Mystery Bag Montessori activity is a simple yet effective activity to teach children the sense of touch. In addition to this, it is a great vocabulary builder too.
There are more than 30 sets of Montessori sensorial materials to train the following senses:-
- Visual
- Tactile
- Taste and Smell
- Baric and Thermic
- Stereognostic and
- Auditory
The Mystery Bag activity trains young children to become aware of their own senses. Moreover, it has a specific purpose and points of interest.
I implemented this activity with my young ones to see its direct and indirect aims. Here I share my experience with you.
Mystery Bag Montessori Activity :
I have stated earlier that the mystery bag activity educates a child’s stereognostic sense. Therefore, to put this activity into practice I bought a medium-sized cotton sack from the nearby market.
Then, I put some familiar and unfamiliar objects in it ( Unfamiliar Objects – unfamiliar to my children).
There were items like a rectangular prism, sphere, cube, Ovid prism, cylinder, and triangular prism.
In addition, I put magnetic numerals in the bag. Barring these there were other items too. After doing so, I followed these steps:-
Step 1 – I asked my children to come and sit before the bag which I deliberately placed on a table.
Step 2 – After that, I made them understand the rules of the activity that we were going to do.
Step 3 – I asked them to put their hands inside the bag and advised them to name the object or objects before pulling it out of the bag.
My daughter frequently made mistakes in handling the objects she touched. For example, she touched a rectangular prism and couldn’t name it.
Then after pulling out the object from the bag, I made her familiar with the new object and uttered the word ‘ rectangular prism ‘ before her. Thus, she started becoming familiar not only with the object but also with new words.
My son is no exception in making mistakes like her younger sister. I promptly corrected his mistakes and urged him to continue with the activity.
I continued the task until all the objects were emptied from the bag.
Mystery Bag Montessori Control Of Error:
A control of error can help children complete a task flawlessly. Furthermore, it allows them to work independently and refine their judgments.
While doing mystery bag activity with my son and daughter, they frequently made mistakes in naming the objects.
Later, with my assistance they corrected their mistakes and completed the task successfully.
Mystery Bag Montessori Purpose:
There is no denying of the fact that babies use their senses ( like touch, sight, smell, and hearing) to learn about their surroundings.
Driven by this instinct they try to feel and explore everything with their hands, eyes, and even their mouths. Thus, they stare at vibrant colors, listen to sonorous sounds, and touch various textures.
As a result, this enables them to differentiate between safe and unsafe or familiar or unfamiliar.
In Montessori education, each sense has its different role. The Montessori Mystery Bag activity serves the purpose of teaching young children about shapes, textures, and length through the sense of touch.
While the direct aim of Mystery Bag Montessori is aforementioned, its indirect aim is to build vocabulary in young children.
Mystery Bag Montessori Points Of Interest:
In Montessori education ” Mystery Bag Activity ” is a sensory activity. It helps directly and indirectly to build a child’s tactile sense, vocabulary, and concentration.
Thus, this specific activity draws the children’s attention and guides their learning experience. For example, in a Mystery Bag activity, a child learns the following:-
- Textures & Shapes
- Identifying Objects
- Matching Object To Name
- Building Vocabulary
Mystery Bag Montessori Vocabulary:
I have stated earlier that the mystery bag activity is beneficial for building a child’s vocabulary.
I introduced my children to new geometric terms like – rectangular, prism, sphere, and cylinder as they pulled out objects from the bag.
Moreover, they became familiar with descriptive terms like ‘ curved’, ‘straight ‘, ‘ smooth’, ‘ rough’ etc.
FAQ :
What is Mystery Bag Montessori Age?
Mystery Bag activity is appropriate for children between 3 and 3.5 years of age.
What Is Mystery Bag?
It is a bag or a sack that contains a selection of objects both familiar and unfamiliar. It is generally used to teach children geometric shapes, identify objects, and build vocabulary.
Sumanta De is an educator. He has been teaching students for more than 16 years following the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. He has a 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter.
He is nurturing his children abiding by the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. His passion for Montessori methods goes beyond the classroom.
Hence, he shares his experiences and insights through a dedicated Montessori blog and a YouTube channel under the name “NewChild Montessori”. He aims to offer valuable guidance to both parents and educators.
Education: M.A. English, Masters in Child Psychology & Bachelor’s Degree in Montessori Teachers Training