Free Car Printables and Montessori-Inspired Car Activities

Do you have a vehicle lover? Sometimes vehicle lovers get so obsessed with vehicles that you might have a hard time getting them interested in your regular learning activities. Try car-themed learning activities! To help you out, I have a new post with directions for preparing and presenting car activities. Montessori-inspired car activities using free car printables are perfect for any time of year.

I’m also excited to share my latest subscriber freebie … a Montessori-inspired car pack! Here, I’m also sharing the links to lots of free car printables for preschoolers through 1st graders (and sometimes older). To keep my list manageable, I don’t share coloring pages unless a page has a specific educational purpose related to cars. I’m also not sharing Disney Cars printables. Although many of them are fine, some may have copyright problems.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Car Books for Kids

Car Color Matching Activity

Car Color Match Activity

Free Printable: Car Color Match from Childcareland. There are 12 colors in the printable, but I use the 11 colors that match Montessori color box 2. You could just use the 3 primary colors or whatever colors you want your child to work with.

Free Printable: The free color tablets I used are no longer available, but you’ll find a number of options in my DIY Montessori Color Tablets post.

Other materials: Multicraft tray, Montessori Services basket, small bamboo condiment cup, hemmed work rug

Car Color Match Layout

For the layout, I’d just lay out one column of color tablets and then have the child match the second column (unless color tablets haven’t been presented before. If not, I’d give the introductory color tablet presentation). Then the child can match the colored cars to the color matching cards (color tablets) and finally add the colored circles to the cars.

Highway Shapes

Free Printable: Highway Shape Cards (or highway letter or number cards) from Making Learning Fun

Other materials: Micro Machines, 1/4″ color control label dots to show starting point

This is awesome! You could just use basic shapes such as circle, triangle, and square. Or reinforce shapes like ellipse (called “oval” in the printable), trapezoid, and pentagon. There aren’t all 10 Montessori metal inset shapes, but there are quite a few.

I used different colors of Micro Machines. We still had the Micro Machines from when my now 31-year-old son was little. He loved them too much to give them up! If you can find them, they’re perfect for this activity.

Trapezoid Highway

You could make a green dot with 1/4″ color control label dots to show where to start driving (tracing the shape).

Spelling with Car Movable Alphabet

Movable Alphabet Spelling Basket with a Car Theme

Free Printable: Car Movable Alphabet (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)

Other materials used: Montessori Services language objects, which can be purchased individually or in the starter set, Montessori Services basket.

Movable Alphabet Spelling with a Car Theme

You’ll find activities using Montessori Services language objects with a similar layout. The car movable alphabet is especially helpful for a car theme or for vehicle lovers in general. Because children can write (spell) before they can read, many children will be able to hear the sounds needed in a word and add the movable alphabet letters even if they can’t read yet. So this will often work with children who just know phonetic sounds for letters. It’s great for readers, too! Just adapt the difficulty of objects for your child.

Beginning Reading – Race Car Blending

Beginning Reading – Race Car Blending Basket

Free Printable: Race Car Blending (CVC, digraphs, blends) by Engage2Inspire at Teachers Pay Teachers

I think this is totally cool … such a great idea for reinforcing blending sounds to read words. Many children have difficulty with that part of learning to read. This is super easy to prepare. I just printed out and laminated the printable and added a Micro Machine race car (a larger race car might work if you set your printer at 125% in landscape). I love that there are a number of different levels for this activity, although it’s most effective with children just learning to blend.

Beginning Reading – Race Car Blending Activity

To do this activity, I would have the child “warm up” the car slowly and say each letter sound as he or she drives the car over it. Then I’d have the child go faster and faster each time, saying the sounds faster and faster until the word is clear. For a child who can’t yet blend sounds, you could say the sounds yourself while your child moves the race car until the word is obvious. I’ll have a post tomorrow at Living Montessori Now with more extensions for this printable!

Update: See my post with more about this activity: “Super-Cool Beginning Reading Activity – Race Car Blending.”

Free Car Printables for Preschoolers-First Graders (some printables for up to grade 3)

Montessori-Inspired Car Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, and DIY Movable Alphabet (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber)

Free Car Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)

Car Racing Laps Exercise for Kids (Free Printable) from Christina Chitwood

Street Number Activity at PreK + K Sharing

Street Numbers for Block Center from Young & Lively Kindergarten

Racing Racecars Activity at PreK + K Sharing

Racing Racecars from Mama Jenn

Uppercase and lowercase road letters from Gift of Curiosity
Car Counting and Tracing Cards from Playdough to Plato
Car Printables from Childcareland
Car Roll and Cover File Folder Game from Childcareland
Car Lacing Card from Childcareland
Sequin Car from Childcareland
Shapes Car Craft from DLTK’s
Ll is for Limo from Royal Baloo
DIY Car Magnets Craft from Moms and Crafters
Dora’s Colorful Car Bingo from Nick Jr.
Sports Car Stickers and Printables from Stickers and Charts
Racecar Printables from Making Learning Fun
Printable Roads from Picklebums
Australian Road Signs and Accessories from Picklebums
Mini Road Map Busy Bag Printable from The DIY Mommy
Race Car Party Printables from Growing Up Bilingual
Race Car Invitations from Events to Celebrate
Matchbox Car Valentines from Love& Lion
“You Make My Heart Race” Valentines from Hello, Wonderful
Matchbox Valentines from The Kim Six Fix
I Wheelie Like You Car Valentines from Life Anchored
Race Car Valentine Cards from Grace and Good Eats
Vintage Car Printables from Simply Made By Rebecca
Transportation Preschool Pack from Homeschool Creations
Car Printables from Teachers Pay Teachers

My Resources That Include Transportation Activities: (updated 6/26)

Have fun with car activities!

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Comments

Marie says

May 25, 2016 at 4:42 am

What an awesome collection of resources! Thank you for stopping by the Learn & Play Like Up! This post is featured on Christian Montessori Network this week.
- Deb Chitwood says
  
  June 3, 2016 at 4:48 pm
  
  Thanks so much for featuring this, Marie! And thanks for all the work you do with the Learning & Play Link Up! 🙂 Deb

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