Montessori Mom

The Colored Tablets

...c, c, c the color sound — can you match these colors?

Montessori colored tablets sharpen visual acuity and help children understand the color spectrum. Color discrimination supports later learning — logic, classification of similar and different objects, grouping, and recognizing patterns of color in nature. These exercises develop visual language skills that children will use in reading and math.

Recommended Materials

These hands-on materials bring the colored tablet exercises to life at home:

• Montessori Color Tablets — Box 1 — Three pairs of primary color tablets (red, blue, yellow) in wooden frames. Perfect for the first matching exercises with young children.
• Montessori Color Tablets — Box 3 — 63 tablets in 9 colors with 7 graded shades each. Ideal for the advanced grading exercise where children arrange shades from lightest to darkest.

Free Printouts

Color Nomenclature Cards — Print two copies: keep one as a template and cut the other into individual cards for matching.

Color Nomenclature Cards (Spanish) — The same cards in Spanish for bilingual learning.

Color Wordlist — For children who are beginning to read. Match each written color word to the corresponding color card.

A Little History: Silk Thread Tablets

Maria Montessori first used colored silk thread tablets instead of our modern painted ones. My first directress attended one of the first Montessori preschools in Holland and experienced the thread tablets firsthand. She explained that the way we present the painted color tablets — holding them on the side and not touching the colored part — was because the colored silk thread would soil from fingerprints. She remembered how beautiful the thread spools were; the colors were vivid and very distinct. These silk thread tablets were inviting to use, and much easier to match and grade than our modern painted ones.

The Challenge with Modern Tablets

I do own the modern colored tablets and they usually work well. But I have found that some of the colors look too similar. Sometimes, less than perfect shades of color make the task confusing for children trying to grade and match the colors. The teachers even had difficulty grading the magenta and red colors! Some of these colors are so similar that it can be frustrating to figure out the correct color group. Also, the painted tablets are so shiny that the glare from the light makes the colors less distinct.

Make Your Own Color Tablets

Here's a wonderful DIY solution: purchase colored spools of thread, yarn, or ribbon. Many students find the spools of thread much easier to match than the painted tablets. Plus, it makes sense to hold the spools carefully so that you don't touch the thread — just like the original Montessori presentation!

Materials

Colored thread, yarn, or ribbon in various colors and shades
Cardboard squares, balsa wood strips, wooden shapes, or wooden cubes (available at any craft store)
Scissors

Method

Evenly wind the thread onto the boards or cubes to make your own color tablets. Start with two of each primary color (red, blue, yellow) for matching. Then add secondary colors (orange, green, purple) for both matching and grading — make sure to have enough shades of each color to arrange from light to dark.

Matching Exercise (Ages 2.5–4)

Place one set of color tablets in a row on a mat. Give your child the matching set and show how to place each tablet next to its pair. Start with just the three primary colors. When your child masters these, add secondary colors one at a time.

Grading Exercise (Ages 3.5–5)

Choose one color family — say, blue. Lay out several shades ranging from very light to very dark. Show your child how to arrange them in order from lightest to darkest. This is the same principle as Montessori's Color Box 3, where children learn to see subtle differences in shade.

Color in Everyday Life

There is such a joy about colors. Color plays a large part in our lives — just watching a sunset can be awe-inspiring. There are so many ways to appreciate color!

Art is a wonderful creative way to explore color. Crayons, colored paper, markers, paint, colored pencils, and chalk are all great mediums to introduce to your children. As seasons change, observe the different colors of trees, flowers, grass, and grains. Talk about your favorite colors together. When your children get dressed in the morning, talk about what colors they are wearing. Color is everywhere we look.

After doing this lesson, our children appreciated painting and mixing different secondary colors using primary colors of tempera paint. A love and interest in art was a wonderful by-product of using the colored tablets.

Related Lessons

Lesson of the Day 18: Colors has more fun activities for preschool color skills, including color mixing art and color hunts.

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