Pink, Blue, and Green Series in Montessori

The Montessori Method of education is a well-structured pedagogical system of education that facilitates every aspect of the child’s development.

The Montessori curriculum incorporates a diverse range of subjects and activities that provides academic, physical, cognitive, emotional, and social benefits to a wide range of learners.

The Montessori method of education focuses on the individual journey of the child and the materials and curriculum of the Montessori method are specifically designed to cater to the individual needs of the pupil.

The Montessori Method of education incorporates three classes of activities:

1. Practical-based learning
2. Sensory stimulation
3. Development of formal skills and education.

The Montessori Language Curriculum is considered to be the foundation of linguistic expression.

It helps pupils develop Fine Motor skills that are essential for holding a pencil, using writing instruments as well as learning how to read written material.

Written learning materials such as phonetic analysis, word skills, and reading help them develop refined motor skills that are important for writing.

This helps children express themselves verbally with confidence and learn how to read and write in either one or multiple languages. The Montessori Method of education facilitates every requirement of the child’s development process.

For developing pupils who are just beginning to explore and discover critical developmental milestones in terms of linguistic skills, the need for an apparatus or material that develops beside the pupil may be necessary.

The Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green Series are considered to be an integral part of the Montessori Language Curriculum. 

What are Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green Series? 

Unlike the Traditional Educational Methods, the Montessori Method of teaching first develops the child’s writing skills and then the reading skills.

The Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green Series is a 3 stage process that is incorporated into the Montessori Language Curriculum.

This Language Material facilitates the education of linguistic concepts in a sequential order moving from simple concepts to more challenging concepts in a bite-sized form.  

How was Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green Series Developed? 

The Pink, Blue, and Green Series is an essential part of Montessori Language Materials. Since Italian was the medium of education in the first Casa Dei Bambini, there was no real use of these language materials.

The Italian language itself is a phonetic language that does not require any specific language materials to help the child learn how to read.

It was when Dr. Maria Montessori went to the United States of America in the 1920s, that the need for appropriate Language apparatus was required for children to learn how to read and write in English.

There are many words that are spelled as “phonemes” in the English Language like “ough” or “ear” that create distinct sounds that need to be memorized.

To break down the essential English Phonics into a straightforward format Dr. Montessori developed The Pink, Blue, and Green Series. 

How Does the Pink Blue and Green Series work? 

The Pink, Blue, and Green Series are used to teach English Phonics in Montessori Institutions.

This Montessori Language Material incorporates a list of words, spelling cards, objects, picture cards, or drawings. The Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green Series helps break down English Phonics into 3 simple groups: 

• Short Vowels
• Consonant Blends 
• Phonetic Combinations 

These materials should be used in a sequential order to help the pupil learn how to write and spell in English. 

The Pink, Blue, and Green series have their own distinct purposes to facilitate English Phonics to pupils, let’s take a more in-depth look at how this unique material works.  

1. Montessori Pink Series

As the first stage of the three, the Pink Series is comprised of three letters that follow the CVC pattern:

• The beginning letter(consonant)
• The Middle Word (vowel)
• The ending letter(consonant)

Pupils will be able to spell three-letter words like “cat”, “hot”, “bus” or “box”. The letter “y” is not included in this series.

2. Montessori Blue Series

Once the Pupil is successfully able to form three-letter words based on CVC(consonant, vowel, consonant) pattern, they will be introduced to the Blue Series.

In the Second Stage, the Blue Series introduces pupils to different blends of consonants with a short vowel sound. The pupils can create 20 different consonant blends with the Blue Series.

Four-letter words like “duck”, “flag”, “rock”, or “bush” can be spelled with the help of the Blue Series. The Blue Seris incorporates double consonants like “ll” or “ss”. 

3. Montessori Green Series

After the pupil has successfully mastered spelling for letter words with the means of the Blue Series, they will move on to the advanced Green Series.

Once the pupil has discovered almost all the inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies of the English Language, the Green Series is where reading fluency and efficiency begin. The Green Series incorporates the following components:

• Major Phonemes like “ou”, “ai”, “ow” or “ie”   
• Diagraphs
• Hard, Soft, and Silent letters

This Series also consists of Vowel combinations like “a_e” or “i_e” where “_” represents a consonant. This series help pupils create and spell about 40 to 50 combinations. Words like “gate”, “mail”, “paint”, “rose”, “though” or “field” can be spelled with the help of The Green Series. 

What is a Pink, Blue, and Green Series Comprised of? 

After learning about the function of the three stages of the series it is now time to know what this unique Montessori Material is comprised of.

There are a variety of methods and materials through which the Pink, Blue, and Green series can be implemented, but it is advised to use abundant materials to ascertain which material will effectively facilitate the process. Here is what the Pink, Blue, and Green Series include:

Pair of Matching Cards

There are two separate options for matching cards based on one’s preference:

• Matching cards with an image on one side of the card and the word on the other.
• Matching cards with the image and the word associating the image on the same side

Rhyme Cards

Rhyming cards are a fun and exciting way to brush up on the pupil’s reading and writing skills. 

List of Words

The word lists and word cards for the Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green Series are widely available on the internet to purchase or download. These lists of words and word cards can help pupil broaden their horizons. 

Sound Bins

To promote the value of order and structure amongst the children, one can introduce baskets and bins to store the materials in the designated slots. One can assign different letters and words in different slots in the bin. 

Objects

When incorporated in the Pink, Blue, and Green Series Objects can add a great tactile experience to the activity. Along with tactile stimulation, objects will also help stimulate the sense of sight as well as promote the pupil to be more attentive.

Picture Cards

A picture can act as a reference to the words assigned to the pupil. One can print images of the objects to help the child spell, write, and match the words. 

Moveable Alphabets

Large Moveable Alphabets when in conjuncture with the Pink, Blue, and Green Series can help children spell, write, and read words. These can be downloaded or purchased from the internet.

Are The Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green Series helpful?

Any Language across the globe is minutes away from mastering when the child is provided with a firm foundation to move forward.

English is a language that involves several complex phonetic patterns that for the first few years can be very difficult for the child to comprehend.

The Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green Series establish a firm foundation of English Phonics in a bite-sized form.

Each color of this wonderful Montessori Material has its own unique contribution to the child’s linguistic development.

The Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green Series is an effective way of introducing the child to the complex world of linguistics and the language itself without overwhelming the child.

While the Pink Series is a great introductory chapter for the child, the Blue and especially Green Series allow the child to explore new horizons with the medium of language.

See Also:

• Montessori Language Curriculum
• Language Montessori Materials
• Language Activities for Montessori
• How Montessori Teaches Reading
• Montessori Movable Alphabet