Cylinder Blocks

The cylinder blocks provide immediate, intrinsic control of error. The child's hand learns what the eye already sees. The pincer grip exercised by the knob prepares the hand for holding a pencil, and the work refines visual discrimination of tiny graded differences. A misplaced cylinder either sticks out above the block or leaves a gap, and another cylinder will not fit its socket.

• Framework: Montessori
• Unit: Sensorial
• Learning area: Visual Dimension
• Level: Ages 3-4

Objectives

• Match each cylinder to its correct socket by sight and feel
• Discriminate subtle gradations in one or more dimensions
• Develop the pincer grip through use of the cylinder knob
• Experience material-based self-correction

Materials

• Four wooden cylinder blocks, each with ten graded sockets and corresponding knobbed cylinders (varying in height, diameter, or both)

Instructions

1. Carry one block to a table. 2. Using the pincer grip on the knob, remove each cylinder. 3. Arrange them in random order in front of the block. 4. Choose one cylinder and try it in each socket from left to right until it sits flush with the top of the block. 5. Continue until every cylinder has found its socket. 6. Verify each cylinder sits flush. 7. Return the block to the shelf with all cylinders in place. 8. When the child is ready, introduce a second block. 9. Later combine all four blocks in varied configurations.

Educator tip

Present one block first until the child has mastered it; do not rush to four. The knob lesson transfers silently to pencil grip, so insist on a true three-finger pincer.

Assessment

Observe the grip used on the knob, the strategy for matching, and how the child handles errors and self-corrects.

More from Sensorial

• Color Box 2 — Matching Primary and Secondary Colors
• Color Box 3 — Grading Shades
• Geometric Cabinet
• Constructive Triangles
• Binomial Cube
• Trinomial Cube
• Knobless Cylinders
• Touch Boards — Rough and Smooth