Skip to content
Homeschool Montessori

Metal Insets

Metal insets are ten pink metal frames with blue geometric shapes that lift out by a knob, traced and filled in with colored pencils from about 3.5. Sets cost $56.95 to $194.00 at the three US sellers we checked on October 2, 2026; stands are often extra. Card frames make a usable homemade start.

By Owen WrenLast updated

The first lesson with it is Metal Insets. Not sure your child is ready for it? Two minutes of questions place your child on the sequence.

At a glance
AreaLanguage
Used in
From age3.5 to 6 years
Make itPossible to make with some effort
Buy itAbout $57 to $194 (noted )
Illustration: the Montessori metal insets, pink frames holding blue insets, standing in a wooden rack.
IllustrationMetal insets in their rack.
Montessori metal insets, ten frames on two sloping boards, Fig. 28 in Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook, 1914
From Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook (1914)Fig. 28, sloping boards to display the set of metal insets, as printed in Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook (1914). Public domain.
Montessori metal inset on a drawing table, above tablets partly covered with sandpaper, The Montessori Method, 1912
From The Montessori Method (1912)The drawing table and inset, above wooden tablets partly covered with sandpaper and a block of cylinders, as printed in The Montessori Method (1912). Public domain.

What the metal insets are for

The child traces the inside of a frame, then the shape, in two colors, and fills the figure with even strokes. It trains the writing hand before letters are written, and the drawings get better in plain sight, page by page.

This is one of the materials Montessori describes in most detail. Her 1914 handbook has ten pink metal frames with blue figures on two sloping boards; her 1912 set had brown frames with dark blue centers. The trays and pencil holders that albums add are later practice.

Parts of the metal insets
PartWhat it looks like
FramesTen, pink metal, each with a shape cut out
InsetsTen blue metal shapes, each with a small knob. Alison's lists them at 5.5 inches square
StandsTwo sloping wooden stands of five; Alison's are 27.5 by 6.5 inches
ExtrasA tray, paper cut square and colored pencils, not usually included

The lessons that use the metal insets

  • Metal Insets

    3.5 to 6 years

    Tracing a metal frame and its shape in two colors, then filling the figure with even pencil strokes, to train the hand for writing.

Buying one: 5 listings checked October 2, 2026

Prices checked October 2, 2026
Seller and setMade ofPrice
Montessori OutletMetal Insets (510400400)Ten blue insets in pink frames. No stand. Market price shown $140.65. In stock.Heavy-gauge painted metal; knobs welded on$56.95
Alison's MontessoriMetal Insets with Stands (L27)Sale price; regular $105.00. Ten insets and frames with two sloping stands. Insets 5.5 inches square.Metal insets, wooden stands$94.50
NienhuisThe Metal InsetsBlue and pink. The page doesn't state the piece count or a stand.Metal$154.70
Alison's MontessoriMetal Insets with Stand, Premium Quality (PL12)Ten insets and frames on two sloping stands. Made in Sri Lanka.Metal insets, wooden stands$194.00
The Montessori RoomMetal Insets with 2 StandsCanadian store. Ten pink frames, ten blue insets and two sloping stands; sold as a budget version.Metal frames and insets$114.99 CAD
Prices read on each seller's page on , before shipping and tax. They change often; check the seller's page before you buy. None of these links earn us anything.
  • Montessori Outlet's $56.95 set has no stand. A shelf where all ten shapes stand in a row does the job; Montessori found children drew more when they could see every inset.
  • Alison's $94.50 set includes two stands, and is the cheapest US set that does.
  • Run a finger round every frame and inset on arrival. Burrs on cheap metal catch the skin and the paper.
  • Nienhuis's $154.70 page shows the blue and pink pieces but doesn't say whether a stand is included.

Making the metal insets at home

What to gather

  • Mat board or thin plastic sheet, enough for ten squares about 14 cm across
  • A craft knife, a cutting mat and a metal ruler
  • Pink and blue paint or paper, if you want the classic colors
  • Ten small beads or buttons and glue, for knobs
  • A pencil and a compass
Cut list
PieceSize and markingHow many
Frames14 cm squares with a shape cut out of the middle10
InsetsThe cut-out shapes, trimmed slightly so they lift out10
  1. 1Draw one shape in the middle of each square. Start with the square and the circle; add other shapes once those are cut cleanly.
  2. 2Cut the shape out carefully. The square that's left is the frame and the piece that comes out is the inset.
  3. 3Trim a sliver off the inset's edge so it lifts out without catching.
  4. 4Paint the frames pink and the insets blue, if you like, and let them dry flat.
  5. 5Glue a bead or button to the middle of each inset as a knob.

Keeping a full set on the shelf

  • Stand the frames upright or lay them flat; a bent frame no longer sits flat on the paper.
  • Keep sharpened colored pencils in a cup beside the stand. A blunt pencil spoils the outline.

Questions parents ask about the metal insets

How many metal insets are there?

Ten. Montessori's 1914 handbook describes ten frames on two sloping boards of five, and the sets in our table hold ten.

Do I need the stand for metal insets?

No. It shows the ten shapes in a row, which Montessori found made children want to draw them all. A shelf where they stand side by side does the same.

Can I make metal insets?

In card or plastic, yes; the build above takes an evening. Metal ones are hard to make at home, and they last longer and guide the pencil better.

Before the metal insets, make sure the work before it is solid. The knobbed cylinders lesson lists the signs that a child is ready to move on.