The ‘Visual Sense’ or sight refers to one’s ability to see. In Montessori learning the visual sense exercise, a sensory activity, helps children learn discrimination and order. In addition, it enhances their ability to become more logical and aware.
The visual sense training not only prepares children to become good observers but also indirectly prepares them for geometry, botany, and algebra.
There are some basic Montessori materials like color cards, solid cylinders, a pink tower, a broad stair and a stair with long rods, and some advanced materials like the knobless cylinders that I use for this purpose.
Most importantly, here I shall introduce you to Montessori visual sense meaning, examples, importance, activities, discrimination, and its schedule.
The Importance Of Visual Sense In Montessori:
Who can deny it? – Without the blessings of sight human beings find it difficult to cope with their surroundings. To them, learning becomes challenging more than anything else.
Thus, the visual sense plays a conspicuous role in human learning and development. Above all, the visual sense of sight becomes important in a variety of ways.
They are as follows:
- Learning and Comprehension
- Spatial Awareness
- Non-verbal and Verbal Communication
- Creativity and Imagination
- Safety and Survival
Examples:
Education, everyday tasks, art and design, technology, games, and sports.
Montessori Visual Sense Activities:
After the children enter the “Children House”, they are made familiar with various Visual sense exercise Montessori materials.
Here age plays a crucial role because some visual sense exercises are appropriate for children between 3-5 years of age whereas some advanced Materials are for older children.
Here I shall write down step by step how I perform these activities to get the desired results. I also would like to add that I’ve successfully implemented these (from basic to advance) both with my offspring and with my students.
We all need to remember that we must make children aware of their visual senses and hence I always start with the basic activities.
Here’s how I have introduced my son and daughter to the basic visual sense activities:
| Activity | Description | Materials Needed | Key Learning |
| Color Matching (Montessori Color Box #1) | Teach primary colors (red, yellow, blue) using paint sample cards or printed color-matching cards. Use Three-Step Lessons to help the child learn the names of colors. | Paint sample cards, printed cards, or Montessori color box | Recognition and naming of primary colors |
| Primary & Secondary Colors (Montessori Color Box #2) | Add secondary colors (orange, green, purple) along with pink, brown, white, gray, and black. Match two of each color. | Paint samples or Montessori color box | Recognition and naming of both primary and secondary colors |
| Clothespin Matching | Attach circles or squares of colors to the edge of a container or box and match them using clothespins. | Colored paper, container, clothespins | Fine motor skills, matching colors |
| Color Hunt | Child searches for objects of a given color and groups them by color on a rug. | Everyday objects | Observation, grouping by color |
| “I Spy” Game | Use color names to ask the child to find objects of a specific color. | Everyday objects | Recognition of colors, observation skills |
| Color Mixing | Use food coloring in an eyedropper to mix primary colors into secondary colors in a tray. Clean the brush after each use. | Food coloring, eyedropper, paint mixing tray, brush, water | Understanding of color combinations, fine motor skills |
| Pattern Matching | Match scrapbook patterns glued onto fruit juice lids and play memory games. | Scrapbook papers, fruit juice lids | Pattern recognition, memory development |
| Color Shades (Montessori Color Box #3) | Grade and arrange paint samples from darkest to lightest. Encourage left-to-right tracking to reinforce early reading skills. | Paint sample cards (6–7 shades of each color), Montessori Color Box #3 | Visual discrimination, sensory refinement |
| Fun Extension for Color Shades | Attach pieces of color samples to clothespins and match them to corresponding shades. | Colored sample pieces, clothespins | Fine motor skills, color grading |
Now after the introduction of primary visual sense activities, I provided my children with knobbed and knobless cylinders. These are a bit complex and hence require close observation to get the best result.
Although I get little chance to present my students with the primary visual sense activities, I make abundant use of the aforementioned material and other Montessori sensorial materials to teach my young students the visual sense.
Most importantly, here I forgot to mention that I guide my son and daughter (7 & 5) following the same method that I apply at school.
