Color Tablets are a Montessori material for comparing colors. In a matching activity, a child pairs two tablets of the same color. The tablets present the color itself, rather than an object such as a red apple.
From matching colors to comparing shades
The rectangular tablets have handles along their sides. In the sequence described here, the first box presents pairs of red, yellow, and blue tablets. The second adds more colors. The third presents shades of several colors for closer comparison.
Keeping the comparison focused
The tablets keep their form consistent while their colors differ. This illustrates the Montessori idea of isolating one difficulty: the feature being compared is color, rather than a combination of color, shape, and object identity.
