Material name: Introduction to the Decimal System – Cards
(Montessori Decimal System Cards)
Area: Mathematics
Purpose & developmental benefits:
The Introduction to the Decimal System – Cards help children recognize the numerical symbols for units, tens, hundreds, and thousands, and understand the relationship between place value and quantity within the decimal system. These cards are most often used in combination with Decimal (Golden) Beads, allowing children to clearly see the correspondence between concrete quantities and abstract symbols.
Skills supported:
-
Reads and recognizes the numerals 1, 10, 100, and 1000
-
Matches numeral cards with decimal bead quantities (units, tens, hundreds, thousands)
-
Understands place value in the decimal system
-
Builds large numbers using cards (e.g. 2,347; 5,620)
-
Prepares for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with large numbers
Recommended age: 4–6 years
Material & design:
-
A set of separate numeral cards, color-coded according to Montessori standards:
-
Green: units (1–9)
-
Dark blue: tens
-
Red: hundreds
-
Green: thousands
-
Made of wood or sturdy board, with rounded edges for safety
Use in the classroom / at home:
-
Used alongside Golden Beads / Decimal Beads
-
Children build numbers by arranging numeral cards
-
Teacher reads a number and children select the correct component cards
-
Supports the Decimal System Game and advanced arithmetic work
