Command Cards (Reading of Commands)
Command cards are slips or cards that tell the child to do something: hop, clap, or "walk to the door and knock twice." A child of about 5 who reads phonetic words and some puzzle words reads one in silence and then acts it out. The action shows the meaning reached the child.
Sourced from the texts, not yet presented at home
| Typical age | 5 to 7.5 years |
|---|---|
| Area | Language |
| Before this | |
| Materials | |
| Direct aim | To read for meaning, silently, and show the meaning by doing it. |
| Control of error | The action itself. If the child does something other than what the card says, the watchers notice when the slip is shown. The adult doesn't correct; a card read wrongly goes back in the basket for another day. |
| Leads to | Later lessons in this line are in preparation. |
| Time | About 10 minutes (our estimate). |
| Grouping | One child, or several taking turns |
| Parent prep | Low. Choose five or six cards the child can read. |
| Cost | Buy about $8 to $27. Make: easy to make at home. |
| Other names | Action cards, Reading of commands, Action reading, Commands |
What the work teaches
Direct aim. To read for meaning, silently, and show the meaning by doing it.
Indirect aims, the ones you will not see at once
- Silent reading as the normal way to read
- Holding a sentence in mind long enough to act on it
- Self-control and movement: hopping quietly, walking on tiptoe
- Preparation for grammar: the verb is the action word
Set it out before you invite the child
Cards or folded slips, each with one command. First single verbs the child can sound out: hop, clap, sit, nod, run. Then short commands: "pat your leg". Then sentences with puzzle words: "Bring me the red pencil."
A basket to draw them from. Montessori folded hers so each stayed secret until read.
Room to move: a cleared rug, a hallway, a garden.
Montessori wrote the first long commands herself in 1912, on cards and on the blackboard. Her 1917 book printed whole series of them for grammar.
Presentation, step by step
- 1Hold up a basket of folded slips and say quietly that each slip says something to do.
- 2Draw one yourself and read it with your eyes only. Fold it and do the action: hop.
- 3Ask the child what you were doing. Then unfold the slip and show it: hop.
- 4Invite the child to draw a slip, read it in silence, and do what it says without telling anyone.
- 5Everyone watching says what the action was. The child shows the slip.
- 6Take turns. Mix in two-word and three-word commands as the child reads more.
- 7Later, move to full sentences, including ones that need another person or an object from the shelf.
Details that hold the child's attention
A secret slip that only the reader knows.
Watchers guessing the action.
A command that makes everyone laugh: "wiggle your nose".
A long command carried out step by step, in order.
How the child sees a mistake
The action itself. If the child does something other than what the card says, the watchers notice when the slip is shown. The adult doesn't correct; a card read wrongly goes back in the basket for another day.
The words come after the hands
| Words | Shown with |
|---|---|
| hop, clap, sit, run, nod | First single-verb commands the child can sound out. |
| action | What the card asks you to do. |
| bring, put, open, close | Verbs for later sentence commands. |
| quietly, slowly | Words that change how an action is done; they lead to the adverb. |
The three-period lesson, scripted
You need three single-word command cards: hop, clap, sit.
| Period | What you do and say |
|---|---|
| 1. Naming | Read each and do it: "This says hop." (hop) "This says clap." (clap) |
| 2. Recognition | "Give me the card that says sit." "Find clap." |
| 3. Recall | Hold up one card and wait. The child does the action without speaking. |
Our suggestion. The action replaces the spoken answer in the third period, which is the whole point of this work.
Extensions and variations
- Two-step commands: "Stand up and turn around"
- Commands for two children: "Ask a friend to clap with you"
- Commands written by the child for someone else to read
- Commands that change one word, "walk slowly" and "walk quickly", which lead to grammar
- Writing a command on the blackboard for the whole household, as Montessori did with her class
Variations
- Picture-free action cards bought as a set
- Commands written on paper slips by the adult, chosen for the day
Make it or buy it
| Material | Make it | Buy, approx. |
|---|---|---|
| Command Cards (Action Cards) | Easy | $8 to $27 |
Prices noted . Approximate US street prices for home-use versions; they vary by maker and change often, so recheck before buying.
Making it at home
Paper slips and a basket. Write single verbs first, then longer commands as the child reads more.
What to check when buying a set
Check that the first cards use words the child can sound out. Many sets mix in long words too early.
Printables for this age
This work needs only the material, so it has no printable of its own. The shelf plan below places it among the other works for the same age.
- Shelf plan for age 5PDF, 1 page, 250 KBEvery work for this age on one page, in order, with a column to date each presentation.
