Montessori Activity: Mystery Box

Inspired by My Montessori Moments

Age: From 1.5 years old

Activity Duration: 5 - 10 minutes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To gives your child a fun way to practise in identifying and naming objects only through the sense of touch.

Materials:

1. 1 tissue box with a hole (I use a shoe box instead and covered the hole with a felt "curtain" to conceal the objects).

2. 2 sets of different objects such as apple, orange, animal figures, geometric objects such as cube, a pyramid, a prism, etc.

Directions:

1. Show your child the objects and name them one-by-one.

2. Put them in the box and close the box.

3. Ask your child to put his hands inside the box and try to find the item you name just by feeling it. He is not allowed to look inside the box.

Here is another variation of the game - the Mystery Bag

Video Demonstration:

http://www.ehow.com/video_4940979_matching-mystery-bag-montessori-activity.html

Additional Information:

J (3Y3M3W3D) tried this game today, and he enjoyed it. He was too quick at it, and picked one wrong item, but we had a good time laugh together.

References:

- Montessori Play and Learn by Lesley Britton
- http://mymontessorimoments.com/2011/04/19/your-tissue-box-repurposed-into-a-mystery-box/
- http://www.suite101.com/content/the-montessori-mystery-bag-a182138

 

Montessori Activity: Advanced Mystery Bag Game

Building a mirror-image sculpture designed by Yang Li with items from the Mystery Bag.

Age: From 2 years 3 months old

Activity Duration: 15 minutes

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Number of Players: 2

Objective(s):

1. To stimulate the children's keen sense of touch.
2. To teach the names of objects and broaden the child's vocabulary.
3. To teach team work.

How to play?

1. Fill 2 sets of 15 different items into each drawstring bag.

2. Call an item and instruct the first player to find the object from her bag by touch without peeping in.

3. Instruct the first player to display the object on the table.

4. Instruct the second player to find the same item in his bag and display the object on the table in a mirror image.

5. Repeat until all the items called are displayed in a mirror image.

6. Clean up by asking the first player to put the named item and place it back into her bag.

7. It is the second player's turn to put the name item into his bag.

8. Repeat until all items are placed back into the bags.

Additional Information:

The traditional Montessori Mystery Bag game is losing the novelty appeal to both Amy and Joshua (2Y3M6D). It is getting too simple for them. My friend, Yang Li, invented this game and the children had a lot of fun playing this game during our "Fun with Chinese" Class with Toddlers yesterday.

I was very impressed with the mirror-image "sculpture" the children have made. Later, based on instruction, one-by-one, they put back the items into the mystery bag and everything is cleaned up in a fun and orderly manner.



All the items are now kept back into the mystery bag, well done, Amy & Joshua!

Montessori Activity: Mystery Bags (Touch Sensory)

Age: From 1.5 years old

Activity Duration: 5 - 10 minutes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Objective(s): To give your child a fun way to practice in identifying and naming objects only through the sense of touch.

Materials:
1. 2 identical drawstring bags.
2. 2 sets of different small objects such as apple, orange, animal figures and geometric objects such as cube, pyramid, prism, etc.

Directions:
1. Get your child to hold one bag and you hold the other.

2. Put your hand inside your bag and select one of the objects, say the cube, bring it out and show it to him.

3. Ask him to put his hands inside his bag and try to find the same shape, using only his sense of touch. He is not allowed to look inside the bag.

Video Demonstration:

http://www.ehow.com/video_4940979_matching-mystery-bag-montessori-activity.html

Additional Information:
I quickly prepared these bags, while Daddy was giving J a bath. I placed in each bag a goat, a penguin, a dog, an apple, a figure of 10 shape, a cube, a triangular block, a oblong block, a crescent block and a roof block. For more ideas on Mystery Bags/Boxes, click here for a good post from http://www.mymontessorimoments.wordpress.com/

J (2Y1M28D) tried this game this evening, and he enjoyed it. There were times when he kept taking out the wrong object, while searching for the cube. He then laughed and finally asked me to help him, which I did. But he had no problem finding the goat and the dog.

References:
- Montessori Play and Learn by Lesley Britton
- http://www.suite101.com/content/the-montessori-mystery-bag-a182138

Montessori Activity: What's in the Mystery Bag? Touch Sensory Bag

Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 5 - 10 minutes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To train the child's sense of touch.
2. To teach the name of items.

Materials:
1. 15-20 items that your child is familiar with that have distinctive sizes, shapes and textures.
2. 1 drawstring bag

Directions:
1. Put all the things into the bag, and ask your child to touch one item at a time, and guess what it is, then take the item out.

2. Then say the name of the item to your child, if he could not say its name.

3. For younger toddlers, put one item at a time in the bag, and ask your child to put his hand into the bag, touch the item and guess what it is, then take the item out.

Additional Information:
J (2Y28D) tried this for the first time this morning, but he was too excited and impatient to guess what the item was, and took out the item straight away!!!