Montessori Colour Tablets

A familiar material, Montessori colour tablets are introduced in a succession of three sets (or boxes as it’s more commonly known) usually with children between 2 and 3 years old. The goal is to progress from being able to understand the concept of colour first, then learn their names and, finally, ordering colours according to gradation.

The tablets are small, rectangular pieces, all the same size.

In the first box, you have three pairs of the primary colours (red, blue and yellow).

In the second box, you have eight pairs. The three secondary colours (Orange, green, violet) as well as pink, brown, grey, black, and white.

Finally in the third box you have seven different shades for nine different colours (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, pink, brown, and a grey scale from black to white).

Let’s get started!

Box 1

The first lesson uses the tablets from the first box and consists of colour matching. We don’t name the colours now, just match each of the primary colours with its pair. This develops their visual sense of colour through matching. You will start by modelling the activity so make sure you have everything prepared beforehand.

Invite the child to the lesson and place the box or tablets on a table or rug. Model everything, from how to pick up the box from the shelf to placing it gently on the table/rug.

Take the red, yellow and blue tablets (and the matching pairs) and place them randomly on the table. Remember, you’re modelling, so be as gentle as you’d like your child to be. And make it clear how careful and gentle you’re handling the material.

Pick one of the reds and place it near the top of the table using your thumb and index fingers only, holding the tablet by its frame and making sure it’s isolated from the rest of the colours.

Tell your child and make it evident that you’re looking for another just like that. Go over all the other colours and, gently, pick up the other red and place it right next to the first one.

Repeat everything for yellow and blue. At this point you child might want to join you or you can invite them. Either is fine. For example, you place one yellow under the first red and ask your child if they can find one just like that (yellow).

Name that colour!

Once they’ve shown a solid understanding in this exercise you can teach names. And to do this we recommend you use a Three Period Lesson. If you’re not familiar with the Three Period Lesson, it is one of the earliest Montessori techniques, adopted from Edouard Seguin, a French educational theorist and physician. The Three Period Lesson is, essentially, a lesson broken down in three parts. An introduction to new concepts or vocabulary, plenty of time to exercise and recognize the new concept, and then a demonstration of mastery.

First we tell them what something is, for example, you can tell them “this is red”, “this is yellow”. Next you want your child to recognize it, for example, you can ask them “please give me the red”, “please give me the yellow”. Finally, and this step is only for when a child can talk already, you can ask them what it is, for example “what is this?” while pointing at the red tablet.

This is a very simplified version of the three period lesson. A couple of things you need to bear in mind: don’t move to the next period until you’re certain your child mastered the previous. The point is not to set them up for error. If they do make a mistake, don’t correct them, just go back to the previous period. Also very important, don’t move to the third period unless you’re absolutely sure your child knows each word already and will be able to answer your question correctly.

Box 1 + Box 2

In the next lesson you will use box 1 and 2 together. It should be introduced in the same way as before.

First match the colours then teach the colours names using a three period lesson.

Once your child masters each step you can move on to the next lesson. Now you’ll only use box 3 and the task is to arrange all the tablets from darkest to lightest. This exercise goes beyond just colour identification into classification. It’s also a great exercise for introducing new vocabulary. Besides the colours’ names you’ll also use comparatives (lighter, darker) and superlatives (lightest, darkest) and you can teach these using the three period lesson as well.

Box 3

Exercise 1

Present the box in the same way as you did with box 1 and 2. Again, remember you’re modelling their behaviour.

Choose just one of the colours (let’s say green) and place each tablet on the table.

Tell your child you’re going to order the tablets.

Pick the darkest tablet and isolate it from the rest of the tablets. Then, pick the lightest tablet and isolate it from the rest of the tablets as well.

Place the darkest to the left and the lightest to the right. While doing this show the darkest to your child and tell them “this is the darkest blue” and the same with the lightest “this is the lightest blue”.

After that, tell your child you’re going to look for a tablet that’s just a little lighter than the darkest one and place it to the right of the darkest tablet.

