-home version using paint and cardstock.
What you will need:
- 7 sheets of cardstock paper (minimum 200gsm)
- Paper cutter
- Red and blue acrylic paint
- Paint brush
- Palette
- Coarse sugar/salt/acrylic modelling paste
- Water for cleaning the brush
How to make the DIY Montessori letter cards
Cut the 7 sheets of cardstock paper in four. There are 26 letters in the alphabet, so 28 cards should cover it, plus a couple for accidents!
Mix paint with your textured medium. I also tried keeping them separate and painting the letter first and then dabbing my brush in the sugar/salt and painting over the letter. Both methods worked. As a side note, sugar will give your letters a glossy sheen whereas salt keeps it matte - pick the effect you prefer!
Remember to keep vowels one colour and consonants another if you’re going for the Montessori style. Most places I looked at had the vowels in blue and consonants in red.
And, there you are! Lovely sensory letters ready for little hands.