Have you ever wondered if you can use Montessori color tablets for art lessons? For example the Montessori color tablet box? Montessori materials can support engaging art experiences. Montessori materials can help you engage your students for learning something new.
Let’s focus on the color tablet box that is typically used to teach chromatic sense. By staging a Montessori color tablet box, we can introduce dynamic art sessions. Because Montessori children already have experience working with color matching using color tablets. You can use this background knowledge to bridge new art ideas.
You can use color tablets as an anticipatory set. These color tablets can be a creative way to peak our students’ interest. So by connecting learned knowledge from tablet matching work, to brand new color knowledge. So yes you can use Montessori color tablets for preparing art colour lessons. And this can be a fun creative format to open up new color mixing presentations. This is what I mean – to bridge the gap to new information.
Color tablet work needs to be dynamic
Working with color tablets in the Montessori classroom is a valuable aspect of practical life. However, when it comes to teaching art literacy, it’s important art making is dynamic and spatial in nature. Relying solely on color tablet work may provide a foundation for color matching, but it falls short in teaching color theory. So, think about using color tablets as openers for actual color mixing art exercises.
In my books and training, I explain the importance between static and dynamic learning. Matching color tablets is considered static information. Whereas color mixing involves dynamic movment.
To learn more on this topic, I recommend checking out my books/curriculum/Training:
Kids Color Theory – Curriculum
These resources explore the importance of color mixing activities. Remember, art should include learning the basics and trying things out to develop a better understanding.
Color Work Is Open-ended
It’s important to note that working with color has no right or wrong way of arranging or mixing colors. The focus shifts towards understanding how color mixtures behave. So ample practice (play) in exploring colors even experimenting with different types of mediums.
Building a foundation through color tablet work is a fundamental aspect of the Montessori philosophy. In color mixing art lessons, it is equally important for children to experiment, record their experiences, and understand how different color mixtures came about. Because this knowledge will later help them achieve desired colors.
Color theory lessons can be enjoyed by children of all ages. It’s a vital part of children’s artistic expression.
How to Use Montessori Color Tablets
Here are some anticipatory sets ideas you can create using color tablets to engage your students. After engaging your students in a conversation, then follow up with color theory lessons using paint materials.
- Set up a prism next to a box of color tablets and ask students to identify what they have in common
- Display a color wheel next to a color tablet
- Arrange two primary color tablets on a tray
- Place a variety of warm or cool color tablets on a tray and prompt children to share their knowledge of warm and cool colors.
- Encourage students to explore the differences between primary and secondary color tablets.
- Discuss the concept of complementary colors
- Discuss how artists achieve different shades from darkest to lightest in their paintings
Don’t have color tablets? No worries, you can use color toys or blocks. You can paint and create your own color tablets.
Buy Kids Color Theory Digital or Paperback Book HERE
Buy : Kids Color Theory Curriculum Digital or Paperback HERE
All rights reserved © 2026, Nature of Art®
Nature of Art® provides art pedagogy
This website and its blogs supports individual educators in teaching children visual arts. It does not authorize professional development, staff training, or adaptation of the Science Art Method™ for institutional use.
No part of this blog may be used or be reproduced in any manner whatsoever including reproducing, publishing, performing, and making any adaptions of the work – including translation into another foreign language without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Nature of Art® Publishing P.O. Box 443 Solana Beach, California 92075.