Sensorial

Sensorial

Oct 21, 2024

There are five areas of a Montessori environment (toddler – primary). The infant environment has some areas but only some of the five. The five areas are:

  1. Practical life
  2. Sensorial
  3. Mathematics
  4. Language
  5. Cultural

This topic focuses on Sensorial.

The sensorial area of the classroom allows your child to explore their environment and make sense of it. The five senses are explored in different ways to help the child bring order to their mind. The sensorial area of the classroom prepares the child for mathematics. One way is that most materials consist of 10 – ten pink cubes, ten knobbed cylinders, etc. Our math system is a base 10, so materials in quantities of 10 indirectly prepare the child for math concepts. Visual acuity is addressed by matching colors with primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. The tactile (touch) sense exists in all areas of sensorial. Still, specific materials are intended for touch, such as sandpaper tablets, where a child can discern different grits of sandpaper from the smoothest to the roughest. Auditory (hearing) is explored through matching bells and sound cylinders that match to create different sounds. The olfactory sense (smell) is refined using smelling jars with scents such as lavender, cinnamon,  garlic, and more. Gustatory (taste) takes on a different exploration in the classroom and is most often done with tasting experiences (new foods).  The five senses are explored in many different ways. There are a few Montessori materials that are present in a primary environment:

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