To refine the child’s tactile senses and also indirect preparation for sandpaper letters.
One box with gradations of roughness, containing five pars of
rough tablets of the same gradation as the Rough and Smooth Board 3.
Invite the child to come and work with you. Remind the child that before we work with any tactile material we must sensitize our fingertips. You and the child do so. Have the child bring over the correct box with the touch tablets. Have him place the box near the top right corner of the table.
Procedure
- Take out five boards, one of each pair.
- Touch each board (one at a time) using your right index and middle fingers.
- Allow the child to experience what you are feeling.
- Take out three pairs with the greatest contrast.
- Mix them up and place them in a pile in the middle of the table.
- Take the board from the top and place it directly in front of you. Feel this board using two fingers.
- Tell the child, “I’m going to feel for the one just like it.”
- Place the next board from the pile next to the first board.
- Close your eyes (or use the blindfold) and feel the first board, then the second board.
- If they do not match, tell the child so. Then place it off to the right side. Then bring the next board from the pile over and continue until you have found the one that is just like it.
- If they do feel the same, allow the child to feel. Then place them on top of each other off to the left side.
- Replace any discarded boards back into the original pile.
- Repeat until all of the pairs have been matched.
- Mix up the tablets and allow the child to match. (Offer him a blindfold.)
Exercises
Exercise 1
The child works individually with the five pairs.
Using one of each pair, the child grades the tablets.
Matching from a distance
Grading from an extreme
Grading from a midpoint
Matching to the environment
Comparative and Superlative: Rough
Comparative and Superlative: Smooth
Direct
Refinement of the tactile sense to discern the fine distinction between rough and smooth. (The blindfold will help the child to focus on his attention upon one sense.)
Indirect
Preparation for writing.
In the material: the difference in color and the grain of the sandpaper.
3 1/2 years
The blindfold is optional.