When you’re done show your child how all of the tablets are arranged from darkest to lightest.

Return the tablets to the centre of the table and invite your child to try the exercise.

Repeat this process until they’ve arranged all the tablets of each colour set.

Exercise 2

Once they’re comfortable with that exercise, have them choose one of the colours and you choose another one of contrasting colour.

Ask your child to grade them both.

Repeat the exercise until your child has graded every two combinations possible (don’t be afraid to get your notebook!).

Exercise 3

Place all the tablets on box 3 on the table randomly.

Take the darkest of each colour and place them on the top or side of the table, one at a time.

Take the second darkest and place them next to the darkest and repeat until you’ve arranged all the tablets of all colours from darkest to lightest.

When you’re finished, show your child how you graded all the colours. Then, mix the tablets again and invite them to have a go.

Other Activities

There are other fun activities you can do using the colour tablets after all the above is mastered. Here are a few suggestions!

The Starburst Effect

It’s the very much the same as exercise 3 explained above but, now, you’re going to grade the colours around a star in the middle.

Place the star at the table and the tablets to the side.

Take the darkest of each colour and place them around the star one at a time.

Take the second darkest and place them next to the darkest and repeat until you’ve arranged all the tablets of all colours from darkest to lightest starting at the centre and moving out.

Memory exercises

Show your child a colour and let them look at it for as long as they like.

Ask them to put that colour down and go to a distant table where the rest of the tablets are and bring the same colour you showed him.

As they go back and forth, they must walk without losing their focus since they must remember the colour of the tablet they’re supposed to bring back. This is great training to their focusing ability.

Vocabulary

We’ve already talked how you can use the three period lesson to teach the colours names. You can do the same for adjectives, for example, dark, darker, darkest and light, lighter and lightest.

First Period

Ask your child to choose one of the colours and grade it from darkest to lightest.

Then, you choose 2 contrasting shades. Let’s say you choose the darkest and the middle tablet (4th darkest).

Now identify the correct one as darker and the other as lighter.

After this, change one of the tablets so that the relationship changes and identify them again. Change the darkest one for the lightest one and keep the middle one. Now the middle one is darker.

Second Period

Ask your child to choose one of the colours and grade it from darkest to lightest.

After this, change one of the tablets so that the relationship changes and ask them to identify again.

Then, choose 2 contrasting shades and ask your child to identify the correct one as darker and the other as lighter.

Third Period

Ask your child to choose one of the colours and grade it from darkest to lightest.

Then, choose 2 contrasting shades and have your child tell you the adjectives.

Point at one and ask “what is this one?” After this, change one of the tablets so that the relationship changes and ask them to name it again.

For superlatives there’s only a slight twist to the method. Instead of 2 tablets, you choose three or four tablets.

First period

Ask your child to choose one of the colours and grade it from darkest to lightest.

Then, choose 3 contrasting shades. Let’s say you choose the darkest, the middle tablet (4th darkest) and the lightest.

Now identify the correct one as dark and the other as darker.

Then, add the darkest one while saying something like “and this is the darkest”.

Finally, change one or two tablets so that the relationship changes and identify them again.

Second period

Ask your child to choose one of the colours and grade it from darkest to lightest.

Then, you choose 3 contrasting shades and ask your child to identify the darkest.

Replace one of the tablets or add more tablets and ask for the new darkest.

Third period

Choose 3 contrasting shades and have your child tell you the adjectives.

Point at the darkest and ask “what is this one?”

After this, add more or change one of the tablets so that the relationship changes and ask them to name it again.

Matching Colours to house items

Colour tablets matching objects to colours

Another fun exercise is to match colours to objects in your house. Pick one tablet from each of the colours in box 1 (red, yellow and blue) and show them to your child.Then bring a few objects that match each of the tablets. Now you can ask your child to match the objects to the colours.

As they get more comfortable with this exercise, add more items and colours to the group.

Oh, and as always, don’t forget to share with us how you used the materials! We love to see you enjoying them!

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