Montessori and the Senses

In particular, Montessori emphasizes breaking down learning into the smallest steps that build on one another to become a more complete understanding. While this makes sense for more academic topics, Montessori goes further than this. The same principle is used to develop the senses — breaking down each sense so that the whole child is more fully developed.

In today’s world, I think, that children’s senses are often so completely overwhelmed and bombarded with information from screens and battery operated toys that they are never really given the opportunity to grow each sense on its own. Or to experience the joy that comes from really using a particular sense to help understand the world around them.

Montessori changes this and gives children the space and opportunity, through a variety of sensorial works to isolate and develop each sense.

I wanted to share with you one easy way to introduce Montessori sensorial work into your children’s lives — DIY smelling jars. These jars are an easy and fun way to isolate your child’s sense of smell. The goal is to have matching scents in jars. The children then smell each bottle and try to find the matches.

To make, I just dipped two Pom-poms into each scent and placed one into a jar.  Then, I marked the bottom of one jar of each scent with a red dot, and one with a blue. I placed each of the jars in a small tray. Then my son, can match the jars by scent only. He will know that something has gone wrong if he has a pair with two red or two blue dots.

Once he masters these first jars, I will add another set to increase the challenge. Similar work can be made for sound and taste. The famed pink tower, brown stairs and knobbed cylinders isolate other senses — like visual discrimination, for example.

So, go isolate some senses! Work with sound, smell, taste, sight! And watch your child grow! For more ideas on how to use Montessori principles in your home, stop by The Kavanaugh Report, or follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!