The Figure Ground material is a key pre-reading activity designed to help children develop important visual perception skills, laying a strong foundation for language and literacy. This printable includes two carefully designed sets of cards: one set features clear black objects in the foreground (the “figure”), while the other set displays matching black backgrounds (the “ground”).
Working with these cards, children practise figure-ground perception: the ability to distinguish an object from its background, even in a visually busy scene. This skill is crucial for later reading, where children must be able to focus on letters and words while filtering out distractions on the page.
The activity is especially helpful for children who find it challenging to screen out irrelevant visual information. By gently inviting your child to match each object to its correct background, this work provides meaningful, repeated practice with focusing, sorting, and visual discrimination in a calm, engaging way.
45 pairs of hand-illustrated of figure ground cards with silhouettes of animals, vehicles, everyday objects, instruments, and geometric shapes
Two types of worksheets: “Connect the matching images” and “Find the hidden image”
Step by step guide on how to present this printable as it would be presented in a Montessori Classroom.
Strengthens figure-ground perception
Builds visual discrimination and attention
Supports focus in busy or visually complex settings
Lays the groundwork for language, pre-reading, and future literacy
The worksheets offer two gentle extensions to the card work. In the first, children are invited to draw lines to connect each object with its matching background, supporting visual discrimination while naturally strengthening pencil control. The second type of worksheet invites children to look closely and identify an image hidden behind fog or clouds, then circle or point to its matching pair below. This added layer of challenge encourages deeper observation and careful comparison as children refine their ability to notice key visual details.
The Figure Ground material is a key pre-reading activity designed to help children develop important visual perception skills, laying a strong foundation for language and literacy. This printable includes two carefully designed sets of cards: one set features clear black objects in the foreground (the “figure”), while the other set displays matching black backgrounds (the “ground”).
Working with these cards, children practise figure-ground perception: the ability to distinguish an object from its background, even in a visually busy scene. This skill is crucial for later reading, where children must be able to focus on letters and words while filtering out distractions on the page.
The activity is especially helpful for children who find it challenging to screen out irrelevant visual information. By gently inviting your child to match each object to its correct background, this work provides meaningful, repeated practice with focusing, sorting, and visual discrimination in a calm, engaging way.
45 pairs of hand-illustrated of figure ground cards with silhouettes of animals, vehicles, everyday objects, instruments, and geometric shapes
Two types of worksheets: “Connect the matching images” and “Find the hidden image”
Step by step guide on how to present this printable as it would be presented in a Montessori Classroom.
Strengthens figure-ground perception
Builds visual discrimination and attention
Supports focus in busy or visually complex settings
Lays the groundwork for language, pre-reading, and future literacy
The worksheets offer two gentle extensions to the card work. In the first, children are invited to draw lines to connect each object with its matching background, supporting visual discrimination while naturally strengthening pencil control. The second type of worksheet invites children to look closely and identify an image hidden behind fog or clouds, then circle or point to its matching pair below. This added layer of challenge encourages deeper observation and careful comparison as children refine their ability to notice key visual details.
