Color Tablets
Color tablets come in three boxes: three pairs, eleven pairs, then 63 tablets in graded shades, for children of about 3 to 5. Box 1 costs $11.95 to $32.85 and box 3 $62.95 to $163.40 at the US sellers we checked on October 2, 2026. Boxes 1 and 2 are easy to make from paint sample cards.
The first lesson with it is Color Tablets: Boxes 1, 2 and 3. Not sure your child is ready for it? Two minutes of questions place your child on the sequence.
| Area | Sensorial |
|---|---|
| Used in | |
| From age | 3 to 5 years |
| Make it | Easy to make at home |
| Buy it | About $12 to $163 (noted ) |
What the color tablets are for
The tablets train the eye on color and nothing else. Each one is a colored center with an edge or frame to hold it by, so the child compares color without touching it. Pairing comes first, then grading shades from dark to light.
Montessori's own set was two boxes of 64 tablets wound with silk, eight colors in eight shades. Today's three boxes split the same work into stages, and the box numbers tell you the order to buy them in.
| Part | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Box 1 | Three pairs: red, yellow, blue |
| Box 2 | Eleven pairs: red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, brown, pink, gray, black, white |
| Box 3 | 63 tablets: nine colors in seven shades each |
| Tablet size | About 6 by 4 cm (Alison's lists 2.36 by 1.57 inches) |
| Montessori's 1912 set | Two boxes of 64, silk wound on wood: eight colors in eight shades |
The lessons that use the color tablets
Color Tablets: Boxes 1, 2 and 3
3 to 5 yearsPairing colored tablets by sight, three colors and then eleven, and later grading seven shades of one color from darkest to lightest.
Buying one: 10 listings checked October 2, 2026
| Seller and set | Made of | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Montessori OutletColor Tablets, 1st Box (510300130)Three pairs, red, yellow, blue, in a wooden box. Market price shown $32.85. | ABS plastic in white frames | $11.95 |
| Montessori OutletColor Tablets, 2nd Box (510300140)Eleven pairs in a wooden box. The page compares it with a $63.20 market price. | ABS plastic in white frames | $24.95 |
| Alison's MontessoriColor Box 2 (S07)Sale price; regular $32.00. Eleven pairs. Made in Thailand. | Not stated | $28.80 |
| Alison's MontessoriColor Box 1, Premium Quality (PS09)Three pairs. Made in Sri Lanka. | Not stated | $31.00 |
| NienhuisFirst Box Of Color TabletsThree pairs. US store price. | Birch plywood, beech, polymer | $32.85 |
| Montessori OutletColor Tablets, 3rd Box (510300150)63 tablets, nine colors in seven shades; listed against $160.20. | ABS plastic in white frames | $62.95 |
| NienhuisSecond Box Of Color Tablets22 tablets in eleven pairs. | Birch plywood, beech, polymer | $64.45 |
| Alison's MontessoriColor Box 3, Premium Quality (PS11)63 tablets, seven shades of nine colors. Made in Sri Lanka. | Not stated | $163.00 |
| NienhuisThird Box Of Color Tablets63 tablets in seven shades of nine colors. | Birch plywood, beech, polymer | $163.40 |
| The Montessori RoomGAM First Box of Colour TabletsCanadian store. Sale price; regular $29.99 CAD. The second and third boxes are $69.99 and $199.99 CAD. | Wood | $24.99 CAD |
- Buy box 1 first and nothing else. It's $11.95 at Montessori Outlet and $32.85 at Nienhuis, and it carries the whole first lesson.
- Box 3 is the expensive one, $62.95 to $163.40 in the US. It can wait until the child pairs all of box 2 without a mistake.
- Box 2 runs from $24.95 at Montessori Outlet to $64.45 at Nienhuis. Alison's sells it at $28.80, made in Thailand.
- Montessori Outlet's tablets are plastic in white frames; Nienhuis lists birch plywood and beech with polymer; Alison's doesn't say. Montessori Services had no color tablets, and Amazon's search page wouldn't load for us.
Making the color tablets at home
What to gather
- Paint sample cards, two identical cards of each color
- Stiff card or thin plywood
- White glue or a strong glue stick
- A ruler, a pencil and a craft knife or paper cutter
- Clear tape or laminating sheets, if the set has to last
- A small box with a lid for each set
| Piece | Size and marking | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Box 1 tablets | 6 by 4 cm; red, yellow, blue | 6 (3 pairs) |
| Box 2 tablets | 6 by 4 cm; the eleven colors listed above | 22 (11 pairs) |
| Box 3 tablets | 6 by 4 cm; one paint strip of seven shades per color | Up to 63 |
- 1Check each pair of sample cards side by side in daylight. They must match exactly; that's the lesson.
- 2Glue the cards to stiff card and let them dry flat under a book.
- 3Cut each tablet to 6 by 4 cm, leaving a plain strip of card at each end as a handle if the color runs to the edge.
- 4Cover with clear tape or laminate.
- 5Keep each box separate. Start the child with box 1 only.
Keeping a full set on the shelf
- Keep the boxes out of direct sun. A faded tablet no longer matches its twin.
- Wipe with a dry cloth. Replace any homemade tablet that bends or peels, since a damaged one gets picked, or avoided, for that reason alone.
Questions parents ask about the color tablets
Which color box should I buy first?
Box 1, the three pairs in red, yellow, blue. Montessori started every child on three strong colors in pairs, and the other boxes build on it. Box 3 can wait a year.
Plastic or wooden color tablets?
Either works. The lesson needs exact matches and a frame or edge to hold, and Montessori Outlet's plastic tablets in white frames have both. Wooden sets cost more and wear better.
Why does box 3 cost so much more?
It holds 63 tablets against box 1's six, and the seven shades of each color have to step evenly from dark to light. That even gradation is what the child is learning to see.
Before the color tablets, make sure the work before it is solid. The knobbed cylinders lesson lists the signs that a child is ready to move on.