Learning the Montessori Way! Geometric Solids

Learning the Montessori Way!

Montessori Geometric Solids: An introduction to 3D shapes at the Kindergarten level

In the Montessori way of learning 3D geometrical concepts are introduced with these beautiful sensational geometrical solids. The traditional Montessori geometric solids kit is one where all the solids are in blue, for isolation of difficulty between shape and colors. The idea is to maintain the focus on the current topic of learning. They serve as great tools for development of stereognostic sense, which is the process and skill of feeling objects and recognizing them based on what is felt.

Kids Kouch: Montessori Materials

Montessori geometric solids are a set of 10 shapes which are sure to attract the attention of any child. Ranging from the basic ones like the Sphere, Cube and Cylinder which children  relate to more easily with the objects they see around them in daily life. It’s very natural for most children to identify a ball as a ‘sphere’ and they are now able give a name to the square blocks they have been using in their building clocks as a ‘cube’. Then there are more complex geometric solids like the Prisms and the Ellipsoid. Young kids are usually in awe of seeing the Triangle Based and the Square Based Pyramids.

Kids Kouch- Montessori Geometrial Solids

In a Montessori environment children are encouraged to touch and feel each shape and explore its movement. The movements vary for almost each shape. It is a roll for the Cylinder, circular one for the Cone, off-balance for the Ovoid and the lumbar movement of the Cube, Rectangular and the Triangular Prisms. Every geometric solid has its own special features which are introduced in a play way method such that the idea of sides, edges and corners are understood even before they learn these technical terms.  The facilitators can make this material more interesting by asking the children to create their own little booklets of similar shapes that they see in the real world which may include interesting things like an Ice-cream cone for Cone, a ball for Sphere and so on. Montessori Geometric Solids are the first step in learning and exploring the 3D Shapes. A great way to ignite the children’s curiosity and imagination!

We would like to thank Stuti Mehrotra-Founder Linden Montessori for this article.