Touch Boards — Rough and Smooth

The tactile sense is refined by isolating it. The child touches with fingertips only, and the contrast between rough and smooth becomes the foundation for all later sandpaper work — letters, numerals, and globe.

• Framework: Montessori
• Unit: Sensorial
• Learning area: Tactile Sense
• Level: Ages 3-4

Objectives

• Distinguish rough and smooth surfaces by touch
• Acquire the vocabulary 'rough' and 'smooth'
• Isolate tactile discrimination from visual cues
• Prepare for sandpaper letters and tactile discrimination

Materials

• Touch Board 1: one board half polished smooth and half rough sandpaper
• Touch Board 2: alternating strips of smooth and rough
• Touch Board 3: strips of graded roughness

Instructions

1. Place Touch Board 1 on the table. 2. Dip the dominant hand's fingertips in a bowl of water and dry them — this sensitizes the fingertips. 3. Gently stroke the smooth side top to bottom and say 'smooth.' 4. Stroke the rough side and say 'rough.' 5. Invite the child to do the same. 6. Use a three-period lesson to name the qualities. 7. Move to Touch Board 2: stroke each strip and name it. 8. Move to Touch Board 3: grade the roughness from most to least. 9. Try with eyes closed to isolate touch from sight.

Educator tip

Moistening the fingertips makes fine tactile distinctions possible. Keep the bowl of water nearby and repeat as the skin dries.

Assessment

Note whether the child can distinguish rough from smooth blindfolded, and grade the third board accurately.

More from Sensorial

• Fabric Box
• Sound Cylinders (Noise Boxes)
• Montessori Bells — Pitch Matching
• Baric Tablets
• Thermic Tablets
• Mystery Bag (Stereognostic)
• Smelling Jars
• Geometric Solids