Here’s how:
| Feature | Details |
| Material | Montessori Knobbed Cylinders |
| Purpose | Helps children develop sensory perception, comparison, and decision-making skills using dimensions like diameter, height, and thickness. |
| Blocks and Their Characteristics | – Block #1 (Top Left): Cylinders get smaller in both diameter and height. |
| – Block #2 (Top Right): Cylinders are all the same height but get smaller in diameter. | |
| – Block #3 (Bottom Left): Cylinders get smaller in diameter while getting taller. | |
| – Block #4 (Bottom Right): Cylinders stay the same diameter but get shorter. | |
| Usage Tips | – Demonstrations not required; let the child explore independently (auto-education). |
| – Teach terms like shortest, tallest, widest, thinnest, narrowest, largest, smallest, full, empty, tall, short, wide, narrow. | |
| Extensions | – Use a blindfold or Mystery Bag for tactile exploration to identify cylinders by size (e.g., largest, smallest, in-between). |
| – Sequence Cards (e.g., from Montessori Print Shop for $0.99): Print and cut to let children match cylinders to control images. | |
| Challenge Setup | Arrange the four blocks in a square, place all cylinders in the middle, and encourage the child to replace them in their correct positions |
Knobless Cylinder:
| Activity | Description | Extensions |
| Montessori Knobless Cylinders | A set of four cylinder groups in different colors for building, stacking, and arranging activities. | Use graphic images and control cards to match or create patterns. Cut and paste control card images to design custom control sheets. Match cylinders to the designs. |
Purpose:
Besides being a visual sense enhancer exercise, Montessori knobbed and knobless cylinders contribute to the development of the following skills in children:
- One-to-one correspondence
- Crossing the midline
- Development of the pincer grip
- Alignment and judgment
- Fine motor coordination
- Hand-eye coordination
- Strengthen the pincer grip
- Differentiate between sizes and dimensions
- Visual discrimination skills.
- Match sizes
Barring the activities mentioned above, parents and educators can try the following activities to enhance visual and other sensory skills in children.
I think it is unnecessary to repeat that I have implemented these activities with my son, daughter, and students to help them enjoy their benefits.
Montessori Pink Tower:
| Activity | Description |
| Setting out the Pink Tower | Child lays out a rug and places the cubes on it. Parent demonstrates stacking cubes carefully. Child explores building the tower. |
| Finding the largest cube | Parent asks, “Can you find the largest cube?” The child sets it aside, then continues finding and stacking the largest cubes. |
| Building designs | The child creates new designs using the cubes, which can renew interest in the material. |
| Using Control Cards | |
| Stereognostic sense activity | Blindfolded child or use of a Mystery Bag. Child identifies cubes by touch, starting with distinct sizes and progressing to similar sizes. |
Montessori Red Rods:
| Activity | Description |
| Setting out the Red Rods | Child lays out a rug and places the rods on it in a random arrangement. |
| Grading the rods | Child identifies and arranges rods by length, starting from the shortest to the longest. |
| Exploring designs | Child uses the rods to create various designs, encouraging creativity and spatial awareness. |
| Aspect | Details |
| Purpose | To help children develop skills such as spatial awareness, one-to-one correspondence, alignment and judgment, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills. |
| Key Activities | – Grading rods from shortest to longest. – Encouraging comparative language (“This is short, this is long”). |
| Skills Developed | – Visual discrimination of length. – Fine motor coordination. – Logical sequencing. – Problem-solving. |
| Instructions for Use | 1. Ask the child to find the shortest rod and place it at the bottom left of the rug. 2. Repeat with the remaining rods, ensuring they are graded from shortest to longest. |
| Tips for Challenges | – If the child struggles to differentiate lengths, eliminate every other rod for simplification. – Use everyday objects for comparison. – Introduce sorting games and puzzles for additional practice. |
| Extensions | – Use Red Rod Pattern Cards for creating extension layouts. – Utilize apps like the Montessori Board for additional activities (e.g., ordering rods, integrating number rods, and other math concepts). |
| DIY Mini-Red Rods | 1. Use 5/8″ x 36″ poplar craft wood rods. 2. Cut 10 rods with lengths from 1″ to 10″, increasing by 1″ each. 3. Sand and paint them primary red. 4. Alternative material: 3/4″ wooden dowels. |
Montessori Brown or Broad Stair:
| Aspect | Details |
| Material Name | Montessori Brown Stair (Broad Stair) |
| Purpose | – Part of the “big three” Montessori dimensional materials (along with Pink Tower and Red Rods). – Enhances visual discrimination of dimensions such as width and height. |
| Dimensions | – All prisms are 20 cm long. – Width increases from 1 cm (thinnest) to 10 cm (widest). |
| Key Activities | 1. Have the child bring the prisms one at a time to a floor rug and mix them randomly. 2. Ask the child to find the most narrow or thinnest prism and place it to the right. 3. Repeat until all prisms are in order. |
| Skills Developed | – Visual discrimination of width and dimensions. – Fine motor coordination. – Logical sequencing. – Problem-solving. |
| Tips for Presentation | – Use clear instructions like “Can you find the most narrow prism of those that are left?” – Ensure alignment at the right ends of the prisms. |
| Extensions | – Combine with Pink Tower for creative structures. – Use Pink Tower and Broad Stair Pattern Cards for additional layout designs. – Create complex building projects for enhanced engagement. |
| Additional Notes | – Best used on wood or tile floors rather than rugs for stability. |
| Cost Considerations | – Often the most expensive of the “big three” materials (~$70+). – Materials are heavy due to solid rectangular prisms. |
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