The Montessori Sensorial Materials

Providing the Key to Knowledge by Bringing Order to Sensory Experiences

The young child’s job is to explore and discover. On his odyssey, he encounters a barrage of stimuli upon his senses. So much to see, touch, hear, smell and taste, and he must orient himself to this world of impossible scope and wonder. He needs to bring order to the multitude of sensations he is receiving, so that he can begin his work of building his intellect upon a secure foundation of sensory experiences. In a Montessori classroom, this process is facilitated by the Sensorial Materials. These are specially designed materials created to initiate discrimination of size, width, length, color, sound and texture. Through movement and manipulation, the child is led to make judgments and comparisons. As he perceives and reasons, he also lays the groundwork for formal academic learning.