Montessori Tactile Sensory Craft-Sticks

Montessori tactile sensory craft-sticks DIY is designed for babies, toddlers and preschoolers to help develop and refine the tactile sense through a hands-on exploration of different textures.

Although I embrace Montessori from the heart, the materials can be expensive, and some are short-lived! So, my goal is to bring Montessori to you on a budget with easy DIYs that you can make from recycled items or things around your home! Besides, to make these Montessori tactile sensory craft-sticks, you will need just one item ~ craft sticks, along with some loose items that you can find around the house. Most importantly, this Montessori sensorial activity will advance many skills, whether you have a toddler, preschooler, or kindergartner. Lastly, this activity is perfect for homeschooling since you can make it quickly with materials readily available!

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Supplies

Here is a list of materials you need to make tactile sensory craft sticks:

• craft sticks
• a hot glue gun
• loose items

The beauty of this activity is that you can use whatever loose items you have handy. Feel free to improvise and let your imagination run wild! And I must warn you: the process is addicting, so you might not want to stop!

Loose Items We Used:

Below is the list of items we used, but feel free to use your own.

• tiny pom poms
• black bean
• colorful paper clips
• pebbles from the beach
• plastic straws
• bow-pasta
• feathers
• rolled pipe cleaners
• dyed rice
• googly eyes
• dyed chickpeas

Dyed Rice Recipe

Click below to download the recipe on how to make the dyed rice

Instructions:

Montessori tactile sensory craft-sticks are very easy to make.

First, choose which loose items are most appealing to your child.

Then, hot glue them securely to craft sticks.

Finally, offer your child to explore the textures safely.

These DIY tactile craft sticks are like texture superheroes, inviting tiny hands to explore a sensory wonderland. The roughness of the beans, the smoothness of the feathers, and the gentle rustle of rice create a symphony of sensations to stimulate their tactile sense. From boosting their fingertip’s sensitivity to improving their ability to differentiate, these craft sticks are the ultimate champions in promoting tactile development.

Baby Modification

If loose items are glued securely, and you are supervising that the child is not putting anything in the mouth, you can even introduce these tactile craft sticks during tummy times (AGE 4 M+). Alternatively, you can tape craft sticks to the table or another flat surface, so that the child can explore them safely without potentially putting them in the mouth.

Please always supervise your child.

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Montessori Tactile Sensory Craft-Sticks Preschooler Modification

For older children, offer a blindfold. First, let them explore the textures and identify each while having their eyes open. Then, offer to cover the eyes, isolating the tactile sense, and invite them to feel and tell you what each texture is.

Why Is Tactile Stimulation Important?

“What the hand does, the mind remembers.”

Dr. Montessori

We can hardly resist touching a cute animal, a silky flower petal, or a baby! Through the tactile sense, we learn about the world around us; little people are no exception. In fact, through tactile exploration, children experience their environment more fully, gather information about the surroundings, and can make connections and classify things. The sensation of touch is essential to our daily lives as it is a pivotal interface between the body and the outside world. Thus, when children feel or touch something, they gather multiple informative cues about that object. Is the object soft? Hard, squishy, slippery, smooth, silky, and so forth.

As such, tactile stimulation is crucial for the developing brain since the “sensitive period” (which Dr. Montessori defined as a period of special sensitivity to a particular stimulus) from birth to age five is sensory refinement. So, to facilitate this refinement, we should be setting inviting and engaging invitations to play! Yes, to play! “Play is the work of the child!” Children are learning more through play than through workbooks! Through tactile play, they trigger multiple sensory stimuli since whatever is perceived through the hand goes directly to the brain! We must leverage a child’s innate sensitivity to acquiring and refining sensory skills during the first five/six years since once the ‘window’ closes, the interest and the ability to absorb the skill effortlessly disappear.

Have you tried making Montessori Tactile Sensory Craft-Sticks? Leave a comment!

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For More Montessori Tactile Activities

Click here to learn about how to make Sensory Tactile Balloons.

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