Every printable for one age, by email
The shelf plan and the lesson printables for your child's age in one email, then three short emails on the first lesson, what to make or buy, and what comes next.
Signs the child is ready, and signs it is done
Ready for the first presentation
- Reads three-letter phonetic words.
- Knows a handful of puzzle words.
- Reads silently, or is starting to.
- Enjoys movement games.
Ready for the next lesson
- Reads and acts on a full-sentence command without help.
- Reads silently without lip movement.
- Writes a command for someone else.
- Chooses books and reads them for the story.
Fitting it into a home, not a classroom
| If you have | Do this |
|---|---|
| One child at home | You become the watcher, and sometimes the reader. Children love catching the adult out. |
| A tight budget | Write commands on slips of paper and fold them into a jar. It's how Montessori did it. |
| A small space | Choose actions that fit: nod, wink, touch your nose, stand on one foot. |
| Siblings who can't read yet | Write commands that need a helper. Montessori's readers brought non-readers into the action. |
When it does not go to plan
| When | Try this |
|---|---|
| The child reads the card out loud first. | Show silent reading again. Lips closed, eyes on the card, then the action. |
| The child does an action but not the one written. | Show the slip afterwards and say nothing. Add it back to the basket another day. |
| Things get noisy. | Start each round with a moment of silence, as Montessori did, and choose quiet actions. |
| Long commands are too hard. | Go back to single verbs for a week. Sentences come quickly once short commands are easy. |
Hazards to check before each session
Keep actions safe for the room: no running indoors, no climbing.
Write commands that never ask a child to touch or open anything dangerous: stove, cleaning products, sharp tools.
Where other sequences and standards place it
We have not bought the paid homeschool curricula, so they are not listed here.
| Framework | Where it sits |
|---|---|
| This site's Language sequence | Lesson 11 of 12 published, after Puzzle Words (Sight Words). Checked in: the scope and sequence |
| Montessori, The Montessori Method (1912) | Commands written on cards and slips, read in silence and carried out; reading for ideas should be mental, not vocal. Checked in: Chapter XVII, Reading |
| Montessori, The Montessori Elementary Material (1917) | Commands on cards read in silence and interpreted through actions, used to teach the parts of speech. Checked in: Part I, Grammar |
| Common Core, Kindergarten reading foundations | RF.K.4: read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding. Checked in: corestandards.org |
| Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, preschool | P-LIT 2: the child demonstrates an understanding of how print is used (functions of print). Checked in: www.in.gov |
Command cards: questions parents ask
What are Montessori command cards?
Cards or slips that each name an action, from "hop" to "bring me the red pencil". The child reads one silently and does it, which shows the reading was understood.
What age are command cards for?
From about 5, once the child reads phonetic words and some puzzle words, and on this site they run to 7.5.
Why should the child read the command silently?
Montessori held that reading to receive an idea should be mental. Reading aloud adds the work of speaking; acting on a silent reading shows the meaning got through.
Are command cards in Montessori's own books?
Yes. The Montessori Method (1912) describes cards and folded slips of commands read in silence and carried out, and her 1917 book uses commands to teach grammar.
Sources cited by book and chapter
- Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method (1912)
Chapter XVII, Reading
Montessori wrote on the blackboard 'Do you love me?' and the children read it slowly aloud, were silent for a moment, then cried 'Yes! Yes!'.
Long sentences describing actions were written on cards, and the children read them in silence with intense attention and then carried out the actions.
After profound silence, children who could read drew folded slips each describing an action, read them mentally until certain they understood, and set about carrying out the action.
Reading, if it is to teach the child to receive an idea, should be mental and not vocal.
Between knowing how to read the words and how to read the sense of a book lies the same distance as between pronouncing a word and making a speech.
Many of the commands call for the help of children who cannot yet read, and a general activity develops amid marvellous order.
Chapter XX, Sequence of Exercises
In the fifth grade the children compose words and phrases with the movable alphabet and read from slips prepared by the directress.
- Maria Montessori, The Montessori Elementary Material (1917)
Part I, Grammar
The commands are written on cards that are read in silence and interpreted through actions.
Reviewed by
What to offer next
Once the child chooses this work unprompted and finishes it without help, the next lesson to prepare is Grammar Boxes and Grammar Box Cards.
- Grammar symbols4.5 to 7 years
- Puzzle words4.5 to 7 years
- Green series5 to 7.5 years
- Command cards5 to 7.5 years
- Grammar boxes5.5 to 9 years