Sensory Activities for Toddlers – Montessori Knobbed Cylinders

Maria Montessori invited a system that appeals to the senses. They are made of natural materials found in the environment like brass, wood, wicker, cotton, metal, and glass.  This variation made a great effect on the development of the mind. She stated in her writings that the hand is the main source of developing the mind. 

” The hand is the instrument of man’s intelligence”

Dr. Maria Montessori

Multi-sensory Equipment like Knobbed Cylinders

When the hand experience multi-sensory equipment the mind develops and so is the soul of the child. She always combined the soul and the body as one identity in other words one thing.

“It is not that man must develop in order to work, but that man must work in order to develop. The work of the hand is the expression of psychic growth. “

Dr. Maria Montessori

Benefits of Sensory Activities Discovery for the Child

The sensory discovery made by the hands of the child is more meaningful to their mind. By this, the concepts are rooted in their memory and they can unconsciously remember them. The child is the maker in the Montessori environment. He is an active learner as he decides when to work what.

Let’s have a closer look at one of the pieces of equipment in the sensorial corner. This equipment is the knobbed cylinder as shown in the below figure.

Set of 4 blocks with cylinders varying in height and/or diameter in each block. Each of the blocks is a cylinder with concave faces to facilitate holding firmly. Each block consists of 10 cylinders and they are different in size. Each cylinder has its hole and cannot be fitted in another. The child is asked to find the correct hole and if he puts the wrong knobbed cylinder into the wrong hole, then the activity cannot be completed. He needs to find a way to solve the issue by rearranging them again.

 The children are asked to fit the correct-sized cylinder into the correct hole. If a child makes a mistake and the child must find the problem and re-order the knobbed cylinders into the correct holes.

It helps in the following:

• To develop the child’s visual discrimination of size. 

( internalize the differences in size, height, and diameter)

• Indirectly, to prepare the child for writing, by handling the cylinders by their knobs. 

• Indirectly to prepare the child for later work in Mathematics, through observation of the regular differences in the cylinders.
• It works on solving problems and decision-making.
• Practicing crossing the mid-line
• Practicing fine motor coordination

If we turn to another corner which is the practical life, it is considered an imitation of the real kitchen at the house. The child learns different primitive skills. It is called survival skills. It is the base of the Montessori system.

Practical Life is a phenomenal way to develop independence in young children. It also helps children acquire a sense of responsibility. 

One of the activities is the tweezer activity. It consists of two bowls and one of them contains pom-poms. The child is requested to transfer the pom-pom from the left bowl to the right bowl and then put them back. 

It helps in the following:

• Working on the 3 finger grip
• Practicing in transferring the objects from left to right prepares the brain for reading and writing later in development
• Develops concentration and eye-hand coordination

As we can absorb that all activities work on developing the child’s mental ability and at the same time makes him more independent from the caregiver. All activities boost self-reliance, leading to a more confident citizen in the future. The soul and the hand are one thing and not two. 

Have a look on Baanoon store Montessori Knobbed Cylinders Here. Following is a typical picture of our high quality Montessori Knobbed Cylinder version.