Stereognostic Sense In Montessori Meaning, Examples, Types, Activities, And More

Montessori sensorial activities involve using and refining the five senses—taste, smell, touch, sight, and sound.

However, barring these five senses, Dr.Maria Montessori talked about the’ Stereognostic Sense ‘. She coined the term ‘ Stereognostic ‘ to describe how human beings understand the three-dimensional shape of an object such as a cube, prism, pyramid, cylinder, Ovid, ellipsoid, or sphere.

Most essentially, I shall talk about the meaning of stereognostic sense, including examples,  bags, types, activities, and more.

Stereognostic Sense In Montessori Meaning:

I have stated earlier that ‘Stereognostic Sense ‘ in Montessori sensory education refers to one’s ability to understand three-dimensional shapes.

However, if you probe deeper and try to grasp the true meaning of ‘Stereognostic,’ it goes beyond its surface meaning.

Here, she indirectly alluded to the ‘Kinesthetic Sense’ that enables human beings to recognize flat shapes and their outlines, such as feeling around a circle, square, or triangle.

In her observations, she pointed out that the Stereognostic sense functions in a particular path, following the instructions of our brain.

Specific Montessori activities prepare children for letters and numerals. Above all, children are children, and hence, they try to learn shapes like circles, squares, and triangles by feeling their outlines. Thus, these activities enable them to prepare for learning Math shortly.

Stereognostic Sense Examples:

An example of stereognostic sense is the ‘ Mystery Bag ‘ activity because this activity involves-

We put the children’s hands into a bag containing familiar and unfamiliar objects.

Next, the children must identify an object inside the bag by its touch alone. (Without seeing it)

In this activity, children try to recognize objects using tactile exploration and thus develop their stereognostic sense.

Types Of Stereognostic Sense In Montessori :

The stereognostic sense is abstract.  Hence, one needs to know its functions properly to understand its types.

Suppose children try to figure out the shape of a triangle by merely touching it. There is no provision for them to see the object.  Here, they employ the tactile exploration technique to identify the object.

Again,  if you give them a square instead of a triangle,  their stereognostic sense will react differently to identify the object.  The same will happen with – pyramids, cylinders, ovals, ellipsoids, spheres, and the like.

Stereognostic sense Activity:

 Throughout my decade-long teaching career, I have successfully implemented several Montessori activities. Of all my activities with my students and my offspring, I liked the Stereognostic sense activity the most.

I tried the Mystery Bag activity with my students and my offspring to refine Stereognostic. Although it worked perfectly fine for my students and my son and daughter, it involved a lot of work. Moreover, it is a bit expensive, too.

Here, I share with you a cost-effective yet fruitful Stereognostic sense activity. To speak the truth, I have done this with my 5-year-old daughter and several other students of her age.

The name of this activity is “ Sorting Games.” Here’s how I did it:

Sumanta De

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